Page 72 of The Paid Wife: A Lesbian Romance
all the time.”
“That’s funny because usually people turn it on just for the
noise and they don’t even watch it.”
“I have the radio for that. And if I get lonely, there’s always
Mr. Pickles.”
“What the heck is a Mr. Pickles?” Emily looked like she
wasn’t looking forward to finding out the answer. Danica
knew she must appear strange to Emily, with her little crappy
apartment, every room a different color, the mismatched retro
and antique furniture, her wild clothes, the piercings, the
tattoos… “Hey. You’re wearing your ring.”
Dani ripped her eyes down to her hand, a little astounded at
the fact that yes, she was indeed still wearing her ring. “I guess
I just forgot to take it off.” Dani jumped up and ran off down
the hall, leaving Emily stunned behind her. She stopped in her
room to scoop an ancient fluffy gray and white cat off of her
bed. When she came back, Emily smiled a true smile for the
first time since she’d arrived. “This is Mr. Pickles,” Danica
said. “I got him a year ago.”
“He looks, um, well, trying to be polite, that is to say, he
looks a little bit…not a year old.”
Dani laughed. Mr. Pickles snugged deeper into her arms,
nestling his fuzzy cheek against her chest. She stroked behind
his ears with her thumb. “I did get him last year, but he was
born a long time ago. He belonged to an elderly man who
passed away, unfortunately. He ended up at the shelter. I was
looking for a companion. He was in rough shape, but I’ve
managed to fatten him up.”
Her throat closed up with panic when she thought about
losing this place, losing her shop. She couldn’t end up with
