Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Wow. That’s not what I expected from Raney.
Or Blinky.
Maybe my old nemesis has a softer, gentler side, after all.
Coming to perch on the arm of the sofa beside her, I say, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes and it’s obvious you care a lot about him.”
“I do,” she rushes to assure me as we both watch the open crate and the ball of angry black fur crouched stubbornly at the back of it.
“He knows that. Just give him time. He’ll come around.” I turn to face her more fully. “I bet if we just chat and relax with our tea, he’ll feel left out and want to come join the fun.”
“I’m not a big tea drinker,” she says. “But it was cool of her to offer. She seems like a real nice lady. She your boss?”
“Kind of. We work in different departments, but she’s been here a lot longer. I absolutely defer to her expertise. She’s really sweet and would do anything for a furry friend in need. Killer couldn’t have asked for a better rescuer.”
Raney’s shoulders relax away from her ears. “I’m so glad she found him.” She glances past me before fixing her gaze on my face with more intensity than before. “Before she gets back, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for saying that mean shit at the fair. There’s nothing wrong with you. Your ex is an asshole and you’re better off without him. He treated my friend like garbage, too. You’ve definitely leveled up with Christian McGuire.”
I’m about to assure her Christian and I are just friends, and he was only being protective on Saturday, when she pushes on in a softer voice, “But be careful with him, too, okay? I’ve heard some rumors about his bike shop. Bad rumors. I don’t know if he’s mixed up in the sketchy shit going down there or not, but if he is, he isn’t safe for you to be hanging around. You could get into trouble for just being his girl, you know. And I don’t want that for you. You’re a good person. I’ve always known that.” She glances down at the floor with a self-conscious shrug. “I was just jealous when we were kids. That’s why I did the things I did to you. But I always thought you were nice, and you proved that today. You could have kept the fact that your boss found Killer a secret and let him be adopted by someone else. But you didn’t and…that means a lot to me.”
“Of course. Truce?” I ask.
When she glances up from the floor, I offer her a real smile.
She nods, her lips curving, too. “Yeah. Truce. Why keep old enemies when you can make new friends, right?”
“Right,” I agree. I’m about to ask her more about Christian’s shop—what she’s heard is happening there and why I should be careful—but Killer chooses that moment to dash from his crate, straight into Raney’s lap.
“Oh my God, you scared me, psycho.” She giggles as she hugs the giant cat, who instantly rolls onto his back, yowling and chewing on her hands.
But he doesn’t break the skin or hurt Raney, and in a few seconds, he’s purring with his big eyes narrowed into happy slits. Then Sheila comes in and we’re all trying to balance tea and playing with a catnip mouse and before I know it, Raney is headed out the door with Killer on his leash—looking much happier to be there now that he’s not wearing an eye patch or peg leg—and the moment has passed.
I could call Raney at work again and see if she’s willing to talk more, but I decide I’d rather go straight to the source.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Christian is on the right side of the law, but maybe he has an idea what Raney’s talking about. Maybe there’s a guy with a bad reputation working at the shop or he’s heard rumors, too, and knows what they’re about.
If not, I can always reach back out to Raney later. But for now, I trust Christian way more than my old childhood nemesis, even if we are newfound friends.
With that in mind, I craft a short note and drop it by Christian’s desk on my way to the bathroom—Need to talk to you in private re: some gossip I heard about your bike shop. Meet me at my place around 5:30 with Bella? We can hang out in the backyard, let the animals play, have a beer and chat? No funny stuff, I promise.
When I get back to my desk, Christian is still hard at work, but there’s a small note tucked beneath my keyboard—Sounds good. And I have a confession to make while we’re there. Nothing I intended to do but your note got me thinking and… Well, let’s just say a little “begging for your forgiveness and making amends” might be in order.