“She only does that for you,” Pepper said.
Somehow that made me feel strange inside. In a good way. One I didn’t quite know what to do with.
I lifted the latch, and she rocketed out. Her tail wagged when I scrubbed behind her ears. Unconditional love. That was what stood wiggling before me.
I’d never really known what that was. Ash couldn’t tell me, but she’d shown me almost from day one.
And I admired the way all of these dogs gave so freely. All they wanted in return was time. Even when I hadn’t given Ash that, she never held it against me.
“Can I take her for a walk?”
Pepper offered me a leash. “She’d love that.”
Ash easily allowed me to loop her neck.
Sadie wandered toward her kennel despite still being on a lead.
“Oh no, missy,” Pepper warned. “You didn’t do anything out there.”
Sadie sighed audibly and trudged toward the door, resigned to her fate.
“It could be worse,” Miss Adeline said to Sadie. “You could be having a bath instead of a walk.”
At the B-word, it was as if she’d pressed a button and barking filled the air.
“What’s got all of you stirred up? No one is getting bath today.” She might as well not have spoken. More barking continued.
“You started this.” Pepper pointed to Miss Adeline. “We’re outta here.”
I shrugged helplessly but followed Pepper to the alley.
“Leave an old woman here with these hooligans,” Miss Adeline hollered as the door shut behind us.
Pepper giggled.
Muffy pawed her again for his treat.
“You are such a good boy,” she said as she fed him a biscuit.
We walked at the pace the dogs set—well, Sadie. It was barely daylight, but the sounds of the awakening city surrounded us.
“How’d it go?” Her face was pinched when she looked at me. Guilt was etched in every line.
“Better with Lincoln and Beau there.” I picked up a discarded soda bottle and deposited it in a nearby dumpster. “It was busy work.” I paused. “That’s not fair. I’m sure the people in the mailroom have it tough, but I’m nearly one hundred percent certain my father invented a lot of what we did tonight to make me miserable.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
“I didn’t have a good time, but it was easier when I thought about the end result.”
Sadie stopped to sniff around, so we all stopped.
“I don’t like this.” Pepper frowned. She’d worn her stress from the moment we met, but now it was palpable.
“Hey.” I grazed her cheek with my thumb. “It’s going to be fine. I was out of a job anyway. When one door closes, another opens, right?”
She scowled at my pearl of wisdom. “Are you going to protest your dismissal?”
“I don’t see the point. There’s no expiration date on me working for Hollingsworth Properties. Even if I get reinstated, I can’t go back.”
Pepper kicked at a weed. “You could still have it removed from your record. So maybe you could go back one day if . . .”
That was a big if.
But I didn’t like that I’d been unfairly let go. It would follow me around no matter what ended up happening.
And I’d never backed down from what was right.
“I think I will talk to someone to appeal.” The more the idea took shape, the more I warmed to it.
“Good.” She looked over at me, guilt as prominent as ever. “Are you on the night shift now?”
“I have a feeling I’m pretty much at my father’s beck and call.” I snorted bitterly. “I’m not sure he’s paying me.”
“Teague.” She sounded horrified. “I-I don’t have a lot, but if you need some money . . .” She snapped her mouth closed.
“I’m good. But if I wasn’t, I’d hit up my brother and sister. They have the big bucks.” I tried to make light of it, but somehow my effort fell flat.
“Okay.” Her shoulders seemed to sag in relief.
I’d get another job before I’d ever ask Pepper for a dime. And that went no matter how much money she had. If anything, I wanted to be the one to provide for her. Not that she needed me. She seemed to be doing just fine on her own.
“I didn’t mean to worry you last night.”
She gave a slight nod of acceptance to my apology. “Your brother was losing his mind. I was too,” she finished after a pause.
I felt bad I’d concerned her, but secretly liked that she cared.
“I went to his office and he wasn’t there.” Anger surfaced at the thought of the games my father played. “He did it on purpose. I hadn’t been to the house I grew up in since college.”
She rounded her eyes. “That must have been difficult.”
“It made me realize how much I have, but how much he’s cost us. Not just time, but relationships too.” I’d sacrificed all these years with Winston. And yeah, I’d avoided that house because it was hard, but maybe I could’ve found some comfort there too.
Mom loved it. She’d grown up there, and her parents had given it to her and my father as a wedding gift. There were so many good memories in that place. They could overshadow the bad if I let them.
But my father’s dark cloud superseded everything.
I’d caved into him because I saw no other way out. By doing so, I’d given him power he hadn’t had before. And I had zero doubt he’d be drunk on it before long.
“He wanted me to have nothing to do with you.”
She froze. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “But I told him it was a deal breaker.”
She clutched the leashes so tightly I was certain the soft rope material would cut through her skin. “You shouldn’t push him.”
“I shouldn’t let him continue pushing me around.” I cupped her cheek. “He’s taken away enough. I’m not giving this up.”
I didn’t know what this was. Only that little by little it was growing inside me, and I didn’t want it to stop.
She leaned into my touch, silently communicating she didn’t want me to give it up either. I felt she wanted to keep exploring what was happening between us. That she might even miss me if I weren’t around.
I grinned.
“How can you be smiling at a time like this?” Yet the corner of her mouth twitched too.
I cocked my head to the side. “You like having me around.”
She scowled, but it was less effective when her lips were turned up. “I fed you once and now you won’t go away.”
“As I recall, I fed you.”
She wrinkled her nose. My face hurt from smiling so hard.
She stretched onto her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “Then maybe it’s me who won’t go away.”
Chapter Seventeen
Pepper
I can’t believe I just said that.
For most people, it was probably a small admission. One that took no courage. But after all but admitting I like having Teague around, and I couldn’t stay away either, my hands trembled slightly.