The back door opened and the woman raced out, scooping up her writhing pup. The dog snapped and she had to let it slip down again immediately or risk a finger, but instead of scolding the dog, she glared at me. “How dare you upset Veronica! Get away!”
I pressed my lips together for a moment to manage a calm voice. “Sorry. Just passing by. I don’t think she likes my cat.” I tapped my neck. Mimsy paused, stretched, and flicked her tail at the dog before consenting to jump up.
“That thing should be on a leash. We have leash laws.”
“For dogs, yes, ma’am.” I stroked Mimsy’s head and didn’t finish the obvious thought.
The woman peered at me more closely. “Where do you live? What are you doing around here? Are you stealing pets? Can you prove that cat is yours?”
Shit.Nothing good came of people paying too much attention to me. Jeans and a denim jacket might not scream homeless even with a bit of wear and tear, and I was at least clean these days, but I sure didn’t fit the upscale neighborhood. “She’s mine. She knows lots of tricks.” I commanded, “Up, Mimsy,” and braced as she climbed onto my head. “Paw.” I felt her weight shift as she raised a front paw. “Off.”
She jumped down, which set the barky fluffball off again.
“Huh. Which house is yours?”
“I’m visiting a friend.” I waved vaguely toward the neighboring block. “Enjoying the sunshine. I’m from Minnesota, and I can tell you, January here is not like January there. Right now, the snow would be deep enough to bury my little cat. There’d be no pleasure walks for us.” Adding sugar never hurt, so I added, “Gaynor Beach may be the prettiest place I’ve ever been. This is a lovely town, and so friendly.”
“Right.” She looked down at my feet. I was glad of the new sneakers. No duct tape.
The increasing hysteria of her dog made a good excuse. I said, “We’d better get going so Veronica can calm down. It’s a pity she doesn’t like cats. Poor baby, wouldn’t want her to strain her little voice.” Turning, I strode off down the sidewalk, signing urgently for Mimsy to follow me. Luckily, she stuck close to my heels.
I could feel the woman’s gaze on my back, and the dog was still yipping as we passed the empty lot and reached the corner, so instead of crossing the street to the wine place, I turned left and walked down the next block in the direction I’d waved, passing Mimsy a few treats to keep her close at heel.
To be safe, I took us two blocks east before swinging around and crossing over to the undeveloped side. From there, I worked my way back home through the weeds along the road, keeping my stride brisk like someone walking for exercise, while Mimsy trotted through the brush a few feet to my left. As we approached the wine place, I strained my ears but didn’t hear any high-pitched yapping. Hopefully, we were safe. Still, I cut back deep into the underbrush before I reached the drive and approached the side entrance that way.
Mimsy paused as I opened the door, and I wondered if she’d go off hunting, but I guess the treats and performing had her ready for a nap. She brushed past my ankles, ducked inside, and trotted up the stairs toward the sun-warmed rooms above. I looked around carefully as I let the door close. Nothing seemed out of place. No one waited in the shadows for me.
I hadn’t seen Theo since the day we worked at Arthur’s place. That was entirely down to me, not him. I knew that, because I’d been leaving early and staying out late on purpose. Yesterday, I’d come home from busking, and there was a paperback book on the second step of the inside stairs with a note that said, “Sorry I missed you again.”
The book was one we’d talked about that I’d never got to read. I liked that this copy was used, not new, the binding cracked. I liked that Theo had taken the time to find a book I’d mentioned and bring it for me. I wasn’t sure I liked that he wandered into my place at will, even though the wine building wasn’t reallymyplace at all and the door was open.
I wasn’t sure what I felt about him. We’d gone back to his place after pooper-scooping for another awesome but less water-wasteful shower and a slow sixty-nine in his bed. He asked me to stay the night, but drove me home without complaint when I said no. Trying to fall asleep later on my thin pad with towels over me in a fifty-degree abandoned building, I wondered why I’d refused. But I didn’t regret my decision.
Theo was dangerous to me. Not physically. By now, I was pretty sure the guy swinging a table-thing at a mirror wasn’t normal Theo at all. The man didn’t give off any violent vibes. But he made me want things. Impossible things.
Theo said he wasn’t some kind of high-flying multi-millionaire, that he made good money on his house conversions, but then sank a lot of it into the next house. Only, his idea of filthy rich and mine were light-years apart. Not to mention, he’d be leaving Gaynor Beach when the mysterious business he’d come for was done. He owned a condo in San Diego and that was where he ran his house-flipping business.
“Just an hour’s drive,” he’d said, but that was for the guy with the Tesla.
So yeah, wanting to fall into bed with him and never come up for air was dangerous.
Even knowing Theo wasn’t sticking around, deliberately avoiding him the last few days had been fucking hard. A big part of me wanted to grab onto this good thing I’d found and to hell with the consequences. Life was uncertain and I’d never met anyone like Theo before. Probably never would again. Why not take whatever happiness I could wring out of every minute and let the future take care of itself?
That was how I’d always lived my life. One day at a time. If something looked good, grab it.
But, other than Mimsy, I’d also had to let go of every good thing I’d ever found. Letting go of Theo would hurt worse later. The closer we got, the harder it would be.
So I dithered, and avoided him, and dreamed about him in the night. I woke hard and lonely, reaching for him. I was a fool, I just wasn’t certain in which way.
I’d spent an hour in the library, looking into getting tested again— a good idea even if we never ass-fucked. But the nearest Planned Parenthood was down in the San Diego suburbs, too, and Gaynor Beach didn’t have a free clinic. I could take the bus, but the route would take four hours and three transfers to work my way down to the city center, then back out to the relevant suburb. And to reach a condo apartment in some random upscale neighborhood? There might not evenbebus service. The West Coast sucked for public transit.
So no,Thibault, it wasn’t just an hour’s travel. Not for people like me.
Which raised the question— what was I doing with Theo?
What good could possibly come of me hanging out with him? Or with Arthur, for that matter? Today’s encounter with the suspicious woman reminded me I didn’t really belong here. Never would.
I wandered into that cavernous kitchen area to retrieve my pack from where I’d hidden it in the dishwasher, but paused and turned around at the sound of a car pulling up outside. I hated the way my heart raced eagerly. I reminded myself Theo was pretty to look at, great in bed, and fun to talk to, but I was a temporary distraction for him till he swanned off to his regular rich life. If I lost sight of that fact, I’d be letting myself in for a lot of pain.
