Page 19 of Interference

Lily nudged her nose against my arm again, probably sensing my unease with this guy.

“It’s okay,” I told her, giving her ears a little scratch. She relaxed, but not by much.

Simon craned his neck, and when he saw Lily, he turned an odd look on Anthony. “You let a dog in here with the cats?” I couldn’t tell if he was just surprised, or if he was annoyed. Maybe even disgusted. Or maybe he was protective of the cats and thought Lily might be a threat to them.

“She’s a service dog,” Anthony said flatly as he started cleaning off his plate, which was mostly empty at that point. “Where he goes, she goes.”

Simon stepped around the counter to, I assumed, get a better look at Lily. Then he grunted and gave a subtle nod, as if he’d grudgingly decided she was okay.

I was glad I was wearing jeans this morning instead of the shorts I’d put on last night. I hadn’t thought twice about Anthony noticing my prosthetic, but I felt weird about Simon knowing. I couldn’t even explain why; people sometimes interrogated me because they didn’t think being an amputee was a reason to have a service dog. Was he the type of person who’d do that? I had no idea. I did, however, have the sudden certainty that he was the type who’d grill me just to make Anthony squirm. Maybe because Anthony had turned so uncomfortable when Simon had arrived? Just a vibe? No idea.

Either way, I kept my mouth shut, and I remained glad Simon wasn’t aware of my disability.

Simon took out his phone. “It’s almost nine, and the bridge is backing up. We need to go.”

“Of course it’s backing up,” Anthony muttered. “It’s almost nine.”

Simon exhaled in that loud way that meant he was displeased. Fuck, I hated people like that.

Anthony had his back to Simon but not to me, and he rolled his eyes before schooling his expression and turning around. “Let me brush my teeth and we can go.”

Simon made a “well, go on then” gesture.

To me, Anthony said, “I’ll be right back.”

I nodded, not relishing the idea of being alone with Simon. From the uneasiness in Anthony’s expression as he glanced back and forth between us, he wasn’t thrilled about it either.

I thought fast, then said, “While you do that, I’ll take her outside really fast.” I glanced at my plate. “Will this be safe from the cats?”

Anthony laughed. “Just put it in the microwave.”

“Good call.” I put my plate and coffee cup in the microwave, picked up Lily’s leash off the counter, and took her outside.

As soon as we were outside, I released my breath. What the fuck was going on between those two? And holy shit, was I glad they didn’t live together. Something told me Simon wouldn’t have been nearly as accommodating as Anthony. Even if he was, and even though it would’ve been a reprieve from the street, it still would’ve been seriously uncomfortable for both me and Anthony. I’d still have taken him up on it because literal beggars had no business being choosers, but I’d have felt guilty as hell for putting Anthony in that situation.

Well, at least I had a break from Simon for the moment. Lily did her business, and after I’d tossed the bag into a trashcan, I walked her around the yard just to buy us a few minutes.

As we wandered the meticulously landscaped yard, the cold of the morning settled in around my shoulders. I was wearing a hoodie and I’d been indoors, so I wasn’t super cold, but the bitter bite was unmistakable. It was that damp cold that went right through the skin, wrapped around the bones, and stayed there, making everything ache until it went numb.

There were some shiny spots on the pavement, too. Frost clinging to plants and the wrought-iron patio furniture. In my past life, I’d have been out here with an ice scraper, engine idling and teeth chattering as I cleared off my windshield so I could head to work.

In my current life…

I looped the leash around my wrist and hugged myself against a shudder that had nothing to do with the weather. I swore I could feel the phantom chill of concrete through my shirt and jeans. I could feel the helplessness as Lily shivered against me. That was how I’d woken up yesterday morning, aching all over from the awful night, and also wracked with guilt because my poor dog had been so miserable. When I’d realized the next night would only be colder, I’d gotten desperate. I couldn’t get us into any kind of housing, but like hell was I letting her spend another night like that.

Beside me, Lily was happily plodding through the grass, ears up and tail wagging.

Would you have even survived last night?

The thought brought a lump to my throat and a sting to my eyes. A few times, I’d seriously considered giving her up. Yeah, I needed her, but she needed a home, a warm bed, and food. When the winter had started out mild and we’d had enough bedding to stay warm and dry, I’d thought maybe we’d be okay. Just ride it out until the weather got better. Seattle winters weren’t bad. We could handle it.

Then suddenly there’d been nothing to keep us warm or dry, and making her stay out there with me had been cruel. If the clinic hadn’t worked out, then I would’ve taken her to the shelter. It was a no-kill shelter, fortunately. They normally didn’t take Dobermans, but they’d assured me they would take her and turn her over to a local Doberman rescue. I wouldn’t have been able to get her back, but I’d have made sure they had the number of the woman who’d trained her. Ideally, they would’ve made sure Lily went back to her trainer. If not, they’d have found her a loving, safe home.

Either way, Lily would’ve been all right. Come hell or high water, my dog would’ve been safe and warm, even if I’d had to let her go.

I leaned down and patted her rump. She looked up at me, panting happily as her tail wagged.

I had no idea what she and I would do when we were back out there on the street and the temperature dropped again. I had no idea if I’d make it through the winter without having to surrender her.

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