Page 66 of Puppy Love

Luckily, I didn’t throw up. But the feeling is still there, digging deeper and deeper into my body. I’ve been trying to distract myself with work, focusing on scrubbing all the little things that get peed on most consistently. Posts, shelves, the wall where all the leashes hang, for some reason.

I’m having trouble pinpointing exactly what it is that’s bothering me. Westley? Cody? Cam’s reaction to Cody?

I want to say it’s Westley. Pine Paws is an amazing facility, widely funded and expertly staffed. It’s probably more of a resort than Furry Friends, since everyone that works there is doing so out of love and not because there are bills to pay. But something about him has my heart in a grip. How scared he was to let us in, but how effortlessly he did when he realized that we were there to help.

I feel like I’m wading in a lake, stepping further and further until the waterline reaches my throat. Like any second now, the guilt is going to wash over me.

Drown me.

But I’d be lying if I said it was that entirely.

Something about Cody irked me in a way I’ve never been irked before. It’s hard to pinpoint and harder to describe. He’s just off in some way. And even though she seemed seriously upset when he said he was moving, it was almost like Cam was scared of him, which I hate in a way words cannot explain.

It doesn’t make things easier that Ruthie called me this morning to let me know my parents will be out of rehab in time for Christmas. I tried so hard not to cave, but I can’t listen to her voice break and do nothing about it. So, I sent the last chunk of my savings to her, and she got them both admitted to the facility in Seattle.

I slide my phone out of my pocket and click on my now most frequent contact. I need to be thinking about literally anything else, and I need something stronger than dog piss to distract me.

My place or yours tonight?

This isn’t technically violating the contract because it’s texting. I watch three gray dots dance across the screen.

Can’t, sorry

Something came up

I frown reading the messages.

Tomorrow?

The dots reappear, waving in a line in the little gray bubble, but disappear after a moment. I wait for them to come back, but they don’t.

Look, I know I shouldn’t go peek in on her, but maybe she isn’t responding because she needs help. I peer through the salon window inconspicuously. Cam is standing there, staring at her phone. I pull mine out and text her again.

I’m free Saturday too.

I watch as Cam lets out a heavy sigh, her eyes scanning the screen before she puts her phone back down. My brows press together.

Why is she ignoring me?

“Hey.” I pop my head through the door. “I’m just checking in. You good?”

“I’m busy,” she says shortly, her clippers working tediously between a fur-covered paw pad.

I frown. “Do you need help?”

I don’t know the first thing about dog grooming, but if Cam needs help, I’ll try my damnedest.

Cam shakes her head.

I look around, making sure nobody is in hearing range before speaking again.

“Got any fun plans for the weekend?” I ask. It’s a completely innocent question with absolutely no innuendos. Finally, Cam looks up at me. She sighs, then turns her clippers off. Without the soft buzz of them, the room grows quiet. Cam seems to like the silence, on account of how often I find myself sitting in it with her. I swallow.

“I’m hanging out with Hayden and Adrian,” she says. Then, she adds, “And Avery.”

I nod, shifting my weight onto my toes, then back down to my heels.

“Okay,” I shrug. “Cool.”

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