Page 87 of Worst in Show

“Me too.” I hesitate, but then I reach out and place my hand on his where it’s idling on the gear knob. As soon as my palm makes contact, the fine hairs on my arms rise.

Leo’s jaw flexes.

“Is this okay?” I ask.

In response, he turns his hand so our fingers can weave together.

Diane is outside with the dogs when we pull up. In boots and an oversized oil cloth jacket, she looks ready for a fox hunt in the British countryside, but the illusion dissipates when she tells us there’s a mac-and-cheese bake still warm inside if we’re hungry.

“Training will be better on full stomachs,” she insists.

I let Leo decide, so food it is.

“I could get used to having someone else cook for me on a regular basis,” I say after stuffing myself. “My clothes would no longer fit, but it would be worth it if I didn’t have to come up with dinner ideas ever again.”

“You don’t like cooking?” Leo asks.

“Nope. Do you?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Did you hear your brother has hired a housekeeper?” Dawn interjects from her chair in the adjacent sitting room. “For cooking and cleaning?”

“No, he didn’t tell me that.”

“Sounds amazing,” I say, chewing.

Dawn pushes off her seat and joins us in the kitchen. “Seems like a waste of money to me. How hard is it to clean your own house and put food in a crockpot?”

“They both work a lot.” Leo clamps his lips together around the words. I get the feeling he’s been no stranger to hiring help in the past.

Dawn purses her lips. “Lots of people work a lot. You work a lot.”

“Come on, now,” Diane says, filling up her wife’s mug with coffee.

Dawn’s expression softens. “Sorry, I’m a tired grumpus today. The week after Halloween is always a lot. Kids stuffing themselves with sugar every chance they get—it takes the wind out of me. You’d think high schoolers would have gotten past the novelty, but nope.”

One last piece of the puzzle finally clicks into place. Of course—Mrs. McInnis! Dawn is Jaz’s old history teacher who started the history server. That’s why Leo/Al said he was there “doing someone a favor.” He must have meant he was helping Dawn out moderating the group.

Before I can voice my epiphany, Dawn continues. “All I’m saying is, I’ll never understand that lifestyle. They’re off to Hawaii for Thanksgiving, New York for Christmas, and I think Courtney has to be in Dallas for a week in December. I couldn’t keep up.”

Leo hums something noncommittal in response.

I watch as he stabs a few remaining pieces of bell pepper onto his fork and puts them in his mouth. He’s far away in thought before he looks up.

“You miss it,” I say, the words feeling truer than I want them to be.

His lips part as if he’s about to deny it, but then he relents. “Part of me does. Not because it’s better; it’s just different. There’s a certain rush in the anticipation of knowing something’s always around the corner—an event, a trip, a party. It’s easy to get addicted to that lifestyle.”

I nod as if I know what he’s talking about when nothing could be further from the truth. There’s a wistful note in his voice that rubs me like steel wool would—in no way pleasant. I push my plate away and stand. “I’m stuffed. Ready to train?”

His eyes narrow. “Something else is on your mind, I can tell. Spit it out.”

I pull on my boots and pause in the doorway after letting Tilly and Cholula run out ahead of us. “I guess I’m wondering if you’d turn it down if it was offered to you again. Sounds like a pretty cushy life.” I jog down the steps and he follows.

“The perks are, but you pay for it with a pound of flesh. I’ve told you what it did to me.”

“So that’s a no?” We’ve reached the edge of the field.

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