Page 27 of Secondhand Garagyre

“Thetiny, deformed beasts.Yourdogs…”

“Uhm…yes?”Iask, my confusion clear.

“Ibelieve the two of them watched us the entire time we were within the grips of the mating heat…” chagrin evident in his voice as his voice trails off.Iguess the thought of my two little loafs watching us fornicate is enough to causeLaithog’serection to falter.Hiscock softens and withdraws abruptly, leaving me empty as his spend leaks out of me.

Bleh.

Ignoringthe leaking situationI’vegot going on,Iturn my head towards the front door.Ican see the tops ofMerryandPippin’sheads, their beady, judgmental eyes in clear view through the glass of the storm door.Laithogdidn’t close the solid wooden front door, so they had a front row view to all ouractivities.

Thehilarity of the situation hits me andIsnort out a laugh, ignoringLaithog’shuff of disgust as my entire body shakes with mirth.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

PAISLEY

Thetown ofTaggart,Texas, is bursting with holiday cheer.Everywhereyou look,Christmasdecorations and festive décor abound.Thecourthouse lawn boasts a massiveChristmastree covered in ornaments that catches the light the sun cast over it.

Hmmmm.

Iwonder ifLaithogwould be interested in going to the annual lighting of the tree next week?Christmasis my favorite time of year, but this year it’s been hard for me to find joy in the season due toPatrick’sdeath.Glancingover,Isee him peering at the tree in question with a curious look on his face.

Well, that decides that.I’llsurprise him with a trip to town to watch the city officially light the tree.Technically, the tree has had lights on it since right afterThanksgiving, butCityHalldoes a special ceremony the day beforeChristmasEveto bring the whole town together in celebration.

Iexplained toLaithogearlier, after we finally got off the couch, thatIhaven’t been to my jewelry shop in a week.Notsince my…altercation withBradleybehind said shop.Itwas imperativethatIgo to town today to check on it and make sure nothing happened to it during my forced absence.Ichose not to tell my parents about the beatingIsuffered.Therewasn’t anything they could do and it would just cause them more worry.

Whichalso means, that they didn’t run by the shop and check on it for me.I’msure someone in town told them about me being closed all week but a few texts messaged to my mom had resolved that issue.

Itold themIneeded a small break from work becauseIwasn’t dealing well with my firstChristmaswithoutPatrick.Afterthat, they left me alone for the most part.Momcouldn’t help herself so she checked on me a couple times a day all week.

ThankstoLaithog,Iwouldn’t have to come up with excuses not to see them until the bruising faded enough to cover with cosmetics.Myplan is to check on the shop, call my parents whileI’mthere, and invite them to lunch to meetLaithog…aka “Lance.”

ThesoonerIget that ball rolling the better.

ConvincingLaithogto go to town was easier thanIexpected it to be.Hehad just looked at me and says, “Igo wherever you go, little flame.”

Withthat thought in mind, he donned his glamour,Iloaded myself, the dogs, andLaithogin my pick-up and off to town we headed.

Hedidn’t say much on our way here as he appeared to be content observing his surroundings and taking it all in over asking me questions.Outof the corner of my eyeIcan seeLaithogcraning his head this way and that way as we make the square and pull into a parking spot in front of my jewelry shop.Iwonder howhe’s processing the changes in our world that have occurred since the last time he was awake?

Ishe overwhelmed?

Tentatively,Ifollow the tendrils connecting my soul to his, delicately touching the strands to get a read on my mate.Iheave a silent sigh of relief whenIfind curiosity and inquisitiveness rather than any negative emotion likeIfeared.Thankfully, he appears to be taking his introduction in to modern society rather well.

Refocusingon the road,Ismile when my shop comes into view.

Lookingat the street entrance to my jewelry shop never fails to fill me with pride.Itwas a heck of a blessing to land a commercial spot on the town square.Thebusiness is much better here than it was in my original location several blocks away.Morefoot traffic and ease of access means more business.

“Well, here we are!”Iannounce, pride clear in my tone.

Openingmy door,Iget out while the sound of the passenger door closing echoes that of my door.Ishiver a bit as the crispTexaswinter air hits my exposed face.I’mgladIdecided on a comfy turquoise colored sweater to go with my purple skirt with turquoise paisley designs on it.Iadded leggings under my skirt, too.

Coldair hitting one’s ass is not pleasant.

At.

All.

“Wait,”IcommandMerryandPippin, before opening the back door.Theyknow not to barrel out of the backseat before theyhave their leashes on, but it never hurts to make sure they’re listening.Iwould be devastated if one of my precious little loafs got hit by a car, especially if it was my fault for not being a top tier pet parent.

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