Page 84 of Sully

“Yeah, I’ve seen that happen,” Nave said, eyes far away for a second. “You don’t want that,” he added, looking at me.

I was reminded of the bullet wound scar on his stomach. And the fact that we didn’t know how it got there, what he’d been doing all those years away from Navesink Bank.

Clearly, he’d seen some nasty shit.

“It ain’t all bad,” Perish said. “Loved me having nursemaids while I was recovering.”

“Hey, Zima,” I said as the dog made her way over to me, sniffing, likely wondering what all the blood was about. “I’m alright, girl,” I assured her, rubbing her head.

“She calmed your girl down real fast,” Perish said.

“Did you?” I asked Zima, giving her more scratches. “You gonna be her therapy dog, huh? I won’t mind that if you let me in the bed too.”

She sniffed at that.

“So, where are you looking for a house?” Valen asked.

“What?”

“That’s the next step,” he said, giving me a knowing look. “How much room you gonna need? She want a bunch of kids?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, suddenly realizing that there were a lot of details I didn’t know about Bonnie yet. Hell, I actually didn’t even know her last name. “She would want a craft room. And a nice yard for the dog. Dogs,” I clarified. “You’re definitely going to have siblings eventually,” I told Zima.

“Market is shit right now. But I’ll keep an eye out for signs,” Valen said as Dezi and Callow cleaned up the mess.

“Might be getting ahead of things,” I said.

“Yeah?” Nave asked. “‘Cause the way I see it, you two got a dog. And her place doesn’t allow dogs.”

That was… true.

“Well, we have the clubhouse for the time being.” Even as I said it, though, I knew it couldn’t last long. She wouldn’t want to be without her dog. But she would also have a hard time being away from all her little craft supplies, books, and creature comforts at her place. As big as the clubhouse was, there wasn’t room enough for her to move all that stuff in.

Maybe we were closer to a house than I realized.

“Kinda jarring how fast it happens, right?” Dezi asked, nodding. “Next thing you know, you’ll have two pygmy goats and a mini house cow…”

“That’s just a you thing, man,” Fallon said, shaking his head.

“You want any pain meds?” Dezi asked. “Think I still have some laying around.”

“I’m alright,” I said.

“Drink then,” Nave said, going behind the bar.

“That, I won’t turn down.”

I wondered what the girls were talking about, how Bonnie was handling things. I got the impression that Courtney was a bit of a larger-than-life personality. And it was easy for people like that—people like me—to bulldoze over someone with a more timid disposition. Without meaning to, for sure. But often without even realizing.

That said, I couldn’t step in, even if I wanted to. Bonnie could handle it. She was already coming out of her shell more, getting more comfortable around others.

I had a drink with Nave.

Then a second.

It was Zima’s whining and scratching at my bedroom door that finally had the two women emerging.

“Gird your loins,” Nave whispered as he raised his glass for a drink.

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