Page 44 of Fall Into Me

“Good morning, sweet boy.” I dropped to my knees beside him, burying my face into his side. His fur smelled faintly of Fane too, which was a betrayal I chose to ignore. “Time for a walk with your beleaguered mom.” I kissed his nose and scratched under his chin, letting his soft grunts of contentment soothe the part of me that was still silently screaming.

15

Calista

After

I’d managed to get up, get dressed purely from the clothes that were still sitting in the dryer, walk Jerry, get my ass out of the house, disconnect the battery of Fane’s car as payback for the panties, and be on my merry way to work all before he’d even started to stir.

It felt like an incredible omen to head into what had turned out to be one of the busiest Saturdays we’d ever had.

I was in a good mood. Agreatmood. When Gus walked in this morning as soon as the door was unlocked, I hugged him. The poor man didn’t know what to do with himself and somehow settled for patting me on the top of my head until I let him go.

He promptly followed it with a bristled, “I’ve been seeing Lorna for about a year now, but I’m flattered.”

What I’m saying is that even being rejected by Gus for a come-on that didn’t exist wasn’t able to sour my mood.

Should I be hugging my customers? Probably not. I hugged Sammy too, and thankfully she didn’t also try to let me down softly. She just hugged me back and gave me one of those soft smiles she wore like a badge of honor. Like she knew she was gentle and continued to be so despite how she grew up.

Sammy had witnessed things no one should ever see or witness, especially as a little girl, and had refused to let it change her. I was in awe of her for that.

We settled into a routine so familiar to us that the morning had turned to afternoon by the time I realized what the actual time was, and then there was a firm knock on the glass of the café.

Mags was sitting in the middle of the café, a little later than her usual weekday routine, reading her paper. That woman deserved an Oscar for the way she meddled and then pretended to know nothing about what she set into motion.

“Oh, look!” She yelled, startling everyone in Sunshine, which was full to the brim. “It’s Calista’s hunky boyfriend!”

My heart rate skyrocketed so fast I had to grip the counter with one hand while I kept steaming milk with my other.

Somewhere along the line I’d convinced myself that watching Fane feed my Great Dane a pair of my panties was a fever dream as penance for not being able to stop Jerry from obtaining a flyaway soccer ball from the under 6’s match we had walked by during our walk this morning.

I apologized profusely and gave them everything I had in my pockets. It seemed that a hair tie, half a stick of chewing gum, and a quarter did not actually help.

“Oh, look.” I plastered the biggest and brightest smile I always used when the alternative was merely bursting into tears and lifted my head. “There he is.”

I started to wave at him, and as soon as all eyes were on him, I presented him with my middle finger. Grin still in place.

Fane was waving back. As soon as everyone looked back to me, he lifted his own middle finger up, and damn him, he looked edible.

I wasn’t proud of that thought, but I was alive, wasn’t I? I had eyes and functioning lady parts. There was no criticism you could hurl at me that I hadn’t already whispered to myself.

His hair was still a little damp from a shower, and he wore a plain black shirt with those same dark blue jeans that fit him like a glove. All worn in and used up and glorious.

What? No, I meant gross.Gross.His jeans were eugh, yuck. Gross.

He had his black work boots on, and right next to him, looking proud as all hell to have Fane’s hand gently scratching the top of his head, was Jerry.

He looked so insanely happy I couldn’t stop the feeling that bloomed in my chest.

Warm and overflowing.

Thinking of how that puppy had looked up at me with lost eyes in the back room of a shelter and this feeling of absolute certainty that he and Fane were meant for one another. Looking at them now, I knew that they would have been as inseparable as they seemed to be right now.

That all came to a crashing halt when I noticed what Jerry had in his mouth. The light-blue cotton pair of panties that I knew had been tucked safely in a drawer in my room was hanging out the side of his mouth.

That’swhy he looked so damn happy. And that was also likely why Fane looked like he’d been shitting gold all morning.

“You little—” The ding of the bell above the café door cut me off when the man in question stuck his head just in the door.

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