Page 27 of Truth or Spare

“Oh, don’t you worry about Doobie Brooks,” she said shakily, laughing as she led Theo and Walter out. “Doobie’s an even bigger pushover than Dave. Always has been. You tell him to come and see me, if he has something to say about Walter.”

Now, Theo understood exactly why Dewey avoided the shelter. He might have been afraid of the dogs tugging on his heartstrings because no decent man was immune, but Lidia was cunning and ruthless.

“This should teach him for making me take a day off,” Theo said to Walter, grinning as they set out for the bowling alley. “I don’t know about you, Walter, but I think Lidia needs a new shelter.”

It was a short walk and Theo enjoyed it immensely with Walter, despite the bitter, gusty wind and overcast day. The old hound sniffed at the ground ahead of them, his tail wagging steadily as he trotted at Theo’s side. The leash hung slack between them and Theo suspected he wouldn’t need it, that Walter knew better than to wander off or into the road.

“You’re a very sensible fellow. I think we’ll get along well,” he said to Walter as they crossed the bowling alley’s parking lot. “But we’ll both have to be on our very best behavior until Brooks forgives me,” he whispered and held the door open for Walter.

“What the hell is that?” Dewey complained loudly when Walter trotted past the front counter.

“That’s Walter,” Theo said. “Walter, this is Dewey Brooks. He’s our employer and our friend,” he explained but the dog was unimpressed as Theo lowered and unclipped the leash.

“What did I say before you left?” Dewey scolded Theo. “You promised you wouldn’t do anything nefarious.”

“This is hardly nefarious,” Theo said, resting an elbow on the counter, then grinned as Walter let out a weary huff and dropped, flopped onto his side, and closed his eyes. “See? Walter lost his owner, Mr. Harvey, a few weeks ago. He looked so sad and lonely, I couldn’t ignore him, Brooks.”

“This was Eddy’s Walter?” Dewey groaned as he lowered onto his elbows, shaking his head sadly at the dog as it began to snore. “Eddy was a great guy and it was terrible, finding out he had passed. He used to come in a few times a week and he was always talking about Walter. Eddy really loved him.”

“As I said, I’ve always wanted a dog or six, but I was too busy and traveled too much before,” Theo said, his head tilting to the side as he watched Walter and pondered how this new responsibility would alter his plans. “I’ll order him some vests. He looked a little cold while we were walking.”

“You sure you’re done traveling?” Dewey asked, sounding dubious.

“Not completely. I have family in Austria and Manhattan and Italy, but I think I’d like to set down roots somewhere soon. I can’t follow after my brothers forever, can I?”

That was why Theo had boarded a Greyhound and was hiding in Oslo, but informally adopting Walter had finally put everything into perspective. Now, there were stakes and Theo had an obligation to something other than his brothers, Austria, and the Foundation.

Instead of panicking or worrying that he’d done something rash, Theo feltliberatednow that he was Walter’s new owner. Although, caretaker or companion seemed more appropriate because Theo couldn’t imagine anyone owning a creature as dignified and well-mannered as Walter.

“Look at him, just minding his own business and bothering no one at all,” Theo said with a pleased humph at the dog,making Dewey chuckle as he straightened and went back to whatever he was repairing.

“We’ll see how much that snoring bothers you when you have to spend the night with Walter in the Winnie. I recall Eddy saying that dog snored louder than a chainsaw.”

“It’s a good thing I’m a very heavy sleeper,” Theo lied and shrugged, noting that he’d need to order some earplugs as well.

Chapter Twelve

Aweek later, Dewey was kicking himself for not adopting a dog for the bowling alley. It had never occurred to him to stop in and ask if Lidia had any older, slower dogs that were friendly with strangers. He’d been too afraid of all the lonely faces and knew he wasn’t strong enough to stand up to Lidia.

Dewey had mistakenly assumed Theo would be safe, being a visitor and renting the Winnie. He didn’t think that Lidia would approve, but she must have decided Theo was a good match for Walter. Lidia rarely trusted humans and had strict standards when vetting prospective pet parents.

Her instincts were spot on, as usual. Theo must have spent a small fortune on Walter already. Somehow, a plush memory foam bed, high-end dog food, toys, and an array of argyle vests were delivered the morning after Theo adopted Walter. And the dog never left Theo’s side, waddling after him as he worked and flopping at his feet when it was time for a break. Theo kept treats and a leash in his pocket, but rarely needed them, Walter was already so devoted.

It was sweet and Dewey was a touch jealous as Theo and Walter returned from taking out the trash. He made a note totalk to Lidia after Theo and Walter moved on. The thought made Dewey pause and he got a sinking feeling as he imagined the bowling alley without Theo and his new sidekick.

Theo couldn’t be trusted not to break something or hurt himself in the workshop, but Dewey didn’t like the thought of them leaving. He didn’t knowwhybecause Theo was a handful, half the time. But now, Dewey secretly hoped that they weren’t in a hurry to move on.

Not that Dewey would breathe a word about it to a single soul. He couldn’t risk Cassie finding out. She had already told everyone within a fifty-mile radius that Theo was pansexual and was therefore reserved for Dewey. Just about everyone who came into the bowling alley had something to say about that, but Walter had given Dewey a slight reprieve.

Until Keith arrived at the alley and found out about the dog. “When’s the wedding?” he asked as Dewey passed him his shoes.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Keith nodded in Theo and Walter’s direction. Theo was snacking on a bag of apple slices Cassie had left when she dropped off their lunch and was sharing them with Walter. “You should get married before you start having kids.”

“Whatever,” Dewey muttered at Keith and went back to his phone and his search for a decent used soda fountain. The one in the snack bar was on its last leg and was too old to find replacement parts for.

“Is it too early to eat?” Theo asked as he walked over, clutching his stomach. “Those apples didn’t fill me up as much as I would have liked.”

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