Page 2 of Pretty Puppy

Yeah. He was fucked to the tenth power.

Ash tossed his phone aside then dropped his head in his hands. In less than a day from when his two weeks’ pay—plus overtime—was deposited into his account, he’d withdrawn six hundred bucks that had likely evolved into a pile of top grade cannabis, bought new puppy gear he didn’t need or currently have a use for, gone out drinking top shelf booze and dancing in a new pair of designer heels that he was still making payments on at Amazon, andthiswas what he had left to live on.

The front door slammed, and the sound knocked him back to reality. Who knew when the landlords would change the locks? Ash glanced around the room and swallowed hard. He had stuff everywhere. Clothes, shoes, make-up, endless accessories—retail therapy was real, and he embraced it with true conviction.

Ash winced as his eyes drifted to the partially open closet. Not only was his massive puppy gear collection in there, but all the unopened packages from crap he’d ordered online. And how could he possible leave his game console and gaming chair behind? Not that he used them all that much, but still.

His shoulders slumped. He could turn them into money. Not having the ability to play Doom on a whim was brutal, but cash seemed like a better choice under his current circumstances. So what if he hadn’t played it in over a year? He still might. Although, living in his half-dead clunker of a car probably wouldn’t make such a thing very practical.

Speaking of which…

Ash rose with a sigh of resignation, grabbing the nearest shopping bag off the floor.

Time to move into the four-wheeled beast of doom.

Chapter Two

“Seriously, bro. Come stay with me and Rick.”

Ash fiddled with the cardboard sleeve of his small mocha latte. The fancy coffee was his big thrill of the week as well as his excuse to hang out somewhere on his day off. He’d invited his bestie, Owen, to add more legitimacy to his scheme.

Living out of his car was getting old. At least he was able to shower at the gym. Of course, his membership dues were coming up in about a week, so he’d have to get super creative after that. He’d have his next paycheck by then, but he needed to save as much as he could if was ever going to get a place.

Who am I kidding?

With the sky-high Cali rents, and no one he trusted to share a place with, how would he ever afford anything?

“Ash? What do you say?”

“Well…”

God, it was embarrassing enough how often Owen and his Daddy had helped him out already. He still owed them over five hundred dollars from the dribs and drabs he’d needed to borrow over the past year. A part of him felt as though Owen was dealing with some guilt of his own over moving in with Rick.

Owen gave him a bright smile. “Then you’ll stay with us?”

“You know I’m grateful for everything you guys have done for me already, right?”

Owen gave him a playful whack on the side of his arm. “Of course, don’t be silly.”

“I still owe you a lot of money and—”

“Stop.” Owen held up his palm. “I told you before. When you’re settled in somewhere and in a better situation, then you can worry about that. Until then, it’s not an issue.”

Ash raked his fingers through his hair. Such a quandary. His back was killing him from the car seat in his old compact, and every night provided its own dose of terror trying to find somewhere safe to park. He hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since this whole debacle began.

His mind drifted to the place it often did on those cold, dreary nights when he lay awake.Fuck. But how could he make going back to Tahoe work without looking like a pathetic loser?

“Maybe…” Ash’s stomach tightened as he dove headfirst into the black abyss of mystery that could either be his glorious salvation or utter destruction. “Maybe until I leave for Tahoe.”

Owen choked and sputtered as he quickly placed his coffee back on the table. “Oh my God! Did Lee call you? Did you callLee? Holy shit, I can’t imagine you could face him after what you did.” Owen’s eyes were so wide Ash thought they might pop out of their sockets.

“Yeah, thanks for that. Just the reminder I needed. I’d almost forgotten I was a total asshole to him.”

Owen fell back against his chair. “Well? Are you going to tell me what happened, or make me die of curiosity?”

“Nothing happened.” Ash rubbed the back of his neck. “At least not yet.”

His bestie narrowed his eyes. “I’m not following you.”

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