Page 14 of Where There's Smoke
“Blaze heard that you had gotten into a bit of a situation from his cousin, so I thought I'd bring you some things,” she explained, offering a sympathetic smile, holding up two shopping bags stuffed full.
“How did Blaze find out?” I asked, cocking my head to the side as Sunny pulled out several bags and placed them on the bed.
“Fitz. They’re cousins!”
“Oh, that’s right. He mentioned something about that. I forgot. But I can see it. Same human, just a different flavor,” I mused.
“Aren’t they?” Sunny giggled. “Anyway, I brought a few sets of clothing, some body products, and snacks. If there’s anything else I missed, let me know. I can'tbelieveyou were sleeping at the shelter.”
“Ugh, so they mentioned that, too, huh?” I sighed. It was too late to do anything about it now. So, instead, I was going to do what I’d set my mind to last night—take this one day at a time.
And then I noticed all the stuff Sunny had brought.
“These are amazing!” I said, watching in awe as she unpacked the bags. “Thank you, you didn’t have to!”
“When my place went up in flames, I ended up staying at Station Sixteen. These were the kinds of things I needed. I had to get some of it out of the donation pile until I was back up on my feet. So I wanted to help. Honestly, I was so thankful that the guys were willing to help me, but I would have killed someone for decent shampoo and body wash. All I had available was that three-in-one stuff.”
I shuddered. “Yikes.”
Sunny nodded. “I didn't want to be ungrateful, but I had a lot more hair than any of my guys, and that sort of shampoo just would not work on me.”
As she laid out the last shirt, the little puppy, who’d been dozing, squeaked.
“Oh my goodness. Who is this?” Sunny asked, her eyes lighting up, attention going straight to the puppy on the bed.
“She doesn't have a name yet, but she’s a two-week-old baby Dalmatian who needs feeding every two hours. Most rescues would euthanize her, so she's staying with me.”
“Rightfully so! Aww, can I pet her?”
“Go ahead,” I said, smiling down at the tiny ball of fur.
She sat on the edge of the bed, picking up the puppy and cooing at it. “Oh, she is precious! How did she end up at the shelter?”
“She was found in an alleyway. No mama in sight, so for now,I’mher mama.” I sighed.
“Well, that’s an excellent mama, as far as I’m concerned. She’s a precious little dotty baby!” Sunny set the puppy down, patting the bed for me to sit next to her. I took a seat, leaning against her shoulder as a heavy breath left me. “So, how are you holding up?Really? And don’t say you’re fine. Your rescue burned down.”
My chest tightened, and I looked off into the distance at nothing in particular. “It did, didn’t it? Yeah, well, I’ll admit…I'm not fine. I’m sad as hell. That place was my whole life, and it’s just…gone.”
“Oh, honey.” Sunny pulled me into a hug, and I allowed myself to feel the emotions I’d been keeping at bay. My shelter for animals was gone. I had every right to be sad about it, so I was—at least, for right now.
After a moment of letting myself be hugged, I patted Sunny’s arm and sat up, wiping under my eyes. “I don’t know how I'm going to get through this, but…I’m going to try.”
Sunny looked at me seriously. “If you need anything, please let me know. I’m more than happy to help.”
Giving her a sad smile, I nodded. “I will.”
“And, umm, sorry for the very weird change of subject, but umm…”
Nerves got the best of me, and I sat up straight. “What? What is it?”
“You smell…different. If you don’t mind me saying.” She cocked her head to the side, looking at me curiously.
“Smell different?” I looked down at my body, unable to keep myself from sucking in a breath through my nose. “I mean, there’s all the smoke, and I haven’t showered yet, so…”
Sunny shook her head. “No, it’s not that. You…you almost smell like…anomega?”
I snorted. “Not you as well! The buttheads here keep saying I'm an omega, too, and they'renotlistening to me when I say I'm a beta. I've been a beta my whole life. You don't just suddenlybecomean omega!”
