Page 61 of Where There's Smoke
“You’re a sadist or masochist, I forget which is which,” he said sleepily, shaking his head.
“I think you mean masochist, which no, but it iswaytoo early to have that conversation,” I said, picking up my bowl and taking a large bite. I had managed to work up quite an appetite.
My pack mate ran a hand through his hair, grumbling as he did so. “Do you have any plans today?”
“I was thinking of taking Melody to the house. We’ve got the new washing machine being delivered today, so one of us needs to be there. And you and Samsonmustfinish some of your paperwork because I can’t keep carrying you.”
Fitz groaned. “Are you sure you can’t do the paperwork for us?” he asked pleadingly, giving me those big puppy-dog eyes.
“You are my pack, and I care about you a lot, but I willneverdo that much paperwork for you.” I laughed, shaking my head. “I hate doing my own paperwork enough, and I’ve got a lot more of it than you.”
“True, but you’re the one who decided you wanted to go to arson academy and then decided to become a captain.”
He had a point. My career choices had led to an increased amount of paperwork. Usually, I didn’t mind that I could take care of it in one evening, sitting in my office, maybe listening to some music with a bottle of beer. Only now, I felt like there were much better ways to spend my time—dayornight.
Namely, getting to know a certain omega better and making her fall in love with me.
“Good morning,” Melody said cheerily as she strode into the kitchen, Dotty in her arms. The puppy was starting to get very wiggly and active. Melody couldn’t hold on to her for long, so she plopped the puppy on the floor, who started running between the table legs excitedly, making adorable small grizzling noises.
“She’s getting big,” I said.
Melody nodded. “I swear, sometimes they double in size overnight. I looked at a photo of her as a two-week-old puppy on my phone the other day, and she’s tripled in size since then.”
“That’s good, though. She needs to grow into those ears and big feet,” I said. While the puppy was adorable, they were definitely too big for her frame.
“She’s going to be a big girl,” Melody agreed with a happy nod.
I looked at my pack mate before glancing at Melody, trying to put a pleasant smile on my face, which probably made me appear constipated. I could be charming, but for some reason, when it came to Melody, I devolved into a fumbling idiot.
“Do you have any plans for today?” I asked.
Melody shook her head. “Not in particular. I was thinking of going through some of the items the guys brought back from the shelter, but there’s not much I can do with them right now. It’s a bit warm today, so I’ll wait until the evening to do a bit of harness training with this sweet girl,” she said, reaching down and scratching Dotty’s head.
I cleared my throat. “In that case, would you like to come with me today? I’m not doing anything overly exciting. Just a few errands, and I need to go to our place and get a new washing machine installed. There’s a fantastic bakery not far from our house that I’m sure you’ll love.”
“I can watch Dotty while you’re gone,” Fitz said hopefully. “Didn’t you say you needed to spend some time away from her to stop her from getting separation anxiety?”
I had no idea why my pack mate was being so helpful, but I was eternally grateful, if also concerned that it was because I looked like I wasstruggling.
Melody pressed her lips together, deep in thought, before nodding. “Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Are you sure you don’t mind watching her?” She addressed the last part to Fitz.
He snorted, waving off Melody’s concern. “She doesn’t need to be bottle fed every two hours anymore, and she’s eating normally. We’ve got plenty for that mischief maker to eat, and Ithink I can handle her for a few hours, don’t you?” He picked up the puppy and placed her in his lap. He didn’t even wince when she started nibbling on his chin.
Rolling my eyes at him, I couldn’t help but see how Melody’s face lit up. She smiled, scratching Dotty behind the ear and then nodded.
“Okay, then. Let’s do it.”
“Oh, wow,” Melody muttered as the house came into view. “This is…”
I looked at what Melody was taking in. I was used to seeing the place by now, so it didn’t seem like a big deal anymore. Still, I remembered how I’d felt after Fitz had helped the pack find a nice-ass house with his money.
The place was three stories, boasting six bedrooms. It was more than big enough for our entire pack, with a massive kitchen, game room, and expansive backyard. The community itself was gated, which helped me feel a bit more secure.
As Melody’s eyes roamed over the pristine exterior, eyeing the pale-cream-colored columns and decorative accents, I snorted, shaking my head.
“Over the top?” I laughed. “Fitz's family insisted we get a place here. They all live locally, and they were adamant that it would help give them some peace of mind.”
“It’s agatedcommunity… You guys choose your pizza place because it’s two dollars cheaper than the one next door.”
