Page 90 of Hound Dog
Normally, she would have shooed me away like a pesky fly buzzing around a piece of pie. But this time, she didn’t.
Instead, she cradled my cheeks with her soft, wrinkled hands. “Haylee. My love. I need you to hear me.I don’t want to sell my home.”
I blinked, looking into her brown eyes that were so much like my mom’s. So much like myown.
“I worry about you here in this house, Aunt Meryl,” I said. “You’re my only family left. I don’t want to lose you, too.”
My voice cracked as I spoke, and despite her hands on my cheeks, I broke eye contact, looking down and wiping at my burning eyes.
With a heavy sigh, Meryl pulled me into a hug. “I know, kiddo. I tripped because one of the dogs got underfoot. That’s why, even though I love them all, I agreed to downsize the number of pets. I never should have tried to save all of them, anyway. It was… misguided.” She pulled back from the hug and looked me square in the eyes. “But I didn’t trip because I can’t handle the house. I’m notthatold. Not yet, at least.”
I wasn’t exactly convinced yet. But I didn’t want to ignore what she wanted either. At the end of the day, it washerdecision, not mine.
I dropped my forehead to hers. “Okay. Let’s table the house discussion for a bit.”
“Hallelujah,” she whispered with a little chuckle.
My phone buzzed with a text message, but I didn’t move to answer it. Instead, I stayed in Meryl’s embrace as it buzzed again. Then, the third time she gave me a playful little shove.
“Answer your damn phone!” she laughed. “It’s driving me crazy.”
“It’s probably just Finn. He’s picking up Tyson to go to the dog park.
“You’re not going with them?”
“Not this time. I have a lesson to teach in an hour. And Finn just keeps pretending we’re taking Tyson out to find him a home, but everyone who shows interest, he finds a reason why they’re not a good fit. I think he’s struggling with wanting a dog and not wanting responsibility.”
Meryl stared at me, her lips pursed thoughtfully together. “Hmmm.”
I dropped my cheek to my shoulder. “What.”
It wasn’t even a question on my part. It was more a dare. A challenge to say exactly what I suspected was on her mind.
Because it probably wasn’t anything that hadn’t already crossed mine a dozen times.
Meryl shrugged and I helped ease her back into her recliner chair. “Just seems like Tyson’s not the only thing he might be trying to convince himself he doesn’t want.”
“We’refriends. That’s all.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I have a boyfriend.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Do you?”
“Yes.”
Disapproval seeped from her as she settled back into her chair, trying to get comfortable. “Just seems like you two don’t talk a whole lot.”
“We talk enough. Besides, he’ll be here tomorrow. Ben and I arefine.”
I didn’t know why I was arguing with her. What the hell good would that do?
Besides, it wasn’t even Meryl who needed to be convinced.
“I’ll be out in the guest house prepping for my lesson. Call if you need me.”
With a flippant wave of her hand, she sent me away.
