Page 10 of Getting the Grinder
Chapter Four
Mara
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I open my eyes, squinting against the light flooding the living room from the second story windows.
It was a long night. Leo and I finally both crashed on the sectional, Darling between us. The pig is snoring softly as I push myself into a sitting position, my neck protesting after the awkward position I slept in.
“Hey.” Leo blinks at me, bleary-eyed.
His voice is raspy and his hair is messed up, his dark stubble completing his exhausted look.
Darling keeps snoring, ignoring us. Birdie, who was curled up on Leo’s other side, gets down from the couch.
“Shit, where’s Noodle?” Leo springs off the couch.
After snorting softly, Darling lifts his head from the couch to see what’s keeping him from sleeping. I pat him on the back.
“Come on, big guy. Let’s go outside and stretch your legs.”
There can’t be anything left inside his stomach. The stench of shit hangs in the living room even though I took any soiled towels and blankets straight to the laundry room for washing.
We took turns for most of the night. One of us would do Darling duty while the other one did dog duty. Noodle cried nonstop when we tried to corral him with a puppy gate, so we had to either listen to it or let him out and keep track of him. And also, let him out to potty constantly.
“Noodle, you dick,” Leo says from another room. “You’re supposed to piss outside.”
When I glance at my watch, I see it’s six forty a.m. I have just enough time to let Darling out, move towels from the washer and dryer, and go home to shower and get ready for work.
Today is a long day of traffic hearings. I’m using my lunch hour to work with Bruce on domestic cases. I’m going to need a double at the coffee shop: a large coffee and an espresso.
“Darling.” I add the note of sternness to my voice that Suki sometimes uses. “Let’s go.”
He huffs and slowly hefts himself up. I pee quickly while he makes his way to the door that leads out to the backyard. My coat is hanging over the back of a kitchen chair, where I left it when I got here yesterday, so I slide it on and walk outside with him.
It’s freezing. My breath clouds in front of my mouth as Darling meanders around the yard.
He’s walking fine and acting like himself, but I’m still worried about him. He lost a lot of fluids overnight. After a couple of minutes, he walks back up the deck ramp that leads him to me. He snuffles at the bottom of my black wool peacoat while I scratch his ears and enjoy a few more breaths of fresh air.
“You be good today,” I tell him.
Leo comes out the door to the yard, brows lowered. He’s holding Noodle out in front of him with both hands like the puppy is a bomb.
“You okay?” I ask.
He glowers at me. “This dipshit slipped in his own shit. I swear to God I’ll pay whatever I have to for someone else to do this next time.”
I don’t let my amusement show, but I’m not not enjoying this. Leo’s always cool and collected. It takes a lot to get him going, but this situation is sapping his sanity.
Which I get. It’s a lot. I want nothing more than to take a shower, crawl into my own bed and sleep all day.
“Darling didn’t potty, but he’s acting fine.”
Leo sets Noodle down on the frost-covered grass and turns to face me. “Good. I’ll ask Caroline to come by and take a look at him.”
“I have to go get ready for work.” I close the sides of my coat to ward off the cold, tucking my hands beneath my arms. “I’ll be back after work, though.”
Leo’s only wearing dark-gray sweats, a T-shirt, a flannel, and tennis shoes, but he doesn’t seem as cold as I am.
