Page 17 of Crazy In Love (Secrets of Suburbi 3)

"Saying a name isn't a question. But I don't know her, if that's what you're asking. I have no idea who you're talking about. Or what you're insinuating."

"You cheated on me! With some Canadian girl? Eh?" I said, trying to impersonate the accent. "How a-boot that for clarification? They don't even know how to say about right!" I threw the pliers at his chest.

He made an oomph noise like I'd just knocked the wind out of him. "I would never cheat on you," he said calmly, like I hadn't just assaulted him and threatened to twist his balls off. "Look at you. I'd be crazy to cheat on you."

I wiped the tears from my eyes so I could see him more clearly. "Yeah. You would be." I stared at him staring at me. There was that look in his eyes again. The one that transfixed me. I blinked away my remaining tears. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

He'd done it at the bar last night too. He was staring at me like he thought I was beautiful. Why did he keep doing that? Why now? I looked up at the ceiling to avoid his gaze. The only reason he was looking at me like that was because he didn’t remember me.

"Sophia Tremblay," I said. I wasn't sure how many minutes, hours, or days I had left of him looking at me this way. Because he'd look at Sophia Tremblay this way as soon as his memory returned. "Think about that name. Really think about that name while I'm gone. And maybe I'll let you keep your balls if you tell me everything."

"Where are you going?"

I grabbed the fabric around his neck and pulled it back in place. "I have to get a stupid puppy thanks to you."

***

The pet store had no dogs. What kind of pet store didn't have puppies in the window? I didn't actually know the answer. Ever since I was a kid, I'd avoided pet stores. Maybe they kept dogs in the back because they were smelly.

I ducked down to stare at another empty cage. The store pretty much had no animals at all, except a lizard that was staring at me as I made my way down the aisle. I needed a dog. Any dog. It didn't even really have to be a puppy. I could just say I called him a puppy because he was so freaking cute. Gross. I doubted I was that good of a liar.

"Can I help you find something?" asked a young man with an apron and a friendly smile.

"Um...yes. I need to buy a puppy." I know I didn't sound enthusiastic, but his smile didn't falter.

"You're in luck! There's an adoption drive happening by the food court. Right near the fountains where you can get pictures with Santa Claus. We teamed up with the local animal shelter..."

I didn't hear the rest of what he had to say because I was already walking out of the store. I didn't have all day. I'd taken the long way to the pet store to avoid the Santa picture madness. Children crying in line for an hour didn't appeal to me.

The scene by the fountains was more horrifying than I expected. It was loud and hairy and smelled slightly of urine. Cats meowed. Birds squawked. Puppies barked. And the children in line waiting to tell Santa their deepest desires were almost louder than the animals. Almost. The combination was already giving me a headache.

I approached one of the makeshift pens filled with dogs. How was I supposed to tell which one would be the least annoying?

"They're so cute, aren't they?" a little girl asked before tossing some dog treats into the pen. It made the dogs behave even worse. They tumbled over each other, yelping.

"Sure are." Was the one in the corner licking another dog's butt?

"I'm hoping Santa will bring me a puppy for Christmas. I already asked him and I've been really good." She pointed over to where Santa was balancing a screaming child on his lap. He looked about at happy as the kid.

I didn't know what to say to the little girl. The thought that she should ask her parents instead of Santa crossed my mind, but I kept my lips sealed.

>

"Are you looking to adopt?" she asked. "Or just browsing?"

I stared at her. She couldn't be more than 10 years old. I was terrible at guessing children's ages. It was possible she was five. Who knew. Was she one of the salespeople? "Um...adopt I guess. I have to get a puppy."

The girl laughed. "You have to?"

Yes, because my husband is an idiot. "Mhm. Because they're so darn cute." I was pretty sure I was grimacing, but the girl laughed again.

"Well, I can help you find one. This is Simon," she said and pointed to a little dog that was running around the pen and barking like he was on acid.

No thank you. "I was hoping for a quieter model."

The girl laughed again. "What about Spot?" She gestured to the one getting his butt licked.

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