Page 77 of Stay for Forever

Chapter 26

The difference between a house and a home is a four-legged creature.

“Do you want to bike over to my place later or shall I wait for you to shower?” Mav asks when he drops me off at my house.

To my delight, he showed up to help at the Wildlife Refuge today. Despite being terrified of the capybaras – a fear I don’t bother to hide my amusement of – he’s quite helpful. The llamas have really bonded with him, although I did have to remind him llamas are not horses. You can’t ride them. You’ll break their poor spines.

I scrunch up my nose as I consider his question. “Why don’t we stay here?”

I love Mav’s house, but we’re always at his place. Despite how much time we’ve spent there in the past weeks, the place still doesn’t have the feel of a lived-in home whereas my house is definitely lived in. It’s comfy to a fault.

“Do you not like my house?”

I am not answering his question. “Do you not like mine?” He frowns. “What about my animals? My poor dogs are feeling orphaned.”

He can’t argue with me there. Bark Twain and Indiana Bones have spent entirely too much time alone lately.

He motions to my entrance. “Lead the way.”

I open the door and lock my knees in preparation for the canine assault except no assault comes. “Bark Twain. Indiana Bones. Where are you?”

Meowise lifts her head from the sofa where she’s lounging and promptly gives me her backside. I’m not surprised my cat’s annoyed with me. She may ignore me for the most part when I’m home, but she does want me to be home. She wants me to notice she’s ignoring me, dang it.

I go in search of my dogs. The first place I look I hit gold. They’re laying on my bed as if they own it. “Hey, my sweet things. How are you?”

Indiana Bones ignores me completely, and Bark Twain yips before farting. I fan my face as the odor hits me.

“What does he eat?” I ask myself as I crawl onto the bed to give them some loving. I need a few minutes and lots of belly rubs before my fur babies cuddle into me, and I know I’m forgiven.

Mav enters the bedroom and contemplates the bed. “You need a bigger bed.”

I waggle my eyebrows at him. “Afraid you can’t get the job done in a smaller bed?”

“Challenge accepted.” He prowls toward me but stops when his gaze snags on my terrarium. His Adam’s apple bobs as he stares at it. “Why do you have a terrarium?”

“It’s for Slinky.”

“S-s-slinky?”

“Yeah, Slinky the snake.”

He inches backward. “There’s no snake in there.”

“No, there isn’t.”

He’s in the hallway by now. “Where’s the snake, Juniper?”

I shrug, because technically I don’t know where Slinky is at this exact moment.

“Where’s the snake, Juniper?” He screeches his question this time.

I bite my lip as I study him. How far should I push this little joke of mine? I bet I could get him to run out of the house like his pants are on fire. I should probably act as if I’m a grown-up, though. Sigh. Being a grown-up is boring sometimes.

“Slinky isn’t here.”

“You’re certain he isn’t around here somewhere?” Mav’s gaze skitters over the floor.

“You got ants in your pants?” He’s bouncing from foot to foot and his face is reaching nuclear level red.

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