She put the note back in the jar and carried it into her bedroom as she screwed on the top, putting it on the nightstand. Then she went into the kitchen to gather the pictures she’d left out. She brought them into the guest room for safekeeping so she could get started on Joey’s album, but instead she sat on the bed and looked through the pictures of Justin and Shadow one last time. When he’d texted earlier, he’d mentioned that he wasn’t going to have time to stop by and see Shadow before the meeting. She looked at a picture of Shadow sitting in the grass gazing at the camera, all his pink scars and stitches staring back at her. His stitches weren’t quite as angry looking now. Only one more week until he’d have them removed. She wondered if Shadow missed Justin, too.
Of course you do. You get so excited when you see him.
They had that in common.
She and Justin hadn’t made plans for the next time they’d see each other, which hadn’t struck her as odd until now. Did he miss her, too? Did he need a break from her?
Oh God, I’m becoming one of those girls.
She needed a distraction from her own thoughts, and she’d bet Shadow did, too. A quick visit would probably make Shadow’s day, and it would definitely make hers. She knew Dwayne and Baz would be at church with Justin, but maybe she could catch Sid.
She set down the pictures and hurried into her bedroom for a pair of flip-flops.
Twenty minutes later she was stopped by the front gate of the rescue, pushing the button and looking up at the camera, praying Sid would answer.
“Hi, Chloe,” Sidney said through the speaker.
Relief swept through her. “Hi. Is it too late for me to visit with Shadow?” She saw the hours posted by the gate and realized they’d closed more than an hour ago. Silently chiding herself, she said, “I should have checked the hours. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Those hours are for the general public. I’m catching up on some paperwork. I’d love the company.”
Sid opened the gate, and Chloe drove through. She parked in front of the veterinary clinic, and Sid came out to greet her. “Hey there.”
“Hi. I’m sorry to stop by without calling.” Chloe hoisted her bag over her shoulder and said, “I know Justin didn’t have time to stop by to see Shadow today, and I thought he could use a little company.”
“He’ll be thrilled to see you,” Sid said as they headed for the shelter.
“Do you work every day?”
“Pretty much. There is so much to do, and some of the animals need daily therapy.” Sid opened the door to the shelter, sparking a cacophony of barks, and grabbed a leash from a hook on the wall. She slowed by each kennel so the dogs could sniff their hands and get a few finger pets through the wire.
When they came to Shadow’s kennel, he went paws-up on the wire, whining and barking, his stump of a tail wagging.
“Hey, big boy,” Chloe said as Sidney unlocked the kennel and hooked the leash to his collar. She petted Shadow, who was sniffing her legs and panting excitedly.
“Let’s bring him into the visiting room. I’ll stay with you since Justin isn’t here. Just in case Shadow gets funky.”
She followed Sid down the hall to the visiting room and said, “Has he gotten nasty with people?”
“No, and I don’t think he will. But he gets scared sometimes, and that can cause behavioral issues. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” She closed the door behind them and sat on the floor.
Chloe set her bag down and sat on the floor, too. Shadow climbed in her lap and licked her face as she loved him up. “I missed you, too, Shadow.”
“He sure loves you and Maverick. Did you have a dog when you were growing up?”
“No. We barely had enough money to feed ourselves.” Shadow sat between them, sniffing first Chloe, then Sid. Chloe stroked his back and said, “What about you?”
“My dad was military, and we moved around a lot. We didn’t have pets, but I’ve always loved animals. I became a dog handler in the military. That’s how I met Gunner. We were stationed at the same base, and we ended up in the field together. My dog, Rosco, and I were clearing a tunnel before Gunner’s unit was supposed to go in. Unfortunately, there was a suicide bomber waiting for us. Rosco and I took the hit.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s awful.” A shiver ran down Chloe’s back. “Did you get hurt? Did Rosco survive?”
“We both had shrapnel wounds and broken bones. Rosco lost his back leg near his hip, and I had a mild traumatic brain injury. It took a while, but we’re both okay. We got lucky.”
“That doesn’t sound lucky to me. You’re so brave.”
Sidney shrugged. “Rosco made it easy to be brave.”
“Where is he now?” Chloe stroked Shadow’s head, and he put his chin down on his front paws and closed his eyes.
“I adopted him. He’s in the clinic waiting for me to take him up to the house.”
“I don’t mean to keep you away from him.”
“It’s okay. We’re together all the time. It’s actually nice to have a real person to talk to.”
“Justin said you live with Dwayne—I mean Gunner. That must be interesting. He’s such a flirt.”
“I know everyone wonders about us,” Sidney said softly. “The truth is, he and Steph are a lot closer than we are. I love Gunner, but once you’ve seen a guy guzzling milk from a carton and belching the alphabet, attraction goes out the window.”
“I’m trying to imagine Justin doing those things, and I gotta say, guzzling milk would not be a deal breaker. Belching the alphabet, on the other hand…” She laughed.
“Those Wicked boys could charm the pants off a nun.” Sidney sat back against the wall and said, “But I think they all see me as one of the guys.”
“Is there one you’d like not to see you that way?”
Sidney tucked her hair behind her ear and her eyes flicked up to Chloe’s. She opened her mouth to speak, and Chloe’s phone rang. Shadow lifted his head, and Sidney said, “Saved by the bell.”
Chloe pulled out her phone, hoping it was Justin, and tried not to give in to the disappointment when she saw Madigan Wicked on the screen. “It’s Mads,” she said, and answered the call. “Hi, Mads.”
“Hi!” Mads yelled into the phone. Chloe could hear music in the background. “Me and Marly are at the Hog, and Starr is working. Since Maverick is at church, do you want to come hang with us?”
“That sounds fun, but I’m with Shadow and Sid at the rescue, and I have a boatload of stuff to get done when I go home. But let me ask”—Chloe looked at Sid, who was waving her hands and shaking her head, mouthing, No, no, no—“never mind, I guess Sid can’t make it, either.”
“Come on, Chloe,” Mads urged. “When your man is away, the girls should play!”
Chloe laughed. “Except that I haven’t been home in four days, and my mail is piled as high as my laundry. But we’re still on for dinner with the book club girls next week at Common Grounds, right?”
“Absolutely,” Mads said cheerily. “Tell Sid that Marly is scoping out a man for her.”
Chloe told Sidney, who used her fingers like a gun and shot herself in the head. Her head lolled forward, tongue out, eyes closed, and Shadow immediately began licking her face.
“She says that’s great,” Chloe lied, shrugging. “I promise I’ll make it another time.”
“Okay, chat soon.” Mads ended the call.
As Chloe put her phone in her bag, she said, “What’s up with the headshot?”
“Marly and Mads are always trying to set me up with guys. The trouble is, once you’ve lived in the field, you’re too tough for regular guys, and the tough guys don’t want girls like me.” Shadow rolled onto his back, and Sidney scratched his belly. “Finding a guy who’s as loyal and unconditionally loving as a dog and can appreciate me for me is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s been a long time since anything without three or four legs warmed my bed.”
Chloe was pretty sure she’d found her needle in Justin, or
rather, he’d found her. But she’d also been where Sidney was, feeling like the right man may never appear. After Sidney’s comment about the Wickeds, she wondered if the right man was right in front of her, too, but instead of feeling her out on the Wicked front, she said, “I know what that’s like. Before Justin, all my lovin’ came from fictional boyfriends.”
“Maybe I need your book list.”
“Do you read romance?”
Sidney shrugged again, which seemed to be her go-to mannerism. “I haven’t ever read it. I’m mostly a suspense girl.”
“Trust me, you are missing out. There are romantic suspense novels. Do you have a Kindle?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” She laughed. “I also have a Nook and Apple Books on my phone.”
“I’m going to broaden your horizons and loan you some of my romance novels. Trust me, these will tide you over until Mr. Right appears.”
“I’ll give them a try.”
“Great. If you like them, let me know. I run an erotic romance book club, and we’re always looking for new members. Marly, Mads, and Steph are in it. Do you know Starr? She works as a waitress at the Salty Hog.”
“Yeah, I know everyone there.”
“She just joined, too, and some of my other girlfriends are in it. You’d like them. Do you ever go to Common Grounds?”
“Sure.”
“Gabe is in the club, too. We’re meeting there next week for dinner.”
Chloe gave her the details about their dinner, and they exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. Chloe took pictures with Shadow and Sidney, and Sidney updated her on Shadow’s progress. She’d been slowly introducing him to other dogs, and he hadn’t shown any aggressive tendencies.
“When do you think he’ll be ready to be adopted?” Chloe asked.
“It’s hard to say, but if he continues to show progress, then I’ll start letting him spend more time in the other building and with the other dogs. I still have to see how he is around children and crowds.” She petted Shadow’s head and said, “If he continues to do well, I’ll begin that process over the next few weeks. It’ll be a while before he’s ready to be adopted. Justin said you’re helping with the adoption event.”
“I am. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been thinking about a few ideas. You know how you have information sheets on each of the animal’s kennels? Would it be helpful for the event if I made each of them an introduction board? I could include pictures of them eating, sleeping, playing, to give families an idea of what they’d be like as pets. I have lots of animal stickers and embellishments I could use to decorate the boards.”
“Do you have time for all that?”
“I’ll make time,” Chloe said with a smile. “I was also thinking that it might be cute to make blue bow ties for the boys and pink bows for the girls and tie them to their collars.”
“Oh my gosh. I love that idea! It’ll make them even cuter.”
“Will Dwayne mind?”
“Gunner? No. He’s such a sucker for these animals. Have you seen him with Snowflake?”
“Yes, and my ovaries almost exploded.”
Sid laughed. “I think he’d love the ideas you mentioned. Do you want help? It sounds like a lot of work. I can help with the bows and bow ties, and I’m sure Evie, Baz’s assistant, and Tori, our office administrator, would be happy to help, too. Unless you want to do it all?”
“No, that would be great. I have tons of ribbons. I’ll drop some off tomorrow when we come see Shadow. Will Evie and Tori be here? I can show you guys how to make the bow ties. They can be a little tricky.”
“I’ll ask them to stick around.”
Sidney took her to the other building to take pictures of the animals, and they talked about ideas for the introduction boards. When Chloe left, she felt lighter and a little less lonely for Justin. She was glad she’d gone and glad to have gotten to know Sidney better. But when she got home, her cottage was too quiet, and she missed him all over again.
She lifted her chin, refusing to be that girl, and she fell back on the habits that had always taken the edge off. She organized, planned, and dove into the work at hand. She put the laundry in the dryer, feeling silly for being happy to see Justin’s shirt going into her dryer. She weeded through her mail. Then she set herself up in the dining room and began working on an album for Joey.
She relived that incredible afternoon in Harborside while choosing pictures, which only made her miss Justin more. But she pushed through, working diligently and keeping her nose to the grindstone as best she could. When she took a break to fold the laundry, Justin’s shirt did her in. She eyed her phone, thinking about texting him. She forced herself not to do it and went back to the dining room.
When a text rolled in and Justin’s name appeared on her screen, her pulse skyrocketed. She grabbed the phone and read the text. Hey, sexy girl. Do you have room in your bed for a greedy biker boy?
“Yes!” she said as she thumbed out a teasing response. That depends. Which biker boy is this?
Another message popped up. The one who will kick the ass of any other man who tries to get into your bed. He added a devil emoji.
She texted, Mr. Wicked, is that your territorial side coming out again?
She sat with the phone in her hand, awaiting his reply, getting more nervous with every passing minute. Five minutes passed in silence. Ten. She paced the living room, trying to figure out where that fine line should be drawn. She knew he had a right to be territorial, but the idea of him beating someone up over jealousy turned her stomach.
The roar of a motorcycle sent her darting out the door. She ran to the driveway as he cut the engine and pulled off his helmet. His jaw was tight as he climbed off the bike and strode toward her.
She gulped a breath and said, “Justin, I—”
“Asking me not to be territorial over you is like asking you not to be so protective of your sister.” His eyes drilled into her, but his tone softened as he said, “But a pretty dragonfly schooled me on how to do it properly. You see, I wouldn’t have to kick a guy’s ass. Instead I’d just do this.” He grabbed her face and crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her so passionately, her knees weakened. She had to hang on to him just to remain standing. “I think that’s within your parameters. Am I right, sweet cheeks?”
“Uh-huh” was all she could manage.
“I missed you tonight.” He touched his forehead to hers and said, “When I didn’t hear from you, I thought you needed some alone time.”
That misconception snapped her out of her drunk-on-Justin stupor. “I wanted to thank you for cleaning off the porch, and for the mason jar, and the romantic note. But I didn’t want to bother you at your meeting. I love that you saved some of our sand.”
“So we were both worried about smothering each other,” he said with a small smile.
“I think so, and I’m glad you didn’t hold back.”
“Does that mean I have permission to smother you?” he asked coyly as they headed up the walk.
“Smothering is such a negative word, unless you’re talking about hot fudge, of course. How about if we agree it’s okay to be crazy about each other and go with the flow, texting or seeing each other as often as we feel the urge? If one of us needs space, then we can speak up.”
“You’re opening a dangerous door, sexy girl,” he warned. “You know how I feel about you.”
She turned toward him on the porch and wrapped her arms around him, gazing up at his handsome face, and said, “I’ll take my chances.”
Chapter Eighteen
JUSTIN FELT CHLOE burrowing against his back, trying to hide from the cold, driving rain as he drove the motorcycle into her driveway early Sunday evening. They’d been out riding with the guys when the clouds had opened up, drenching them in minutes. They’d pulled over to wait it out, but it hadn’t let up. Chloe had deemed it their rainy adventure, and Justin had never driven so carefully in all his life.
Justin whipped off his helmet and helped C
hloe from the bike. She hadn’t complained once about being soaking wet. She was amazing like that, and she’d been open to even more new things since they’d decided to let go of their worries about smothering each other and let nature take its course.
“Run!” she said through her helmet, taking his hand as they sprinted up the sidewalk. She took off her helmet on the porch, her teeth chattering as she said, “Hold me, hold me, hold me!” and buried her face in his chest.
He put his arms around her, kissing her head and running his hands up and down her back, trying to warm her, but cold air was whipping around them. “Let’s get you inside.”
She handed him the keys and he unlocked the door, ushering her inside. They’d been going back and forth between their houses, staying at whichever was more convenient at the time. He didn’t care where they were, as long as they were together. He closed the door behind them and took off his wet shirt. Chloe’s smile reached her eyes as she grabbed his face with both hands, went up on her toes, and kissed the hell out of him.
“Damn, baby. I ought to take you out in the rain more often.”
“I missed out on doing that the night of the storm. I wanted to so badly, but I was scared. I wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.”
“Neither am I.” He hauled her in for another kiss, and she melted against him. But as soon as their lips parted and she took off her boots, she was shivering again. “Go change into warm clothes, sweets. I’ll start a fire.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect. We can have a picnic by the fire. Want to cook something or order pizza?”
“How about a pizza and a scrapbook party? I want to see how you’ve changed through the years.”
“Yeah, right. You want to see if I have any hidden pictures of you.”
“Maybe that, too.” He gave her a quick kiss and swatted her butt. “Go change. I’ll start the fire and order pizza.”
A Little Bit Wicked (The Wickeds Page 25