Sweet on You

by Katana Collins

  Yvonne ran the Maple Grove Animal Shelter and was constantly saving any creature in need. If I had a chip on my shoulder the size of China, then she had a heart the size of China.

  I took the phone, examining the picture. He had wiry looking hair, a coppery red color and deep, soulful brown eyes. I swallowed hard. I’d never owned a dog before—outside of the family dog growing up. But even he was more Cam and Steve’s dog than mine. “I don’t know. I keep crazy hours with the gym.”

  I tried to hand her the phone back, but she didn’t take it from me.

  “It’s up to you. It can be as temporary as you like, of course. He is hypo-allergenic. And he’s the color of a Penny so your stupid name for him even makes sense. He’s on the smaller side, only about 30 lbs. But he’s an active dog, so he’d be a good running and hiking buddy for you, too.”

  I sighed, staring at the image. He was awfully cute.

  “And he gets along with cats,” she added.

  I jerked my gaze back to hers. “Why would that matter?”

  She shrugged one ear to her shoulder. “Just for the hike tomorrow.”

  I could just take him for the day? Take him hiking, let him enjoy the fresh air and get some energy out before he goes back to the shelter. “Okay, fine. I’ll take him for the night and just for the hike tomorrow. But I’m not keeping him.”

  Yvonne smiled, putting her phone away. “Of course. Like I said, you can foster him. And then… it’s not even a lie to Lex. Tell him the truth. You’re fostering one of my dogs until he finds his furever home.”

  I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my water. “You are such a dork.”

  She grinned wider. “A dork you love.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.” I winked at my friend. “I just wish you could take Lex on this hike tomorrow, instead of me,” I grumbled.

  Yvonne pressed her lips together and smoothed a hand down her silky ponytail. “Can I ask you… why are you avoiding Lex? I thought you liked him.”

  “I did,” I said, running my fingertip over the edge of the water glass. “But I told you what happened the day you got engaged. Up on Mount Washington—” Yvonne was literally the only person I told and even that was humiliating enough. Her reaction to the story was the exact reason I didn’t tell anyone else.

  She waved away what I was saying. “No, no, I know that. But you never asked him why, right? There could be any number of reasons he said no that day. And you still really like him, don’t you?”

  I felt my cheeks warm. Was I that obvious? “Yeah, I do. But I put my feelings out there. I made it known, asked him out… and he rejected me.” My gaze dipped to the table and I twisted the cloth napkin between my hands. Boy, did I know about rejection. Public rejection. At least this thing with Lex was private. Not like my fiancé dumping me the day before our wedding only to go running back to his ex-wife. But regardless of whether the rejection is quiet or on public display, it’s just not something you forget and get over immediately. Or at least, I didn’t. “The ball’s in his court now.”

  Yvonne nibbled her lip, but nodded. “Right. And it seems like he’s trying to make a shot, but you’re ignoring his advances.”

  I shook my head. “See that? That is what got me in trouble in the first place. For two years, I thought Lex and I were flirting. Two years I wasted, waiting for him to ask me out. I read into every smile, every joke, every free cup of coffee he gave me.” I hated how this made me feel. I hated how embarrassed I was at that. I prided myself on being different than most women who fawn all over a guy—but the truth was, I was exactly the same. I was still that girl who got dumped the day before her wedding when she was twenty-three. I cleared my throat and shook my head. “And I was wrong to read into all that. Flat out wrong. All those nice things he did weren’t some sort of quiet declarations of love. I refuse to get drawn in by him again. The truth is, he’s a nice guy. And I think he’s flirty by nature… but he’s not flirting with me.”

  “But what if he is?”

  “He’s not,” I snapped, then quickly got a hold of my emotions with a deep breath. “And even if he was… he’s going to have to do better than that. I put it all out there and got shot down. If he wants to go on a date, he needs to flat out ask me. No more coy bullshit. Like I said… the ball’s in his court now. And he has to do more than just try to pass it back to me. He needs to dunk that thing and shatter the backboard while he’s at it.”

  Yvonne nodded, compassion and understanding filling her eyes.

  The waitress brought over a basket of rolls and butter, setting them down between us. I so badly wanted to reach for one. They glistened with roasted garlic and onions and my mouth watered for just one taste. I swallowed, my mouth still salivating.

  Yvonne grabbed one, tearing it open and smearing butter that immediately melted with the warmth of the fresh out of the oven rolls. She paused, the bread halfway to her mouth. “Oh. Um, is it okay if I—”

  I waved off her concerns. “Of course.”

  “We can send them back.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Most of my friends and family knew not to offer me sweets or bread. Steve usually teased me the most, but for the most part, everyone respected my lifestyle choice to limit carbs, go gluten free, and cut sugar from my diet. While most people can splurge every now and then and not fall completely off the wagon… that wasn’t me. I wasn’t the type of woman who could have one roll. One bite of a chocolate bar. One potato chip. One bite and the next thing I knew, I’d have a cart full of Oreos at the grocery store and would finish a whole bag in ten minutes.

  That in itself wasn’t the terrible thing. It was the urge that came later. The urge to run to the bathroom and stick my finger down my throat. The urge to over-correct. To punish myself at the gym for three hours the next day. It wasn’t healthy—I knew that. But I never claimed to be healthy—I claimed to be trying. I’m trying to be the better, healthier version of myself. I’m extremely careful about that when I have new clients at the gym. My way is not the only way. My path is not the only path. You need to find what works for you, for your body, for your journey and we are all constant works in progress. Me, especially.

  “You know,” Yvonne said carefully, nibbling on her bread. “Sometimes I feel like because I only just got you back as a friend that I have to tread carefully. Like… I’m walking on eggshells.”

  I set my water down on the table, pain slicing into my chest. “What do you mean?” Sure, Yvonne and I had a long hiatus in our friendship—but that was an extenuating circumstance. Back in high school, she and my brother had had a huge accident that left both of them almost dead. And it seemed like she had blamed Steve for it—even though I came to find out that wasn’t true. And again—with my temper—we didn’t talk for years.

  Yvonne sighed. “I love that I have you back. I missed you so much for almost ten years. But, Ronnie… you’re a tough cookie. And you’re intimidating sometimes.”

  I knew all this. But I couldn’t exactly help it, either. I had to be tough. In a house with four other siblings, most of whom were boys, and losing my dad at such a young age? Tough was what got me through. Tough was what got me through being left at the altar. Tough was what gave me the ability to kick the Adderall addiction when I was a teenager. Tough was what got me to pull through when I was hospitalized for nearly overdosing after not eating for more than two weeks.

  Even still, the full weight of how much I missed our friendship weighed heavily on my shoulders. And I didn’t want Yvonne to feel like I could at any moment walk away from this friendship again. I reached across the table and took her hand. “Hey,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve grown a lot since I was a hot-headed teenager. I missed you so much when we weren’t talking. When Brian dumped me, I wanted to so badly to call you.”

  “You never showed your emotions, though. Even when we were best friends in high school. It made opening up and talking to you so hard.”

  My throat clogge
d like a backed-up pipe and I blinked back a couple of unexpected tears. “I’m sorry. Back then, when people hurt me or my family, I didn’t know how to react other than to just walk away entirely.”

  Yvonne nodded. “Promise me you won’t do that with me again?”

  I didn’t hesitate to answer. “I promise.”

  She swallowed and looked up at me with big, brown eyes. “And… don’t get mad… but maybe that’s why Lex is having a hard time dunking that ball. Even though you’re not as extreme as you once were, you still do pull away emotionally.”

  I tensed up. I couldn’t help it. Her words hit a little too close to home.

  “I’m not saying to let him off easy or to read too much into the little things. But maybe just… let him know that the hoop is open. Give him the chance to dunk, rather than making it harder for him.”

  She was right. It was so obvious and true. I was hard on people—all people. But I was hardest on those I cared the most about. “I’ll… I’ll try.” I wiped my eyes and shook my head. “Man, you’ll do almost anything to get those dogs into foster homes, won’t you?”

  Yvonne laughed and gave my hand a squeeze before releasing me. “I bet you a hundred bucks you’ll fall in love with Copper before your mother’s birthday.”

  “Penny,” I said, holding up my finger. “Remember? I named the dog Penny.”

  Yvonne rolled her eyes. “That’s a stupid name for a boy dog.”

  Don’t I know it.

  7

  Ronnie

  At three-thirty sharp, Lex showed up at my gym looking as delicious as one of those scones he serves at his bakery. He wore what looked like water-wicking pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, and he had a backpack on. He was carrying a tray of something wrapped with cellophane.

  I walked up to him, cautiously eyeing the tray of baked goods. “Did you seriously bring sweets into my gym?” I asked, folding my arms and quirking a brow at him. That was ballsy. Even for Lex.

  He set them down on the counter, unwrapping the cover. On the tray, there were dozens of what looked like individually wrapped granola bars, each sealed with a printed ingredients list sticker with his logo.

  “What’s this about?” I tipped my head toward the tray.

  “Well,” Lex said, “I was thinking about your windshield and how terrible I felt. You shouldn’t have to pay for something that was my mistake—”

  “I told you insurance would cover it.” That was sort of a lie. My car insurance would cover it, but not my gym insurance. I guess I wasn’t supposed to allow my clients to throw kettlebells around on public city property. I was only covered for what happened inside my building.

  “Yes, and as I said, that will make your premium go up unnecessarily. So, I thought this could be a compromise. These are energy bars I whipped up this morning. They contain nuts, honey, dates, and some berries. They’re quite good, if I do say so.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, you’re going to make me energy bars and feed me for a year to pay for the window?”

  His grin widened. “Not exactly.” He set ten of the bars on the counter in front of where Callie stood, checking people in. Then, he pulled out a framed sign that said: Energy Bars $3.

  “I will make you as many batches of these as it takes to pay back that window. You just keep track and let me know. Fair?”

  It wasn’t a terrible idea. My gym members were always asking if I was planning to make a smoothie bar any time soon. And I should. The cost wouldn’t be too much to add it, but I resisted for the same reason I’ve resisted opening a second location. I’m a creature of habit. And both of those things require change and I’ve been so busy with work as it is, it’s scary to think of adding more to my plate. “That almost sounds fair. Except I need you to add in the cost of ingredients and materials. It’s not fair for you to take a loss on that.”

  “The cost of ingredients is factored into the price,” he tapped the sign.

  A long, disgruntled Meow came from somewhere behind Lex and I froze. “Did your backpack just meow?”

  “Oh, yes!” He spun around and his backpack had some sort of weird astronaut globe with holes in it. A furry head stared at me from within the dome and meowed again. “This is Frost. I told you she’d be joining us on the hike, right?”

  “Ummm, yeah. I just didn’t expect her to be on your back. Here in my gym.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. When we get to the trail, I have a leash and harness for her. But truthfully, most of the time, she prefers to be on my shoulders or in the backpack. So, if Penny doesn’t care for her, she’ll be safe in here.” He patted the straps of his backpack. “I also baked you a paleo coconut cream pie, but sadly, someone got into last night while I was out. Serves me right for leaving something cream based on the counter for this dairy junkie to get into.”

  Callie came rushing over and put her nose to the globe. “Oh my gosh, look at her!! Aren’t you the prettiest cat ever?” She looked up at Lex. “A shorthair?”

  He nodded. “British shorthair to be exact.”

  My gaze jerked to my baby sister. “How in the hell do you know what kind of cat that is?”

  She snickered. “All that volunteering with Yvonne, I guess.”

  Ummm, okay. I had no idea my sister knew anything about cats, let alone the different breeds… but whatever.

  “Speaking of, where’s Penny?”

  Callie’s brows tilted to the center of face. “Who’s Penny.”

  I pursed my lips and gave her my best death glare eyes. “You know… my new dog, Penny.”

  “Oh, right. Penny. That Penny. She’s so new, I almost forgot about her.” I had to give it to my sister, she caught onto that pretty quickly, all things considered.

  Lex’s gaze shifted between Callie and me and I gritted my teeth so hard, my jaw hurt. “You mean him,” Lex said. “He’s a boy named Penny.”

  Callie winced, sending me an apologetic glance. “Right. Right. Like A Boy Named Sue.”

  I pointed at her and laughed. Hot damn, I loved that sister of mine sometimes. “Exactly! See? She gets it.”

  Lex looked almost shocked. “That’s actually quite remarkable. I know Noah is your twin, Callie, but sometimes it seems like you two are more in sync.”

  “It’s a sister thing,” Callie winked at me and I couldn’t help the grin splitting my face. Times like this, I felt so full, so complete, and so loved, it felt like my heart might burst through my chest.

  “Although,” I said, “You should see her and Noah together. If you think we’re in sync, they are downright creepy.”

  “Hey!” Callie laughed while pouting her bottom lip out and smacked me across the arm. “We are not creepy.”

  “I dunno,” Lex shrugged. “Twins are, in general, pretty creepy.”

  “Of course you’re taking her side on this,” Callie said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

  “Oh, let me tell you some creepy twin facts,” Lex said, holding up a finger. “Twins start playing with each other at about 14 weeks in utero. In some cases where conjoined twins were joined at the head, they could hear each other’s thoughts. About forty percent of identical twins develop their own special coded language that only they can understand. To outsiders, it sounds like babble, but twins can comprehend it with perfect clarity. It’s called ‘idioglossia.’

  “Well, I’m not a conjoined twin nor am I an identical twin… since we’re different genders… ,” Callie said, and I could see her hackles going up. She didn’t like being called weird.

  “Okay,” Lex added. “How about this for creepy? There are countless cases about twins being separated at birth who grow up to lead similar lives in adulthood. Some even go on to have about the same IQ, the same job, the same salaries—even the same named pets and spouses.”

  My eyes widened. “Holy shit, is that true?”

  Lex nodded, grinning. “Crazy, right?”

  Callie snorted. “Well, Noah and I lead extremely different lives. One of us is a lo
ser living with her mom and the other is a famous movie star. Doesn’t get much different than that.”

  Lex’s excited expression immediately sagged. “Oh, Callie. That’s not what I meant. I was just throwing out some stupid statistics and facts, you know?”

  “I know, I know.” Callie sighed and started organizing the energy bars Lex had given us. “I just wish I knew what I was doing with my life sometimes.”

  I crossed behind the counter and squeezed my sister into a hug. “You will. You’re still so young. Noah always knew what he wanted to be… you have time to figure it out.”

  I held Callie for a second longer until I felt her sigh against me. “Thanks,” she whispered, peeling herself away from my arms and offering me a smile.

  I turned to Lex, directing a playful scowl in his direction. “How do you know so much about twins anyway?” I challenged.

  Callie followed me, spinning and putting a hand on her hip. “Yeah?” she narrowed her gaze at him. “What’s with all that twin intel of yours?”

  His grin widened. “Because I’m a twin.”

  I blinked, my playful, teasing smile dropping completely, and Callie and I both stood there in shock. “You are?” she asked. “Then why the hell are you saying we’re creepy!”

  Lex laughed and leaned in, whispering, “Because we are.” Then, he clapped his hands together. “So, hiking? Where’s Penny?”

  Right. Penny. “I left him at home while I was working. I figured we could go get him, or if you’re in a rush, we can just leave him at home for the hike this time.”

  “No way!” Lex said, hiking the backpack higher on his shoulders. “I want to meet him.”

  Meow.

  “See? Frost wants to meet him, too.”

  I guess I had no choice. We headed out the door with a final wave to Callie and I stared at the chatty cat through the globe of his backpack as we crossed the street to where his car was parked. “I swear, I’ve never seen a cat so chill with being out and about. Aren’t they usually… I dunno, scared or something? Don’t they usually scratch and hiss and bite?”