by Bonnie Gill
“I heard rebound sex can cure a broken heart.” Pepper’s smile switched to a devilish look.
Her jaw dropped open. “Or it could break it more.” She couldn’t survive any more drama in her life. Why risk it?
“I’m not saying move in with the guy—just have sex with him. Have you seen his tush?” She wiggled her brows.
“Yes, and that’s all the more reason not to pursue this. He probably has supermodels lined up with those paper deli counter numbers waiting to go a round with him in bed.”
Pepper caught Abby’s wrist. “He seems like a nice person.”
She shook free from Pepper’s grip. “He’s a cop. I have that curse. Not going to happen. By the way, can I have the afternoon off tomorrow? I want to grab my clothes and stop by the Expo center. Maybe I should try to find that douchebag tampon genie.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Whatcha gonna do if you find him?”
“I don’t know? Maybe I’ll beg, or better yet shove a M80 down his throat.” She would love to blow the jerk into itty-bitty genie pieces.
Pepper looked out the window. “Lover boy just pulled up. Tell me he’s not interested.”
The phone rang. Pepper ran into the back room to answer it. Abby sighed and swore Pepper rigged the phone to ring at the worst times.
River sauntered into the store.
“Good afternoon.” He tipped his sheriff’s hat at her and smiled, showing his dentist-induced bright smile. She shook her head. No one had teeth that white without help.
“Afternoon, Sheriff. How’s Mr. Livingston?” She stacked the last can on the shelf.
“He was released last night.” River turned to study the bulletin board filled with pictures of the dogs and cats in the neighboring shelter.
“Can I help you with anything?”
He looked over his shoulder at her. “I was thinking about adopting a dog. Can you recommend one?”
He wanted a dog? Now that’s something she could help him with. She relaxed her tight lips. “We have a few puppies over here.” Abby walked over to three puppy-pens in the back of the store. Each had different color and sizes of dogs inside. She picked up a black pup with a round pink belly. He squiggled around in her hands so she tightened her grip not to drop him. She handed the baby Labrador Retriever to River. He smiled and petted the pup, who in turn, licked his face.
River set the puppy back in the pen. “They’re cute, but I want a grown one that’s trained already. That way I can bring him to work with me.”
“Like a police dog?”
He shook his head. “More like a companion dog.”
Pepper popped her head around the corner. “Abby, keep Thursday night open. We’re going to Thirsty Thursday at Your Alibi, the bar around the corner.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Oh, hi, Sheriff. I didn’t know you were here.” Pepper’s faux drawl returned, this time thicker than the BS she was slinging.
Abby scratched her forehead with her middle finger so only Pepper could see.
“Good afternoon, Pepper,” River said and tugged on the corner of his hat.
“Pepper, would you help the Sheriff find a dog?” Abby grinned at her. She walked over to some unopened boxes and pulled on the flaps. She was done talking to him. His deep blue eyes held warmth in them that sent fire to all the right places, and right now she was perfectly happy with those places remaining cold.
“Sure I can.” Pepper called animal control and found out several dogs had been scheduled to be put down later that evening. They decided to head over there and meet before they closed.
“Will you be okay alone? You know if you have any questions, you can call.” Pepper said half way out the door.
Abby signaled them on. “I’m fine. Go ahead.”
“Nice seeing you again, Abby.” Something in River’s tone revealed sincerity, and that scared her almost as much as any curse.
She acted like her attention was on whatever was in the box. At least she wanted it to look that way. If anyone had asked her what was inside, she couldn’t say. The fact that Pepper would be alone with River made her uneasy. She didn’t understand the little squeeze in her chest and the flutter in her stomach. Jealousy? Maybe.
Or was it that she didn’t know exactly what Pepper might reveal?
Chapter 6
River pulled up to the metal building and waited for Pepper to arrive in her own car. Adopting a dog would be a huge responsibility, but after tossing all night, he decided the right dog could help him hunt Cryptids. He exited his vehicle and strolled up to the entrance.
“Weird stuff happens to her.” Pepper opened the glass door and walked inside. The pale green walls and cement floor chilled the room.
“What do you mean weird stuff?” The more info he could gather on Abby’s jumpiness, the better. Even if he found dirt, he wanted to know.
“For instance, in high school, she was walking by the bathroom when a toilet exploded. A piece of porcelain blasted across the hall and sliced her head, almost scalped her. That’s why she has that scar on her forehead.”
He’d noticed the light white scar, about an inch long. “A high school prank, that’s not uncommon.” River heard high school kids enjoyed blowing up toilets.
“A rabid squirrel bit her on the rear a couple years ago. She had to get all those shots.”
He raised eyebrows. That’s odd.
“Oh, and one day, she was walking down the street and a can of paint fell off some scaffolding and splashed all over her new Tory Burch shoes.” Pepper’s lips pouted.
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“They were her first and only pair of designer shoes she ever bought. Believe me, it was bad.” She shivered and then recovered.
“All accidents.” So, she’s accident-prone?
“Yeah, but she attracts them all the time. I only gave you a tip of the whole shebang. You can’t tell her I told you. I noticed you’ve taken an interest in her, and I don’t want to see her hurt.” She took a seat in one of the black plastic chairs lined up against the wall.
“I just want to get to know her better. Do you think she’ll go out on a date with me?”
Pepper lifted her shoulders and bit her bottom lip. She tilted her head as if she had a devil and angel on her shoulders arguing about what she should tell him. She took in a deep breath. “I don’t know. She recently suffered a nasty break up. And, you didn’t hear that from me.” She crossed one leg over the other and picked up the outdated magazine from the chair next to her.
River’s nerves clenched. He couldn’t imagine anyone ever hurting the sweet Abby he’d come to know. A sudden urge came over him to find the asshole and teach him a lesson. His vision blurred for a second before it cleared. No wonder she kept her distance. He made his mind up to investigate to see what happened. For some crazy reason he wanted to protect her.
A woman with thick wire rimmed glasses opened the steel door barricading the hall leading to the kennels. Various dogs of all shapes and sizes lined up along the chain linked kennel doors, barking, and their eyes pleading for someone to take them home.
The stench of urine and bleach filled his breath.
“We would like to see the dogs whose time is up,” Pepper said to the woman.
“Right this way.” The woman motioned for them to follow, her low heels almost silent against the pull-and-stick tile floor.
At the end of the row several kennels sat separated by a cinderblock wall. The dogs in these kennels didn’t greet them. They also didn’t bark.
No hope was expressed through their eyes—it was all gone—it was as if they had given up and knew their fate. Two golden labs, one pit-bull mix, and another two he could not identify searched his eyes for respite. His stomach suddenly felt hollow and sour.
In one of th
e last occupied cages, a large, shorthaired tan colored beast with a black muzzle looked back at him. The dog’s eyes drooped and his forehead wrinkled. He’d tucked his hind legs under him, and he rested his head on his front paws. A clipboard hung on to the gate displaying a five-digit number, and his name—Hercules. Mastiff identified the breed. Underneath it read STRAY with an intake date six days prior.
“Only six days? What if he has a family looking for him?” River asked the attendant.
“We suspect his family brought him in,” the woman with the wire rimmed glasses replied. “This is a high turnover facility. We are short on room, and funds, so they don’t get very much time before they’re euthanized. Thank goodness for people like Pepper who post pictures and find rescues to take most of them.”
“So this isn’t out of the ordinary?” River looked at the hopeless body language of the dogs. He wished he could adopt them all.
The woman looked at the floor. “No.”
Pepper crouched in front of a cage. “Hey, Kazoo. Who’s a pretty boy? Want to go home with me? I have the perfect mommy for you.”
River watched a small black-and-brown dog run up to Pepper wagging his tail. Kazoo had to be the tiniest dog he’d ever seen. He looked more like a squirrel than a dog. Pepper poked her fingers through the fence and the happy dog danced in circles on his hind legs, overjoyed with her kind words and attention.
He turned back to the Mastiff. Hercules now stood with his front paws on the fence, staring into his face. With cheap dog food breath, his big wet tongue lapped across River’s chin. He laughed at the sensation.
Pepper moved closer to the cage. “I think he likes you, Sheriff.”
They completed all the adoption paperwork in less than an hour’s time. A hundred-and-seventy pounds of smelly dog now sat in the passenger’s seat of River’s police car. Hercules licked the inside of the window while the end of his tail thumped a tribal rhythm against the formerly clean seats.
“Hey, big guy.” River leaned over and ran his hand across the smooth fur on Hercules’s back. The clock blinked 5:10 on the dash. He sighed. The pet store would be closed by now so he’d have to stop in tomorrow for supplies. Thank goodness the shelter gave him a couple sample packets of dog food.
He rolled down his window when Pepper and Kazoo walked by. “I almost forgot. I want you and Abby to stay out of the forest. Mr. Livingston saw something out there and until we can figure out what it is I don’t think it’s safe.”
“What did he see?” Pepper stepped closer to his vehicle.
“I don’t know, but whatever it was the damn thing scared him. He’s been hunting in that forest all his life—for him to be thrown off his game like that tells me it’s something I need to check out. I want you to promise you’ll both stay out of the woods.”
Chapter 7
Abby wandered into Pepper’s house exhausted. Her muscles ached from lifting cartons of canned dog food. Pepper’s three large dogs bolted into the kitchen to greet her. She bent over to give them pets and three wet tongues lapped at her face. She laughed, hugging each one of them.
Pepper walked into the room with a bounce to her steps. She wore a mischievous grin and held a medium sized cardboard box out in front of her. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? I love surprises.” Abby took the box and lifted the flaps. A little black and brown face popped out. “He’s so cute.”
“His name is Kazoo and he’s yours, if you want him.”
“He’s adorable.” Of course she wanted him. She pulled him out and held him close to her chest. His slippery fur and wet nose rubbed under her chin. “What kind of dog is he?”
“He’s a Chi-weenie, part Chihuahua and part miniature Dachshund. He only weighs three pounds and is already full grown.”
“I thought you were looking for a dog for River?”
“We found him a dog, too. But Kazoo’s time was up and he was just too adorable to leave behind. I have Barney, Betty, and Dino so I figured I’d give Kazoo to you.” Pepper scratched him behind the ears.
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you. He’s so sweet.” She cradled Kazoo in her arms. “You have to be the best friend in the whole world.”
“I don’t ever recommend purchasing a dog for a gift, but I knew you two would be perfect together. Besides, if you didn’t want him I would have loved to keep him.” Barney the St. Bernard nudged her thigh and she patted him on the head. “They get so jealous when a new dog arrives.”
Kazoo snuggled in Abby’s arms, his tail wagging at blurring speed. His entire tiny body fit perfectly in her hand. In that instant, her heart overflowed with love for her new companion.
Pepper cleared her throat. “River told me to tell you there’s a dangerous beast running around in the forest.”
Abby’s heart tumbled and fell flat. “What did he say?”
“Mr. Livingston saw something out there that scared the crap out of him. River’s bent on to tracking it down. We’re lucky you won’t change again for another few weeks.” Pepper poured a glass of iced tea and took a drink.
“I need to find that stupid Genie.” She crossed her fingers for luck.
“If you do, hopefully he won’t make the curse worse.”
“Yeah, let’s hope not. I have a busy day tomorrow.” She yawned and kissed Kazoo on the head. “I’m taking this little man to bed. Thanks again.”
She made her way to the bedroom and performed her nightly rituals.
Abby laid her head down on her pillow while Kazoo walked in a circle three times before lying down next to her. Her thoughts drifted to the last time she saw her grandmother. She had only been five years old, and the withered old woman told her she was cursed and that it skipped a generation. Her mother shushed her grandmother and told the old crazy women she shouldn’t try to frighten young children. What did her family do to receive such a severe punishment? Any information her grandmother could have given her would have been useful right now.
Her eyelids grew heavy and before she knew it, the morning sun’s bright rays gleamed through her window.
Abby showered and pulled on a new yellow and blue Pepper’s Perky Pet T-shirt. Kazoo rubbed his face in her pajama pile while waiting for her to finish. When she dried off, he played tug-of-war with her towel between his teeth.
Pepper had already left for the store before she made it to the kitchen. She fed Kazoo some dog food, took him outside to take care of business, then picked him up and together they set off to work.
She walked in the pet store. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought Kazoo,” Abby asked.
Pepper positioned herself behind the counter and gave air-smooches to Kazoo. “Not at all. I’ll watch him when you get your things and go look for the genie.”
She reluctantly handed over the dog, got in her car, and headed out of town. The morning flew by and before she knew it she was standing in the apartment she had shared with Burt.
Relieved that her old key still worked, Abby wasted no time and gathered her clothes out of her old closet then shoved them into a suitcase. Weird. I thought I’d feel sad about leaving Burt. In fact, all she felt was relief. She no longer had to wait up at night wondering when he would come home. She no longer had to put up with his sneezing and wheezing all night long. She no longer had to help him shave the hair on his back.
This new chapter in her life loomed large, and once she found a way to remove this blasted curse, she would be able to make a new life for herself and Kazoo.
She drew in one last breath of thick, stagnant air laced with Vicks VapoRub, picked up her suitcases, and walked out.
The door clicked behind her.
She exhaled, held her head up high, and a grin spread across her face in the sunlight.
It’s good to be free.
A
bby popped the trunk, crammed her suitcases inside, slid into the driver’s seat, and put the car in reverse.
Burt’s yellow VW Beetle pulled up beside her. She ignored the mime-cheating slime ball, kept going, and locked her eyes on the rearview mirror. After putting the car into drive, she flipped him off with her middle finger, and slammed her foot on the accelerator.
The Expo center marquee lit up displaying: “Entertainment Expo Today.” Good. She shouldn’t have any trouble getting inside the building. She parked her car down the street and strode inside the doors on a genie hunt.
People were packed inside the arena, leaving little room inside the door to get to the ticket booth. The bathroom doors, close to the entrance beckoned her.
Abby rushed inside the restroom. She pulled out a folded wad of dollar bills from her purse. She fed the first dollar into the machine, but it spit the crumbled bill back out at her. Smoothing the bill, she tried again. Same result. She slammed her fist against the dispenser, and let her frustration loose. “Defective obnoxious machine.” She tried again and finally the evil machine sucked her dollar bills in. Tampon packages belched out of their slots and fell to the drawer below. Abby opened each blue and white box desperate for the evil green genie to appear and take pity on her.
No genie.
She grasped for the next box and seized the tampons, flinging them onto the floor.
Nothing.
Her heart felt empty, like someone scraped it out with a spoon.
The next box she opened, the same thing. Box after box. No genie. She fisted her hands by her sides, refusing give up.