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No news was good news in the life of Wendy Rose-Dane-Holt-Smith-Slaughter.
“Well, don’t look so stunned that we want to do something nice for you,” Rico said, looking sheepish. “We like having you home. It’s been nice.”
“Don’t get too attached. I just accepted a teaching position at the university. I’ll be leaving as soon as my dad comes home.”
“Then I guess we better savor this time together,” Zane said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
“Savor? Look at you, talking all fancy,” Rico said over his laughter.
“Hey, my older sister is a professor at the University of Western California. People will expect that from me now.”
I grabbed my purse and followed them out the door.
When we arrived at the Golden Goose, Midge reached for the menus and walked us to our table.
“I heard that Oscar got Boone back,” I said, as my brothers stopped to talk to everyone that we passed on our way to the table.
Midge turned around. “I know you think I’m a terrible person, but I love animals, and Boone just showed up at my doorstep one day, just like your pup had done.”
For the first time since I’d known her, Midge Longhorn didn’t look guilty—she looked downright pathetic.
Sad and heartbroken.
The dog wasn’t even hers. What was her deal?
“You do know that you can go and rescue a dog of your own from the pound, right?”
Her shoulders stiffened, and she glanced around before her eyes met mine, and she kept her voice low. “Doug Callan has run the pound for the last twenty-five years.”
“I know that. Do you not like him?”
“I was married to him right out of high school. We were young. It didn’t work out. He’s rejected every application I’ve filled out over the years, so I stopped trying. And I’m not buying a boutique dog from a fancy breeder.”
She has a problem with breeders but not with stealing dogs?
I sighed. “Did you break the guy’s heart? Why would he do that?”
“I married his brother.” She held up her hands in defense. “I was young. I divorced him a few years later.”
This shouldn’t thrill me, but it does.
Midge was a rebel, and I kind of loved it.
“Well, that doesn’t give him the right to block you from having a dog.”
“I agree, but that hasn’t stopped him.” She shrugged just as my brothers waltzed over and slid into the booth, grabbing their menus.
“Let me look into this,” I said, and she nodded before walking away.
I moved into the booth beside Rico as Zane proceeded to read every item on the menu aloud. We’d been coming here since we were practically babies. The menu hadn’t changed.
I reached for my phone to send a quick text to River.
Hey. I need a favor.
Arrogant Prick
Sixty seconds of my time?
