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Luke was the first one to spot Mouse when Wren walked into the lobby, and he let out a high-pitched noise before launching over the counter and dropping to his knees. He took several licks to the face before he sat back and grinned up at Wren.
Do-do?
“I’m working today,” Wren reminded him. “Mouse didn’t want to be alone.”
Luke rolled his eyes since everyone knew that was bullshit. Wren left him in the apartment with Animal Planet, an automated feeder, a water fountain, and an entire bucket of toys. If Mouse could spend his entire life basking in the A/C, he’d choose that over anything at all. Ever. Except maybe chasing geese at the park.
Climbing to his feet, Luke made a disgruntled sound as he attempted to de-hair his apron before taking it off and throwing it onto the dirty laundry pile in the server station. Wren pulled Mouse close, prepared to dash through the kitchen and into Caleb’s office before the dog could hair on anything else.
“Are you okay?” Luke asked after waving to get his attention.
Wren frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?” At Luke’s continued stare, he shrugged. True biz. “Nothing’s wrong.”
It wasn’t a truth or a lie. Something had happened, but not enough to shake his world. Just enough to let a little melancholy and loneliness seep in. It wasn’t anything new—he was just feeling it a bit more because being with Percy felt amazing.
And he damn well couldn’t tell Luke that since he was still salty over the incident. So, he covered it all up with a smile, and then he ran. He caught a quick glimpse of both Peyton and Jori in the kitchen, but if they called after him, he didn’t hear it.
Caleb’s light was on, and he said a prayer the door was unlocked because it meant he and Bodhi wouldn’t be in there doing things Wren didn’t want to think about his brother doing, and he reached for the door handle.
Mouse wagged his tail and was all but vibrating with the anticipation of seeing his uncle, and Wren walked in. Mouse yanked the leash out of Wren’s hand before he could stop the pup, and Caleb, who was behind his desk, shot out of his chair.
He was on his knees and burying his face in Mouse’s neck before Wren got the chance to greet him.
“It’s great that you love my dog so much more than me,” Wren complained when Caleb finally looked up.
His brother rolled his eyes and held Mouse beneath his chin, gesturing as if to say, ‘Look at that face.’
Which, okay, yes. That’s how Mouse conned his way into Wren’s home, heart, and soul. When his brain was being particularly cruel, it liked to think about what life would be like when Mouse was gone and leave him crying all night, watching sad dogs reuniting with owners videos on his phone.
It was a world he didn’t want to live in.
Wren blinked when Caleb knocked on the side of his desk. He’d situated himself with his legs stretched out, and Mouse was draped over his thighs, belly-up for scratches.
Do-do?
Second time he’d gotten that question today. “I work today.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “With Mouse.”
Biting the inside of his cheek, Wren debated about lying, but if anyone was a safe person to talk to, it was his brother. He eyed the spot on the floor at Caleb’s left, then folded himself into that little space and turned slightly so Caleb could see him properly.
“I think I made a mistake last night.”
He saw the moment Caleb went from relaxed to immediately on alert. Wren hated himself for doing that. Caleb had been a little intense since his ex had cheated on him and caused a spectacle for the entire world to watch—almost literally. It had been a while since the video of Caleb’s breakup had gone viral on social media, but even though the café lines had finally simmered down to something closer to normal, Caleb would never be the same.
And Wren could tell his brother was hyperalert now, thanks to the trauma of it.
“What happened?” Caleb pressed.
Wren twisted his fingers together for a second, then shrugged. “I followed that English guy outside after he left the café.”
Caleb’s head thunked back against the wall. “Wren.” He signed his name with such disappointment, and Wren felt an old, familiar pulse of pain that only his brother could cause. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
Wren felt like he was about to choke on his own tongue, and his fingers shook just a bit as he answered. “No. Um. Not in any way he didn’t want me to.”
He watched as Caleb processed the meaning of his signs, and then his eyes went wide, and he leaned forward. True biz? “You fucked him?”
Wren rubbed a hand down his face, then raked fingers through his hair. He felt all itchy and antsy—like there was a problem he needed to fix. He just didn’t know what it was. He wanted his dog back, so he made a soft clicking noise with his tongue, and Mouse looked at him without moving.
