Satisfied, I start preparing to go out myself but she comes back maybe a minute later.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Where’s the mutt?”
“First of all, I didn’t spend $10,000 in vet fees on that pure bred for you to call him a mutt.”
TEN THOUSAND?!?!?!
“And secondly, TaskRabbit is watching him.”
“Seriously Aurora? You brought him here. He’s your responsibility.”
“What? I gave him like $100. It’s fine.”
“That’s not the—” I stopped myself and breathed in.You know what.If the man wanted to be her servant, let him. I don’t even blame her for taking advantage. When you find an ass, you ride it.
“Let’s just go.” I put my coat on and walked through the side door. “I better not smell any shit when I get back.”
“Oh please, Marlon. Your office is next to a damn stable.” She followed behind me with her heels clicking at first, then slowing once we stepped onto the packed dirt.
I know them stilettos was digging into the ground. I bet it tore her ankles up. A part of me was tempted to look back but I stayed focused.
Out in the stables, everything felt different. The horses shifted in their stalls, the soft sounds of movement and breath filling the space. Aurora didn’t hesitate now, moving straight to Titan.
“Hey, boy,” she greeted, reaching up to stroke his face. “Remember me?”
Titan leaned into her touch calmly, then closed his eyes. She closed hers too and rested her forehead on his.
I watched that.
After Titan, she turned to the larger stall. “And you must be Spades.”
I moved in then.
“Careful, he’s—” But I stopped mid-sentence. Spades didn’t move. He just stood there, letting her get close. “—aggressive.”
She glanced back at me over her shoulder, unimpressed. “No. Spades is a sweet boy. Ain’tcha?”
He just let her rub his face.
Asshole.
It took me three years to even get near him after Alice died. But, I guess Aurora does look like her in a way. I walked over, placing my hand along Spades’ neck. He stayed calm.
“He isn’t usually,” I said.
She kept her hand on him, her tone quieter now. “…Lavender says he used to belong to my mother.”
That made me freeze.
Come on, Lav.
“Yeah,” I said after a moment. “She helped birth him. Right in this barn.”
Aurora’s expression shifted slightly as she noticed my stiffness.
“You two must’ve been really close.”
