“What?” When her bestie didn’t answer immediately, Junie looked up and met her gaze across the work table. If she didn’t give much weight to the look in Kenzie’s eyes, she couldn’t say the same for the words spoken without a single trace of humor or uncertainty.
“He doesn’t get it.”
Junie sighed. Kenzie was right, but the mere thought of confronting Preston made her stomach twist into tight, anxious knots. She hated hurting people. Even when they made her deeply uncomfortable. “Let’s just get back to work and get these cupcakes done.”
Between the two of them, they finished the last few cupcakes just as the clock hit five a.m.
“Can you believe it’s five already?” Kenzie asked.
Junie’s head drooped, exhaustion pressing down on her like a heavy blanket. “Yes, Kenzie,” she muttered. “I can definitely believe it. Poppy should be here any minute.”
As if on cue, the back door swung open. Poppy froze in the doorway, eyes going wide as she took in the battlefield. Towers of finished cupcakes, boxed and ready to go. Pans stacked high in the sink. Every surface dusted with flour and powdered sugar.
“Oh. My. God! Have you guys been here all night?”
Poppy looked bright-eyed and annoyingly ready to work. She’d been a godsend since she started helping part-time.
Kenzie immediately pointed at Junie. “Office. Cot. Nap. Now. Poppy and I have the front.”
Junie opened her mouth to argue, but the matching stern looks on both of her best friends’ faces dared her to protest. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
A tired laugh escaped her. “Fine. But only for an hour. And only after I take this out.” Junie held up the filled-to-bursting trash bag.
She dragged herself and the heavy bag toward her back door and hauled it out into the back alley. Holy smokes, the thing weighed a ton. The sky was just starting to lighten, that soft, hopeful gray-blue right before sunrise.
She heaved the heavy bag up and over the rim of the dumpster. It hit the bottom of the dumpster with thethwumpof a felled tree. The second it did, something shot out from behind the dumpster as the lid slammed shut with a loud metallic crash.
“Shit!” Junie stumbled backward, heart leaping into her throat, as a skinny cream, peach, and light-gray puppy stood several yards away from the dumpster. Poor thing had evidently had a hard night. It stood wild-eyed and panting, then scrambled back behind the dumpster.
Junie slapped a hand over her pounding heart. “Oh, sweet baby Jesus… you poor thing.” She inched closer to the edge of the dumpster, moving slowly so she wouldn’t startle him. A few seconds later, a small, matted face peeked around the edge, trembling, watching her with big, wary eyes. For a long, quiet moment, neither of them moved.
Her chest ached as she glared at the world in general. Someone had to have thrown the little guy in that dumpster. No way could that tiny dog have made it inside there on its own. She was sure it would have died if the side-door hadn’t been slightly ajar. Despite the poor thing’s escape, whoever had abandoned him should be ashamed of themselves.
The puppy peeked out again, ribs prominent under the matted fur. She couldn’t blame him. He’d clearly been abused. He watched her with guarded eyes, shining with the tiniest spark of hope.
She shouldn’t. She really,reallyshouldn’t.
“Don’t think I’m keeping you,” she told him sternly, “because I’m not. The last thing I need right now is another mouth to feed.”
But her feet were already carrying her back inside anyway. She quickly scraped together some leftover scraps from the kitchen, her hands moving faster than her brain could argue with her.
“What are you doing?” Kenzie glared at her from the sink. “You’re supposed to be resting.”
“Uh… I’ve got a bit of a situation I need to take care of,” Junie mumbled.
“From taking out the trash?” Kenzie asked, her foot tapping.
“It’ll only take a minute.” Junie darted out the door with the scraps before Kenzie could stop her.
The door closed behind her on her friend’s exasperated gasp. Moving slowly and carefully, Junie set the scraps on the ground near the opening on the dumpster’s side and waited, barely breathing.
Inch by inch, the puppy crept forward on shaky legs, tail tucked tight between his legs. His wary gaze shifted back and forth between Junie and the plate. But once he reached the food, he wolfed it down like he hadn’t seen any for days.
Junie’s heart squeezed so tight that it hurt. He was adorable. And sleeping on the hard concrete. That wouldn’t do.
She slipped back inside. There were blankets and things in her office.
“Finally,” Kenzie said. “I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed. Hey, where are you going?”
