Page 38 of Property of Mongrel

“Tomorrow!” Gretchen exclaims. “After these past two weekends and the success of the pop-up camper, I told the organizers I wanted a permanent spot. I’ve got a list of the cake pops that sell the best, of course, but being able to add different things will keep it new and exciting for customers.”

“I… I’m off tomorrow if you want me to come and help,” Addy says. “We take turns with our schedules, so I had yesterday off, today we’re closed, and this upcoming week, my day off is Monday. Not to barge in or anything like that, of course,” she hastily adds.

“Nope, you already volunteered the fact that you were off, so you can’t back out now,” Gretchen replies, giggling. “If you have the cheesecake recipe and can send me the ingredients, I’ll make a list and go pick them up first thing in the morning.”

I’m already shaking my head. “You make the list and I’ll go shopping,” I state. “Because I have an inventory of what you already have on hand in my Notes app and know you’ll forget stuff for next weekend.”

Addy giggles when Gretchen rolls her eyes at me. “I’ve got it in my phone, I’ll send it to Mongrel, okay?” she asks Gretchen. “He can forward the recipe to you so you’ve got it, or I can print off a copy when I get home later.”

It’s late by the time Leroy takes off, but not before he brings me two huge photo albums, which has my emotions all over the place. “Thanks, Uncle Leroy,” I murmur, pulling him in for a hug. “I appreciate this so fucking much.”

“I’m just glad we found you,” he replies. “Now, we just have to find the girls.”

“Yeah, hopefully, between Nerd and the search that Jonah has, we’ll be able to do so,” I say. “Are you excited about the salon?”

“Hell yeah! I’ve talked to the former owner and the girls she employed, and they’re all going to stay. I’ll restructure that part, so it benefits them and have Jonah creating some marketing shit to send out to my existing clients. Some may decide I’m too far away now, and that’s okay. I have a good feeling about this, Cam.”

“I do as well. The Kings have been good to me, Uncle Leroy, when I needed someone in my corner. Having blood family close means the world to me, and I’m glad they’ve helped make that happen too.”

“Go spend some time with your girl. I like her for you, Cam. She seems level-headed and even though I suspect all of this is somewhat new to her, she hasn’t wavered one bit today.”

I chuckle because he’s right. Addy has rolled with the punches, especially the one that Gretchen pulled. “Drive safe,” I tell him.

“Always. Now, no pressure, but I wouldn’t mind some great-nieces or nephews in the near future.”

“It’ll happen when it happens,” I tease. “Now, go on, I need some Addy time.”

“I should probably go,” she says as I walk toward her. While I was saying goodbye to my uncle, she was helping the ol’ ladies and prospects carry the leftovers into the kitchen so Connie and Maria could put it away.

We put a huge dent in what was cooked, but there are definitely leftovers and my stomach growls just thinking about how well the flavors are going to meld overnight. “Sorry about that,” I chuckle as I pat my stomach.

“You’re already thinking about the leftovers, aren’t you,” she teases.

“Absolutely. Do you wanna stay a bit longer?” I question. “Because I was going to look through the photo albums and I’d love to share them with you.”

“If you’re sure,” she replies.

“Positive. Come on, follow me,” I tell her, my hand on her lower back as I guide her toward the stairs.

When we reach my room, I unlock the door and usher her inside. She looks around then says, “It’s like a mini apartment.”

“Kind of,” I admit, setting the photo albums on the bed before I walk to my mini fridge. “Do you want something to drink?”

She nods her head and replies, “Water, please.”

Once I have two bottles of water, I motion for her to sit on the bed then join her, my back against the headboard. She copies me but seems nervous. “Nothing’s gonna happen between us until you’re ready,” I remind her. “I just wanted to share these with you first.”

“Nobody will mind that I’m up here?” she asks.

“Nope. I live at the clubhouse, Addy, and am allowed to have guests. And to answer your unasked question, I’ve never brought a woman in here before. All of my brothers know you mean something to me, and so do their ol’ ladies.”

“Okay, just checking,” she says. “Now, which one is first?” she asks, motioning to the two albums.

I look through them and quickly figure out which is which then scoot closer and open the cover. “This is my mom and dad on their wedding day,” I say.

“You’re tall like your dad but have a lot of your mom’s features,” she replies, her finger lightly tracing the picture. It’s almost reverent and I know she gets how important having these books is to me.

“Yeah, me and Jonah are both tall like he was. I’m not sure about my sisters since they were only four when we all separated, but they were petite like my mom, so I suspect they’re closer to her height than Dad’s,” I say as I flip the page.