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I nod. “Same with my dad.”
“Aren’t funerals awful?” His dark eyes glisten. “Everyone stands around a dead body, remembering the life that once was. It’s fucking morbid.”
“I want to be cremated. I don’t want to be in the ground.”
“I don’t think I want to be in the ground either. Sprinkle me into the water.”
I scrunch my nose. “Ever think about how many dead bodies we’re swimming with in the ocean?”
He turns his head to look at me. “Not until just now.”
I smile. “My dad used to tell me that we all swam in fish poop when I was a kid. It used to rile me up.”
“I mean, he’s not wrong,” he grunts. “Leo’s afraid of fish. Won’t step foot in the ocean.”
“Really? I can’t picture him being afraid of anything.”
“Oh, yeah. Screams like a little girl if he thinks something touches his leg in the water.”
I laugh. “I can’t wait to tease him about that.”
His smile fades, and he casts his glance out the window. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“I’ve got your six, remember?”
He puts the car in reverse and places his hand on the back of my headrest as he twists in his seat. But he pauses before he backs out of the spot, pinning me with his intense stare.
“I could never forget it.”
“Wow. Look at this place.”
I inhale a nervous breath. “Does it look okay?”
Sadie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Are you kidding? It looks better than okay.”
I wring my hands and glance around the room. “I tried to make it look festive. Do you think there are enough balloons?”
“Any more and we might float away.”
“Oh, no. Are there too many balloons? Is it overkill?”
Sadie laughs. “No, no. You did a fantastic job decorating and setting up this entire event. These dogs are going to end up with loving families tonight. You should be very proud of yourself.”
Leo strides over to us, chewing on a mouthful of something.
My eyes widen. “Are you eating already? Did you make a mess on the tables? Please don’t make a mess.”
He pats me on the back and talks around the ball of food in his cheek. “I’m just sampling the food. You know, in case the cheese is bad or something. Don’t want anything to happen to the guests.”
I shoot him a dubious look. “Gee, thanks. It’s so nice of you to put your safety on the line.”
Sadie chuckles. “You should eat something too, Nix. You won’t have time to eat once the event starts.”
I shake my head. “I want to go over everything one last time. Make sure I didn’t leave anything out.”
Leo jerks his thumb to the right. “I’m going to sample those pigs in a blanket. Make sure they’re not serving rancid meat.”
I roll my eyes and lead Sadie over to the main table by the entrance. Louie’s Legacy Animal Rescue is the nonprofit agency helping me host this event. They find people to foster dogs to rescue them from shelters or life on the street, so that the animals get to live in a loving environment while they’re waiting to be adopted.
