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Clearly, I was a sadistic bastard.
FOUR
It took about halfan hour of listening to that blasted scanner for me to call in the cavalry. That cavalry happened to be Mav’s younger sister and her best friend Mickey, two of my co-workers at my sister’s bakery.
Thankfully, Tabitha had hired more employees so the pair of them were off tonight and lived close enough to relieve me as I was rushing out the door.
Pretty soon these dogs were going to file a protest at their parade of babysitters, but it couldn’t be helped.
“There’s treats on the counter, and their food is labeled and portioned out by dog. I didn’t get to feed them but that should be easy enough for you two to handle, right? Right.”
“Van.” Honey towered over me—not that unusual, since I was extremely petite—and braced her hands on my shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine,” I said, echoing her brother.
Even if he was a liar. Even if I felt in my bones he needed me there.
Not just anyone.Me.Vanessa Monaghan, who wielded an Apple Pencil and an iPad, not a weapon of mass destruction. Okay, I was good with a piping bag. They were pretty heavy and the tips were damn sharp.
I was officially mentally babbling.
Honey’s grip tightened. “Where’s my brother?”
“Probably screwing my sister at this very moment.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Eww. Disgusting. Not Brady. I know where he is. Where’s Mav? He was on dog duty tonight.”
I took a deep, so not calming breath. “He’s working. He got called in. Nothing to worry about,” I added far too brightly.
Her gorgeous features so like her older brothers immediately pinched with worry. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Me? Nothing.” I spread my arms wide. “I’m an open book.” I ducked out of her hold and grabbed my yarn, now stuffed in a paper bag, on my flight toward the door. “Thanks so much for coming. I’ll be back soon.We’llbe back soon. Thanks, Mickey,” I shouted over my shoulder.
Honey’s best friend Mickey looked up from where she was crouched over Daisy, rubbing her silky golden ears where she was curled on her side in her bed.
Huh, that was weird. Well, it was bedtime for them, right? Or it had to be close to it.
You had one job—to watch these dogs. He asked you to do it, and that’s what you should be doing. You aren’t a cop. What do you think you can do, other than get in the way?
I had not one clue. I didn’t even know what I was doing right now, other than operating on some indecipherable instinct. One that had come out of nowhere.
I didn’t like Mav. Not really. I mean, he was almost family, so I cared. Of course, I cared.
Right. Family. He was basically the same as my creepy great-uncle Stewart, the one with all the chins and bad body odor.
Sure.
“Uh, you’re welcome. No problem. Van, Daisy’s belly is really pink. Is that normal?”
I frowned. “I guess so? I’m not really sure.”
Daisy took that moment to kick up her back leg to itch her stomach. But she soon settled.
Mickey stroked her soft ears. “She feels hot.”
“Well, the AC in this building sucks. I’m sure she’s fine.” God, I hoped. But I couldn’t really deal with that right now since I had to get in Mav’s way and cause him to accidentally get shot and bleed out on the Quik Pump’s dingy tile floor—
Okay, I was not allowed to read any more of my clients’ novels while I was doing art for their covers and their special fan requests.
