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He does and Luna pulls up the rear. I pet the sweet girl who was my protector and nurturer for more than a month at Pop’s and offer ear massages and chin scratches while reminding her what a good girl she is.
Kyle allows my sister to check his nearly-healed incision scar. “How are you feeling, big boy?” she asks as he shows her his belly. She doesn’t rush, waiting for him to relax and show her what she needs to see without coercion. “Everything has healed nicely.” She strokes him and chats with us.
“He’s such a big lapdog,” Brighton eventually says as Kyle squirms to readjust but remains on her legs.
“He’s never understood his size,” Livy replies.
“Pop said he caught him eating off the counters.”
Livy covers her mouth and drops her eyes. “He never said a word to me about that. Not that I’m surprised at all that Kyle would or did do that, but I’d expect your dad to say something to me… And to Kyle for that matter.”
“You’re kidding, right?” my sister says before looking at me before abruptly stopping whatever her train of thought had been.
“Go on,” I say, still rubbing Luna who twitches in her sleep.
Bright shakes her head, and Livy’s eyes bounce between the two of us. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing,” Bright says, facing Kyle.
“Try again,” Livy says, a little firmer this time.
Brighton’s head snaps up and locks eyes with the woman in front of me. “You brought Layton back to us. Kyle could’ve brought lice into the house, and Pop would’ve fed him filet and given him his own room.”
“Layton did that himself,” Livy puts in quietly.
I say nothing. Neither does my sister. If I had to guess, I’d say neither of us knows whether Livy’s statement is the truth.
“Let’s just say Pop gives you a lot of credit. You could ask for his prize mare right now, and he’d probably hand her over.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do with a mare. And that’s sweet of him, but he’s wrong.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Why what?”
“Why is he wrong?”
“Because you’d have found a way back to yourself. You have the grit of someone who will always fight. I didn’t inspire you. I simply reminded you of who you are.”
I don’t know the truth in that statement either. And not because Livy is lying or is being deceptive. But because I’m well aware of how dark my shit got, and she isn’t.
Bright makes another snip before scratching around Kyle’s ear. “The ones that don’t slip out easily, we’ll add some ointment to. They should work their way out or you can play with them over the next day or so. Cover the wound again tonight before bed, just to dissuade him from giving them any help. Pool time isn’t a problem. It’s probably a help. Does he swim?”
“We didn’t have a pool, so I don’t know. He loved romping in the waves, but up to his knees, so I don’t know his floating skills.”
“Want to see?”
Livy bites her bottom lip and looks back to the pool. “It would be smart.”
Bright jumps up, shucks her shirt and shorts and leaves her flops where they are. She dives headfirst into the deep end, Luna rounds the stairs and sails in behind her, and Kyle jumps right behind the blond mutt. Kyle sails farther than we expected and goes under like a rock.
Livy screams, but I put a hand out to her. “Wait for it.”
He bobs up with Brighton under his rib cage, chatting to him in a higher-pitched voice than I’m used to hearing. He paddles a bit and sits on the step. Livy’s exhale is heavy and hard.
“Lay, there’s a tube of tennis balls in my Jeep. Are you willing to grab those?”
I get up and do as she asks, returning to the deck and popping the can open with that satisfied whooshing sound. Luna bounds out of the water, shaking and sending water flying and sits at my feet awaiting a toss.
