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Jake’s smile widened. “He did indeed. For a guy who doesn’t miss a beat, he can be pretty inattentive at times.”
“I’d say. How long did it take him to figure out he didn’t have Bitsy?”
“He had the wrong dog in his apartment for two full days and never even noticed. And just in case you’re thinkingOh, all Pomeranians look alike, so that can be easy to do, don’t. Because the dog he brought home from the groomer was aYorkshire terrier.”
I laughed. “You’re kidding me?”
“Nope. He had no clue that the dog our grandmother had owned for the last year wasn’t the one he’d dognapped. I was only a teenager at the time, so I was still living with her. But he stopped by a few times a month.”
“What about the Yorkie owner? Didn’t they notice?”
“The other dog happened to have the same name and was there for boarding for the weekend, so the owners didn’t notice until they arrived to pick up their dog. They tried to reach Louise after they figured out what must’ve happened, but she was on her way back home, and she doesn’t answer while she’s driving. So the other owner called the cops. Gram and Beck had to go down to the police station, because the Yorkie owner wanted to press charges for dognapping. It was the funniest shit I ever watched go down.”
I couldn’t stop laughing as I imagined Beck petting and feeding a dog all weekend without noticing it looked nothing like the one he was supposed to be watching. Jake cracked up right along with me. Which of course, made it the perfect time for Beck to walk in.
“Oh shit.” Beck stopped short a few steps over the threshold. He shook his head. “This can’t be good.”
Jake pointed to Beck’s fingers, and there were Band-Aids on three of them. That only made us laugh harder. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “What’s up, dognapper?”
Beck looked up at the sky, shaking his head. “You’re such a dick, Jake.”
“You’re lucky you got here so soon. I was about to tell her about the bananas last week.”
“What happened with bananas?” I asked.
“He gets his groceries delivered. Maddie likes bananas, so he ordered ten, but he didn’t read that they were sold in bunches. He got seventy bananas. He brought them to work, and I ate six in one day.” Jake rubbed his belly. “I don’t advise it.”
Beck put his hands on his hips. “It’s only four thirty. Shouldn’t you stillbeat work?”
“Nah.” He grinned. “I only work six hours a day. Too much work causes stress, which causes wrinkles. I’m too pretty to shrivel this young.”
Beck shook his head.
The nurse wheeled Louise in. Her eyes lit up when she saw all of us waiting for her. “Three of you at once? Is today the day I’m going to kick the bucket and no one told me?”
“That’s not even funny, Gram,” Beck said.
She waved him off. “Oh…lighten up, tight ass.”
Both Beck and Jake kissed their grandmother, and Beck watched over the nurse as she helped Louise into bed. The man was protective, to say the least.
Louise settled herself in and looked at me. “So you finally met my Jake?”
“I did. He kept me amused while I was waiting for you to get back.”
Her eyes sparkled. “He’s single, you know.”
As soon as she said it, her eyes shifted to Beck. It was clear she was looking to get a rise out of him. Beck kept quiet, not taking the bait, though the clench of his jaw spoke volumes.
“So, my little Jakey.” Louise reached out to her grandson. “You know you were always my favorite grandchild, right?”
“Of course.” He grinned and lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss. “And you’re my favorite girl.”
“Good,” Louise said. “How about you bust me out of here about nine tonight? There’s a man with a boa I need to go see.”
“You’re not going to Harry Styles,” Beck muttered. “I already sold the tickets.”
Louise stuck her tongue out. “I know you only offered to help Nora sell them because you were afraid she’d change her mind and take me.”
