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“Hey, Poppy!” Wells calls me over as I walk back from letting Betty out for a break.
He’s standing next to a girl who looks a little familiar, like I’ve seen her before. Her hair is so black it almost looks blue or purple, like an oil spill. Legs for days and tattoos down her arms, she looks like the cool girl I always wanted to be in high school.
“Poppy, this is River,” Wells introduces us. “River, Poppy.”
“Hi!” I shake her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” She smiles, but she looks so nervous. Her blue eyes keep darting around like she’s looking for someone. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Wells here. He was telling me that you have one you’ve been working with a lot that’s been…struggling?”
“Betty, yeah. She was a scared little thing when I first started working with her. And we did have a little setback a few weeks ago. She got scared, she bit me, and…yeah. Anyway, we’ve bounced back, and she’s doing much better.”
“River’s been bugging me for the past year to find her a dog,” Wells says, and I realize now that River might actuallywantBetty.
“And he’s always saying that he won’t help me unless I come by. Well, here I am.” She nudges him with her shoulder. “I was wondering if I could meet her, maybe?”
Emotion clogs my throat. It’s hard to not view Betty as mine. But if Wells trusts River, and he must because he wouldn’t bring just anyone to meet Betty, then I can trust her, too. And Betty deserves someone who can give her all the love and the proper environment to grow in.
“Yeah!” I clear my voice, trying to swallow back the tears. “I would love for you to meet her. She’s still very shy of new people, so we would have to introduce you slowly. If you’re interested, I think it would be best for us to keep her here for a while and you come visit her daily and sit with her. I can kind of show you and tell you what I’ve done to gain her trust.”
“River works at the vet’s office in town—”
“And I bartend at night,” she interrupts. “I’m not, like, a veterinarian or anything. I’m just a technician.”
“That’s still important. You work with dogs every day, and you know how to love and handle the ones who need a little extra care.” Wells puts a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. I wonder if there’s something going on between the two of them, but he lets go quickly, and she keeps looking around.
Maybe she’s looking for another brother? I try to subtly look at the crowd to find who it is she’s seeking out, but the only other brother that’s here is Rhett, skulking in the corner. My grumpy cowboy is trying his hardest to avoid talking to anyone. He catches my gaze and winks in my direction. Always watching over me.
“That’s perfect.” I turn back to River with a smile. “She’s over at the house I’m staying in. I figured today might be too much for her with all the noise and such. I can take you over there now, and we can—”
“Poppy!”
My blood runs hot and cold at the same time. I know that voice. It’s a voice I thought I left behind when I moved here.
Wells and River both look at the person behind me, and I can see Rhett behind them, looking as well. His face is set in a scowl as he stares, and even though he has no clue who that person is, he does know that there is a man calling my name. And he does not like it.
“Poppy! Hey!” In one fell swoop, Ethan’s arms are around me and lifting my body off the ground.
“Oh, shit,” I hear Wells murmur.
“Happy birthday, princess!”
I’m too stunned to speak. I just stand there like a fish, my mouth opening and closing because I can’t find the fucking words. Why in the hell is he here?
“Uh, Poppy?” Wells asks, scooting in closer. River takes a step back. “You wanna introduce us to yourfriendhere?”
The emphasis on the word “friend” reminds me that Rhett is here. Oh, god. Rhett is watching.
“Hey, name’s Ethan,” he says, outstretching his hand to Wells. But Wells just looks at it until Ethan lets his hand drop back to his side. “I figured I’d come see Poppy for her birthday. See if she’s ready to head back to the city with me yet.” Ethan laughs and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his body. “I’m shocked she’s made it this long!”
I want to throw up. I want to scream. But I can’t fucking speak. My voice is just gone as I look up at him, then to Wade, and then to the corner where Rhett is standing. His whole body is vibrating with anger, kicking my brain back into a functioning state.
I pull away from Ethan’s grasp and lean in, whispering with as much venom as I can.
“Can we speak outside, please?”
Ethan looks genuinely confused, although why, I’m not sure. I was very, very confident that I ended this. I walked away; I told him I wasnotcoming back. And I told him that we were over. Done with.
Rhett storms out, the woodsy scent of him reaching me as he brushes past me.
