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Opal sighed and stood, then sashayed her ass over to my desk and parked it on the corner.
“Listen, honey. I get that you’re hurting. You did something dumb. You let that woman leave yesterday, and you’re lashing out because you think it’s going to make you feel better to make other people hurt. I’ve been there myself a time or two. But you know what? It doesn’t work. You’ll just wind up hating yourself more.”
My jaw clenched as I glared at her. I could almost feel steam billowing out of my nose.
“You love this girl. I know you do.” Opal pushed up off my desk and strolled back over to hers. She opened a drawer, pulled out her purse, and lifted it onto her shoulder. “So stop being a coward and figure out how to fix yourself before it’s too late to get her back.”
CHAPTER 36
My Only Friend is a Duck
Fox
“Yeah, I hear you…”
The damn duck looked just as sad and lonely as I felt. I could’ve sworn it just sighed. The last few nights, I’d taken to sitting on Josie’s back porch. The first evening, the thing scared the crap out of me. It had waltzed out from the dog house, snuck up behind me, and bitten my finger. After that, he was friendlier. He seemed to be waiting for my nightly appearances. I figured he wouldn’t be around now since it was midday, but he’d showed up about five minutes ago and joined me. Misery loves company, I suppose.
“What do you think she’s doing right now?”
No answer. Daisy—themaleduck with the girly name—stared at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was. After all, I did let the best thing that’s ever happened to me walk out the fucking door. No. I shook my head. I didn’t let her go, I’dpushedher out.
The duck rested his yellow beak on my thigh.
The sound of a truck pulling up interrupted my staring into space. From where I was sitting, I could see diagonally across to my driveway. Nothing was there except my pickup, so I figured it must’ve been across the street. At least until I heard the sound of footsteps brushing along the grass. I turned to find Porter walking toward me.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” he said.
“I live here. What the hell are you doing here?”
He lifted the key in his hand and gestured to Josie’s back door. “Came to pick something up.”
I squinted. “From here?”
Porter nodded. “Josie forgot something.”
“Why the fuck is she calling you?”
Porter smiled. “You have no idea how bad I want to say she left me the key and we keep in touch, just to piss you off. But I’ve seen you knock out guys twice my size with one punch. So I’m not risking it, no matter how tempting.”
I had zero patience for this shit. “What the fuck are you doing here, Porter?”
“Josie gave Opal a key for emergencies before she left. She called this morning and said she realized she left something behind that she needs and asked Opal if she would mind grabbing it and overnighting it to her. Opal’s cat swallowed a small pigeon, so she called me and asked me to grab it and get it to the post office so she can go to the vet.”
“What did Josie leave?”
Porter shrugged. “I don’t know. An envelope on the top shelf of the closet in the upstairs left bedroom.” He motioned to the cardboard six-pack holder next to me. Five were left. “Can I get one of those?”
I wasn’t much in the mood for company, but I’d been a giant dick to everyone the last few weeks, so I slipped a bottle from the holder and held it out to him.
“Thanks.”
I nodded. I’d hoped he’d take the thing to go, but no such luck. He sat down on the other side of Daisy and twisted off the cap.
“This your only friend?” He pointed his beer at the duck before bringing it to his lips.
“Yep. Doesn’t talk much. You should follow his lead.”
Porter stroked the animal’s head and looked out at the lake. A family of swans swam up. They slowed as they got in front of us and looked over. Daisy wasn’t liking that too much. He stood and jumped off the porch, flapping his wings and quacking as he ran toward the edge of the lake. Swans didn’t usually scare easily, but they got the memo from Daisy. Work done, he waddled back to the deck.
