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“Thanks.” She’d been there for me when I needed to hear a friendly voice even though I didn’t deserve it.
There was a long pause.
“Goodbye, Teague.”
Before I could respond, there was a click. She was gone.
I hoped she got the rest she needed. That some of her worries would evaporate.
Just because you can’t see her, doesn’t mean you can’t be there.
My sister’s words came back to me in a flood.
Pepper needed more hands but would never ask for them. I could. I wanted to be there for her to support her, because that was where it felt right for me to be. By her side. With the dogs. Caring for them. Caring for Pepper. I wanted to be there with Pepper. Just . . . with her. Damn, I hated my father.
I grabbed my phone, not caring how late it was. After a few seconds scrolling, I found the number I was looking for and punched the call button.
“This better be good,” the gruff voice answered.
He sounded awake. And the good news was, it was difficult to tell when he was in a good mood or a bad one. His demeanor was mostly the same.
“I need a favor.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Pepper
“Hello? Anybody home?”
I nearly tripped down the stairs when Muffy got under my feet. Luckily, I gripped the railing before I took a nosedive face first to the bottom.
“I told you we should’ve called,” another voice said.
Was that—
“Hey. What are you two doing here?” It was seven thirty. I’d overslept. Sadie and Miss Adeline arguing downstairs had woken me up.
“We had a day off and thought we’d come hang out with you.” Vivian flashed a cheeky grin at me.
Her best friend, Muriella, elbowed her in the side.
I was pretty sure Vivian didn’t work. At least not a nine to five. She didn’t have to. But Muriella was a teacher’s aide a few days a week. Though I was fairly certain she didn’t need to work either.
“Thank goodness you’re not here about the fundraiser.” I pretended to wipe sweat off my brow.
“We will need to discuss that at some point soon since it’s five weeks away.” Vivian hooked her arm through Muriella’s. “We didn’t bother taking our coats off. I’ve been told I should take exercise.”
I rubbed my face. Clearly, I wasn’t awake yet because my head was already spinning.
“Take exercise?” I asked carefully, unsure I wanted the answer.
Vivian waved me off. “Just a figure of speech. M and I are ready to walk some dogs.” She tilted her head. “Unless we need to clean kennels.”
Muriella smiled softly. “What she’s trying to say is we’re here to do whatever you need. Just put us to work.”
I stared at them like they’d just beamed in from another planet. Yesterday, Miss Adeline and I had worked ourselves silly doing just the basic necessities. Now, like a miracle, help was here.
“Thank you.” I motioned in acome with megesture. “Umm . . . let’s see what’s going on in the chaos. Then we can figure out what needs to be done first.”
