“You know me, Lula.” The breeze had strung a strand of auburn hair across her face. I slipped it back behind her ear. Her hand instantly came up to better secure her hair and to weave her fingers between mine.
“I trust you,” I said. “If I think something needs more discussion, I’ll say so.”
She nodded, and I thought she secretly looked happy that Abbi would be with us for a while.
“What about Val?” Danube asked. He was still standing there, hands in his pockets, staring in Val’s general direction. “Is he still here?”
“Tell him I’m still here,” Val said.
“He’s here,” I dutifully supplied.
Danube’s gaze found Val, even if he couldn’t see him. “Is he going with you too? With Abbi? I wouldn’t blame him,” he said. “Tell him I wouldn’t blame him.”
“He can hear you,” I said, while Val simultaneously said, “I still have ears, dumbass.”
“Right,” Danube said. “Well, are you? Going?”
Val scowled, and his hand dropped to his wolf, who leaned against his leg. “I don’t think so.” He looked up past Danube, over to Ricky, who was chatting with Elmer and Summer. Ricky must have cracked a heck of a joke at Elmer’s expense because the old guy was bright red, and the other two were laughing their heads off.
“I think I’m going to stay.”
The pang of loss, of sadness surprised me.
“He’s staying,” I said in half a voice. “Are you sure, Val?” I asked. “You know you can come with us.”
The smile that spread on his face was pure delight. “Really, Brogan? Me? Are we buddies now?”
“No,” I said. “I take it back. You should stay.”
“You like me. Lu was right all along. You are dying to be my friend.”
“I would rather chew old boots.”
“You love me. You can’t stand the idea of leaving me behind. We’re friends, remember?Family.If I’ll have you.”
“You can keep him,” I said to Danube. “Forever.”
Danube’s smile was small, but he nodded. “I want him to stay. If he wants. Somewhere around here, anyway.”
“Right here,” Ricky said, as she walked up. “He’s already told me he’ll haunt up my place for a bit.
“I’ve packed some food and a few extras, Lu, Brogan. Blankets, some clothing that should fit Abbi. Second hand, but good. Elmer picked those out.”
We all looked over at Elmer with varying degrees of curiosity. He turned red again and dismissed us with a slash of his hand then stomped away to where Josie was chatting up a few of the Kearneys.
“And you can keep those boots, Brogan,” Ricky said.
“That’s good, because I wasn’t gonna give them back.”
Lu accepted the tote and pushed it into place in the truck bed. “He means thank you,” she said.
Ricky snapped her fingers. “Before I forget. I noticed you’ve got a couple old postcards on the dash of your truck.”
“Yeah?” I asked.
Lu narrowed her eyes.
“I’d like to buy one off of you.”
