“Got it.” I turned and stumped down the steps, calling for Lorde.
The dog bounded after me, her mouth open in a happy smile, her black tongue lolling.
I lowered my hand, and she walked under my fingers, making sure she lifted her head so I could scratch behind her ears. Then she was ahead of me, stopping occasionally to make sure I was still heading in the same direction.
I clicked my tongue for her, and we rounded one of the jags in the building where a room extended past the other on one side, creating a little courtyard hemmed in on three sides.
The hose with an adjustable sprinkler head was attached to one wall. The exposed copper pipes had gone green.
A big cast iron soaking tub that Ricky had scavenged from a late-1800s health spa was set in the ground so that only a short lip of it rose above the bricked patio that surrounded it.
I glanced in the tub. Clean except for a few dried leaves at the bottom.
Big enough to wash pets, shifters, and other such monsters who wandered through here, looking for knowledge, help, and rest.
And plenty big enough for our furry girl.
“Come on, Lorde. Get in the tub, girly.”
She sniffed the edge, then to my surprise, jumped in and snuffled around at the leaves in the bottom. I grabbed the jar of soap out of the little built-in closet. As soon as I unscrewed the lid, eucalyptus and juniper filled my nostrils.
I chose the long leashes, leaving behind the stronger restraints and chains—some that gleamed pure silver, some dark as obsidian, some pale rope knotted with pearls and diamonds.
“Just so you don’t jump out of here covered in suds, and run out into one of the streets.” I attached the leashes to her collar, then to the eye hooks on the walls. I adjusted the spigots, pulling both hot and cold water from the hose.
She wagged her tail slowly, a little uncertain about the hose, but she liked baths well enough, I wasn’t worried.
However, I was gonna get soaked if I bent over the tub to reach her. So I shrugged off my shirt, rolled up my pant legs, then stepped into the roomy tub with her.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, as I knelt and held her collar. “Let’s get you un-stunk.” I played the water over her fur, then scrubbed my fingers deeper to get through her wooly undercoat to her skin.
Next was soap, and working up a good, thick lather.
I let my mind wander, lost myself to the textures and smells of the warm water against cool cast iron, the splashes of it hitting sun-heated bricks. I lost myself to the fresh herbal scents overtaking the foul stench of whatever Lorde’d rolled in.
I gave my breathing some attention, filling my lungs until they stretched, exhaling slowly. Then I closed my eyes to savor the sun on my bare back, droplets cooled by the licking breeze sliding down to my waistband.
The breeze brought Lu’s laughter. Such a rare thing to hear over all these years, it shot through me like an arrow.
She was laughing with Ricky. Happy here. Happy with her. Happy without me.
I gave myself a moment or two to feel that emotion, to be sad and angry and jealous. To be devoured by my pettiness and insecurity.
Lorde licked my knuckles. I opened my eyes and chuckled.
“You look ridiculous. Get you wet and you’re a scrawny thing, aren’t you? All right. Let’s rinse you off.”
Rinsing led to shaking, which led to more rinsing, and by the time that was done, I was wetter than she was. I turned the water off and unhooked the leashes. Lorde ran like she’d just escaped certain torture, zooming back and forth across the grassy patch of yard.
I shrugged back into my shirt, put everything away, and strolled to the porch and up the stairs.
Lorde clattered up the stairs on my heels and trotted into the house, pleased with herself.
I followed a little more slowly, crossing the threshold into a wide entryway with faded wallpaper that may have once had a pattern of flowers, or maybe a map of the world, all of it trimmed with dark wood at the edges of coved ceilings.
I dragged my finger along the hallway wall, the scent of the place—a hint of cedar shakes, the waxy honey of polish, and then, a few steps farther in, the full, bold, comforting fragrance of melted butter, sugar, and the deep richness of chocolate and cherries.
Lu chuckled, a soft sound, and then the rise and fall of conversation, two voices, carried me the rest of the way through the narrows of the house. I passed rooms filled with books, shelves stacked with oddities. It was as if someone had wanted to open a museum, but had instead tossed their finds into the bedrooms, dens, and pantries.
