“Please tell me how Dune is the greatest book ever written.” I lace my fingers in prayer position and blink rapidly at him.
“First of all, Dune is the greatest book ever written—it’s got layers. And I’ve read the entire Knights of the Night series, even the side novellas.”
“The Knights of the Night is a gateway drug into the books I read.” Oh no. Mouth, what are you doing? He’s going to ask the obvious follow-up question.
“What do you read?”
Fuck.
Don’t say it, don’t say it… “Demon smut.” Oh, for fuck’s sake.
He smirks through his confusion. “You believe demons are real, and you read porn about them?”
“Smut and… um… reality—the two are separate in my mind. I can be… cautiously respectful of real-world entities but still want to read about a troubled, horned bad guy who needs to be saved by a sweet girl who doesn’t see him as a monster, and to reward her, he fucks her with his dick and a tail at the same time.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Wooooow. Ok.”
“You own a sex club; you can’t be judgy.”
“That you’re a member of… so I shouldn’t be surprised.”
I shrug. “It’s not like I want to be railed by a demon or a motorcycle club. Fiction and reality are two different things. Besides, if I’ve learned anything from crafts, it’s that everything looks easier than it is.”
“Good to know. I’ll file that away under ‘Information Jenny didn’t mean to tell me.’”
We turn the corner, and our destination is on the right. “What the hell is a puppy spa?” he says, equal parts curious and horrified.
I open the door and the smell of wet dog, rubber, and rawhide hits me. Pet stores have such a distinct smell. It triggers a million memories at once. The girl behind the counter recognizes me, but I can’t remember her name. I know the name of every dog and cat I’ve met, but people? I always draw a blank. She’s younger than me, long brown hair in a high ponytail, Kim K style, without as much makeup.
She leans over the counter. “What a cute boy.”
“Thanks, we need to use the baths,” I tell her.
She nods. “Do you need me to explain how to work the tubs and such?”
“Nope, I’ve got it.” I start to walk Kingston to the back of the shop, and his head is lowered, his ears flat triangles pointed to the sides like Yoda. He knows what’s coming.
“Buddy, your ass unleashed death. Come on.” I pull him a little toward the bathtubs in the back of the store. He’s gonna hate this as much as he hates the vet, but hopefully we can keep the damage to a minimum.
A young man in an apron, his sleeves rolled up revealing a series of tattoos, takes one look at the two of us and steps over. “Anal glands?”
“Yep.”
“I’m assuming you only need the back half of his body washed?”
“Yep.”
He claps his hands. “I’ll do it. He’s much cuter than the mastiff I had to handle this morning. Just tell the girl at the register.” He takes Kingston from me, and I feel not a shred of guilt about passing him off to someone else. His ass did a bad thing, and I’m not spending the rest of the day smelling like that.
Joey is an aisle away, looking at dog collars with a sneer. I don’t know what’s got him all bothered. But then a whiff of rose hits my nose from the shampoo another dog is using.
Nonna.
The grief sucker punches me. I’ll never see her again. Sure, I said goodbye. But I never meant it to be a forever goodbye. The feelings bubble and boil over, like pasta water Nonna will never cook again.
Get yourself together Jenny.
But I can’t. She’s closer to me than my own family. In the past two days, I’ve received more love from her family than I have in my whole life. I’m somehow never enough or always too much, so I hide everything, and mask myself to be more appealing. But with Nonna, I could be myself. I found the real me. And I liked her. But with Nonna gone, who will I be? How much will I lose? How long will Nonna’s family put up with me once my novelty has overstayed its welcome.
