6
Did you know that raccoons hiss?
Yeah, I didn't either. I learned the hard way and I nearly peed my pants the first time I heard the sound. Which was when I got home in the wee hours of the morning after my first sex-a-thon with Ben Murphy. He'd offered to let me stay the night, but I insisted on going back to Cam's house.
I knew she'd have a million questions and possibly an accusing stare if she woke up in the morning and I wasn't there.
I tried to get another Uber, but apparently Farley was a sleepy town, which meant that at four in the morning, no one was available. I guess I was right that Marty was the only Uber driver in town. Ben had driven me home without so much as a grumble, which earned him some serious brownie points.
Before I climbed out of his truck, he'd given me his cell phone and asked me to call myself so he'd have my number. I'd done it and saved his digits under the name Fabio, which made him laugh.
"Why Fabio?" he asked.
I hopped out onto the sidewalk. "Because you could be on the cover of a romance novel."
He grinned at me, not the least bit insulted, as I shut the door. His truck stayed at the curb until I was safely inside Cam's house with the door locked behind me. I wandered into the kitchen after he pulled away and noticed that a bag of trash was sitting by the side door where I'd left it. Crap, I'd forgotten to take it out and I didn't want Cam to do it when she got out of bed in the morning.
She was nice enough to let me stay with her. She shouldn't have to clean up after me too.
With a tired sigh, I picked up the bag and carried it outside. As soon as I rounded the corner, I nearly screamed as I came face-to-face with a large shape squatting atop the trashcan. Especially when it stood on its hind legs and hissed at me.
I stumbled backward, tripping over my own feet, and landed on my ass in the grass. The creature jumped off the open trashcan and scurried toward the street. As it exited the shadows I realized it was the biggest fucking raccoon I'd ever seen. It was so fat that its belly practically dragged on the ground as it scampered off.
"Holy fucking shit," I panted as I pushed myself to my feet and dusted off the seat of my leggings. "Fucking mutant raccoon."
I grabbed the bag of trash and dropped it inside the can before I closed the lid. My heart was still pounding as I turned to go back into the house. I glanced behind me as I walked across the patio and inside. I wanted to make sure that the fat bastard hadn't doubled back to jump me when I least expected it.
When the door shut behind me, I twisted the lock and leaned over, putting my hands on my knees.
My heart rate finally calmed and I straightened, only to see a figure clad in white standing at the end of the hall.
"Fucking fuck me!" I yelped, backing up into the door.
"Sierra?" Cam asked, coming further into the living room to turn on the lamp behind the couch. "What's wrong?"
I slapped a hand to my chest. "Just having a heart attack. Nothing major."
She shook her head. "Sorry I scared you but I heard something outside."
"Probably a mutant raccoon," I muttered.
"Mutant raccoon?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "I don't understand."
"I took out the trash that I forgot earlier and there was a humongous raccoon sitting on the trashcan. It fucking hissed at me. I thought I was going to get bitten and end up needing a rabies shot."
Cam shook her head, laughing softly. "That was Gary."
"It has aname?"
She laughed louder. "Yeah. He's pretty tame. He usually comes right up on the back patio when I'm out there. You must have startled him."
"Are you crazy?" I asked. "He could have rabies!"
Cam rolled her eyes. "He's been coming around since he was a baby. His mother got run over by a car and he was starving. A couple of us left food for him until he was old enough to fend for himself and he's been lurking ever since."
"Well, he was definitely lurking tonight. Between him and you appearing at the end of the hallway like an apparition, I may need to see a cardiologist tomorrow."
"So dramatic," she commented right before she yawned. "What are you doing up at four-fifteen in the morning, anyway? Did you just get home?" she asked. "Did you have fun with Ben?"
