No sitting around and crying. She’d gotten them into this mess, and she needed to get them out of it.
The rumble of a big truck and the sound of a bin being dumped served as reminders that it was trash day. She hurried down the stairs, Bubbles at her heels. Nothing was taking a break for her schedule. Kyle had horseback riding again, and Lucas had rec league soccer. And somebody had a dentist appointment soon. Something had to give. It might be Lucas’s teeth.
Valentina’s statement that “kids don’t really work with this lifestyle” rang true. She wanted some help, but could she really bring anyone else into this mess? “Go back to your microscope, Gerry. If I had a wife, I’d think kids were no big deal too,” Valentina had said. The woman was right.
Because she didn’t have a wife, Gabby started the dishwasher and then wheeled the bins to the curb before the truck got to her house.
Shelly waved at her from across the street and called, “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”
Gabby nodded. “It’s great.”
Gabby’s spirits sank as Shelly walked toward her. “You haven’t seen Tarragon, have you?”
Shelly’s fucking cat, the one that was in her closet. Was there no end to the madness? It’s not like she could tell her the truth—he was hit by a car and a vegan taxidermist stuffed him and sold him to Justin at the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market.
So many secrets.
At the crack of dawn without her makeup on, Shelly looked more human, more vulnerable.
“I’m so sorry, Shelly. I don’t know where Tarragon is, but I’ll keep an eye out for him.”
“I love my kids, you know, but Tarragon… he’s special. He doesn’t ask for anything besides food, and he always seems to know when I need him. He’s my little sweetheart.” Shelly teared up.
Gabby was about to see Tarragon in ten minutes. “Can I do anything?” slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
“Actually, if you could put up some posters. I really don’t have time today. I’m getting my hair done, and I have the bake sale.”
Gabby meant “no way in hell” but it came out as “Um, sure.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Gabs.”
Shelly ran inside her front door and hurried back with a stack of posters. “If you could put these up closer to the school, that would be good.”
The poster featured a picture of the cat and read, “Our beloved Tarragon, twenty-five pounds, friendly, missing from Avocado Ave. Please call.” Below the phone number, the poster announced, “$1,000 reward.”
Fucking A.
Gabby hustled back to her house with the posters under herarm. Inside, she set them right next to the dead cat, which summarized how today was going.
She texted Justin a picture of the situation.Shelly roped me into putting up posters. Hand over face emoji. Hand over face emoji. Hand over face emoji.
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING.
Maybe you can hang them up since you own Tarragon now.
I gave him to you.
OMG. Will you watch the kids while I take the dog for a walk?
Normally, she would leave them alone for fifteen minutes, but after last night, that seemed inadvisable.
Ten minutes later, Justin was making coffee in her kitchen and bossing her kids around. “Lucas, where is that shirt I bought you? I want to see you wearing it.” He shook his head in general disapproval of Gabby. “What is the matter with you? One day of work, and you look like you’ve been run over by a truck.”
“This office is just hell.”
Bubbles picked up his leash and dropped it at Gabby’s feet again, demanding his walk.
Justin took a deeper look at her. “Is this job really stressing you out that much?” He placed his hand on hers in concern. “Why?”
