I turn and try to smile ... I don’t have it.
“Oh. Our buddy’s salty today,” he says to his brother, who responds, “Brine it up.”
“There truly isn’t enough sarcasm in the world to bring me even the slightest bit of joy in this moment.”
Devin puts his arm over my shoulder. “We have some good news that might cheer you up ...”
I look up at their faces, lit up with the kind of golden retriever enthusiasm I’ve come to find endearing. I’m still frowning, though.
“Okay . . . out with it.”
Derek looks at Devin, who nods before Derek says, “We found your fish.”
My eyes spring open as my lips part. Yep, that turned me right around.
“No way. Where was she? Who took her? Did you bring her?”
I look around, not seeing her bowl until I notice they’re looking at each other in that silent-communication way that always ends with me being annoyed.
The pit in my stomach hollows me out, dousing my happiness so I narrow my eyes.
“Why are you looking at each other like that? Explainfound...”
Derek shrugs. “Well, not found-found ...”
Devin jumps in. “We sweet-talked the lot security guy, and he let us see the surveillance. Some extra took her—”
Derek cuts back in. “But we figured we could track them down, because the other day, when you told us the story about how you got her, we felt so, so—”
I cut him off, feeling like this might be the straw that makes me break his back.
“So you thought you’d Scooby Doo it? You’re gonna unmask evil Count Von Peterson, who’s been hiding among us in his prostheticmask, and save my fish?” I snark as Devin starts to nod, but Derek slaps his shoulder.
I snap my fingers and stare them down. “I barely have the patience to live today, and you two might push me over the edge. Speak only when spoken to. Got it.”
They nod as I drop my bag to the ground and look around for what I came to do.
“Okay,” I breathe out, returning my attention to the Double D’s. “Go find someone to turn on the fog machines. Let’s see what’s happening.”
My puppies take off out of the graveyard just as my name is called by the guy from the FX team who works primarily on mechanical aspects, aka these stupid machines. So I point the boys in the right direction and wait.
But I still feel antsy and so on edge. Because it’s not just the almost kiss with Chase. It’s this set, the dark, and being out here without ... Absolutely not.
If I complete that thought, I’ll need to check directly into a facility that deals with psychosis.
Joe waves at me again, standing with the Double D’s, letting me know he’s ready.
“Let it rip,” I call out, hearing the hiss of the machines as they kick on. It sounds a lot like a big cat hissing as the liquid spits and flows through the hoses.
I wait to see how big the problem is, but I don’t have to wait long because in two seconds flat, it looks like an LA sky.
“Holy shit,” I blurt out. “You made smog, not haze.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Joe calls over to me. “And it doesn’t lessen with fewer machines. It’s all coming out this thick.”
I close my eyes for a moment because I have to remind myself that I am the boss for a reason, but stupid never gets easier. Especially when I’m in the trenches with this Chase hangover.
“Have you tried watering it down?” I say as nonchalantly as possible, hoping my face isn’t giving away how truly stupid Joe is.
