“Are you ready for breakfast?”
She jumps up—a flash of blonde hair flying off the bed and running for the kitchen.
I guess it’s time to get up.
I pull the covers off and follow the cute pup. As I fill up her bowl, she does a little dance. Her nails lightly tap on the tile, and I make a mental note to trim them later.
I open my mouth to ask her if she wants to spend the day with Grandma, but I snap it closed before any sound escapes. I know this dog, and the moment I mention the G word, she’s going to get too excited to do anything else. She’ll give up on breakfast and won’t give me a moment of peace until we leave. I’ll wait until we are about to walk out the door to open that can of worms.
The next half hour is spent switching out my glasses for contacts, showering, and packing a lunch. When I finish getting ready, I ask Mia if she wants to go to Grandma’s, and sure as shit, she turns into the equivalent of a human who just won the lottery.
As I’m opening the door to let her into the truck. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pull it out to see a text from Christie.
Christie: We still on for tonight?
Me: Yeah. I’ll be over around seven.
She replies with a winking emoji. You’d think the knowledge of knowing I’ll get laid tonight would excite me, but I’m not exactly jumping for joy.
Sure, the sex is good—great even—but she and I both decided from the start that sex is all it would be.
I don’t consider myself a playboy or anything of the sort. It’s not like I have this agreement with multiple women around town, but Christie and I aren’t going to go any further. We both know that. I’m not in the business of making women think there’s something there when there’s not.
Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I climb into the driver’s seat and back out of the driveway. I roll down the window so that Mia can hang her head out.
Slowly, I make my way through the streets of Lilly Leaf Falls. As much as I hated this place when I got here, I’ve grown to love it.
It has that nice small town charm you can’t help but fall in love with. The kids were dicks back in the day, but now, everyone is so nice. It’s the kind of place where people still hold the door open for each other and wave as you drive by. Maybe it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I now consider it home.
I take my time on the short drive to my mom’s, so Mia can enjoy herself a bit longer. Her nose is going crazy, trying to sniff everything she can. I’m so glad I adopted her a few years ago. People say she’s just a dog, but she helps me not feel quite so lonely.
Man, that sounds sad even in my head.
Oh well. If the shoe fits.
Soon enough, I pull into my mom’s driveway. Mia doesn’t wait for me to open the door on her side. Instead, she hurdles over the center console and bolts out right after me.
I hurry to get to the porch, worried she’s going to bust through Mom’s screen door. Thankfully, my mother gets there before I do and swings it open before any damage can be done.
“Hi, Mia girl!” She cries as the dogs squeals in excitement. They get out their greetings before Mom says, “Come on. Let’s go in the kitchen and get a bone.”
“Do you have a bone for me?” I joke.
“Better.” She smiles. “A cup of coffee.”
“Sold.”
I follow her into the kitchen and take a seat at the small corner table. She pours two cups of coffee and walks over to set a steaming mug in front of me.
“Thanks for bringing Mia over today,” she says. “She always makes my day a little brighter.”
Over the past five years, my mom has lost her husband and her other son. She’s had a hell of a rough road, so I’ll do whatever I can to brighten her day.
“You’re welcome,” I say. “I’ll do anything to get you off of the when are you giving me grandkids train.”
She laughs. “Yeah. Good luck with that. So, what time do you have to be at the auto shop?”
I glance at my watch. “I’ve got some time.”
