Athena noses the door closed, and then swats at it until it clicks. She sits where she is, her lips pulling back and tongue lolling out of her mouth as if she’s so proud of herself. Honestly, she should be. I’m sure not a lot of dogs can say they ride in limos. To that point, I’m proud of myself, too. And Raeann.
I hook my arm through hers and lean against her. The truth is, my whole life changed when I met this girl. “We’ve done alright for ourselves.”
“Better than alright,” she muses. “Remember when we got our first order and we both cried?”
Her shoulders shake against mine as I chuckle along with her. “It’s a wonder how we even made that first sale.”
“I still sometimes get teary-eyed when our daily orders start printing.”
“I miss that,” I tell her, sighing. “That feeling of accomplishment because you know it’s a direct result of something you did. We used to try and guess where the orders were coming from. A social media post. Our ads.”
“God, I don’t think they ever came from our ads.”
“Me either.”
Raeann squeezes my arm. “I miss you being there, too. I think you should come back for good, but you have to promise me that you’ll know your limits.”
“I know my limits.”
The car starts to slow. Athena stands and shakes, and Raeann calls her over so she can straighten out her outfit again and grabs onto the leash. I’m convinced Athena doesn’t actually need a leash. It’s more for Raeann’s peace of mind.
The limo comes to a complete stop. Soon after, our door opens, and a hand comes into view. I grab it, and am met with a smiling Joey. “Hey!”
He gives me an awkward hug, but I get it. Everyone wants to make sure they’re not going to hurt me. “How are you feeling?” he asks.
“Feeling…good,” I tell him with a smile. It’s actually been a while since I could say that and actually mean it.
Next, Raeann and Athena appear, and Joey quickly holds his hand out to her. Micah would probably fire him if he didn’t.
“Mrs. Freeman,” he says.
“Oh, good lord,” I announce, laughing. “Not you, too.”
Raeann quickly butts in. “What are you doing here?”
“Levi hired me for the night to make sure the both of you were well taken care of. I have to admit, it’s a refreshing change.”
“Oh, God, you can’t leave Micah. Please don’t,” she begs.
He shrugs all non-committal like, but that’s Joey.
“But if you do,” I add. “You know you’re coming to Pet Threads first.”
He winks at me. “This way, my dears.”
We follow him through hallways and in and out of elevators until finally, he brings us through a door. If it’s not the same suite we were in before, they all must be alike. The upper section is filled with tables that now host appetizers on bar tops and barseating. Beyond that, there are steps down into the viewing area with plush seats.
Raeann lets Athena roam. There’s even a Pet Threads dog bed in the corner, and I spy another rope coming off a handle right next to it that is no doubt more treats for her if she wants them. Man, this dog has it made.
The crowd noise pulls me closer to the seating area, and my stomach tightens. I understand social anxiety because of Raeann, but experiencing it is a different thing. A cold, creepy crawly feeling slithers up my spine. It’s as if all of these people could look around at any time and see my scars right through my shirt. It doesn’t matter that it’s a completely ridiculous notion, it still sits there, heavy on my heart.
“Aww, Tab, come look.”
Turning, I drift back over to the tables and when Raeann shifts out of the way, a humongous flower arrangement appears. “That’s pretty!” I bump my hip into hers. “That Micah is always outdoing himself.”
She shakes her head. “It’s for you. Look.”
I follow her finger pointing to the card. It reads,The Wildcats welcome Miss Tabitha Riley to the stadium. Best wishes.“Well, that’s so nice.”
