Once he drives away, I head inside, happy to see that Silver’s back. I’m surprised that Rogue is curled up with her on the couch. Goblin lays on Silver’s other side, sound asleep. Silver smiles up at me. “Your crazy dog loves a bath.”
“She does. You wasted your time though. You have about ten minutes before she wants back out in the mud.”
“Nah, it’s too chilly. She’s already been right here for anhour.” Rogue looks up at me as Silver hugs her, then lays her head back down on her lap. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dog so calm.
“They get along?” I ask, nodding to her cat.
“So far so good.”
“What are you doing?” I ask Rogue, scratching behind her ear. “Making a liar out of me.” I look up at Silver. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No, but I’m just going to open a can of tomato soup. I’m not really hungry.”
“I’m going to make chili if you change your mind.”
She stays on the couch, watching TV while I chop and prepare the ingredients and get the chili going. Once it’s simmering, I return to the living room. Rogue puts one paw on my leg when I sit down next to them but stays close to her. “She likes you. She only lets Arlow pet her for about three seconds before running off.”
“She’s a gorgeous dog. Australian Shephard?”
“Mixed with something. What are you watching?”
“A serial killer documentary. But it’s over.” She hands over the remote. “You pick.”
While I’m looking through the options, she gestures to a picture on my fireplace mantel. “Is that your dad?”
“Grandpa,” I reply, shaking my head. The picture shows him holding a fish with his fishing rod in the other hand.
“Where are your parents now?”
“Mom died of cancer about eighteen years ago. Dad took off right after Lacey was born. He was a piece of shit.”
“I’m sorry. Mine was too. He left when Mom was pregnant. Did your grandpa teach you how to fish?”
“He did. We went to the lakes almost every weekend.” I stare at the picture, remembering those early mornings on the water, the peace I found there when I was too young to even appreciate it. “He had an old bamboo rod, and he used to tell me it’d be mine someday. He said it was the best because it always bent instead of breaking and that there was a lesson in that.”
Silver looks over at me. “Do you still have it?”
“No, Dad cleaned out his place right after he died. Sold everything for gambling money.” Why am I telling her this? “Like I said, piece of shit.”
She scoots closer to me without saying anything.
I’m not much of a TV watcher, but a preview of a new horror movie comes on the screen, showing a murderous Santa Claus, complete with superpowers. “Killer Santa?” I suggest. It looks absurd and darkly humorous. A good movie to turn your brain off and just enjoy.
“I’m in.”
I hit play, and we watch an unappreciated Santa take revenge on mankind. It’s as ridiculous as it looks and thoroughly entertaining.
“Poor Santa. If I had to listen to Christmas music all the time, I’d want to pull out some spines too,” Silver jokes. About halfway through, she leans her head on my shoulder. Goblin curls up against my thigh, purring like a motor. Rogue sleeps tucked between us, half on both our laps while Silver absently strokes her fur.
We spend the rest of the movie just like that. A feeling inches over me that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s almost like contentment.
Another text from the private number rattles my phone while I’m fixing some loose boards in the deck of one of the cabins. This time, there’s no message, only a link. Before I can even consider it, another text comes from Landon.
Landon
Don’t fucking click that! Give me a minute.
Me
