“Don’t tell anyone. If Harrison were to find out, it would ruin everything.”
“We won’t breathe a word of it to him.”
“We?”
Oh, right. Kenzie had forgotten that secrecy was a relative thing on the Team. By tonight, everyone but Harrison would know.
Chapter 4
Conrad tooka shower and shaved while Gabby napped in her crate. He rinsed off the shaving cream and met his gaze in the mirror.
What the hell have you gotten yourself into?
If it had been anyone but Kenzie, he would have refused, but he was a sucker for her big, blue eyes, for that smile. Okay, he was a sucker for dogs, too, but could he truly handle a puppy? Since he’d gotten back to Scarlet, he’d barely been able to handle himself.
I guess it’s time to get your shit together.
Hadn’t he been trying?
Apparently, not hard enough.
He walked back to the bedroom to get dressed. He had only the clothes he’d brought home from the monastery. He hadn’t washed any of it yet. He grabbed the same pair of jeans he’d been wearing for two weeks off the floor, pulled them on, then gathered everything up, and started a load of laundry. Thank God Mrs. Beech had at least bought a modern washer and dryer.
Once he’d gotten the washing machine going, he went out to the kitchen and was embarrassed at what he saw. Kenzie had seen this, too. The sink was filled with two weeks’ worth of dishes. The trash was overflowing—and it stank. The floor hadn’t been swept since he’d moved in.
If you don’t want her to think you live like a slob, then don’t live like a slob.
There was no dishwasher, so he washed the dishes by hand and then swept the floor and carried the trash out to the bin.
When he came back in, he heard Gabby crying in her crate.
The sound went straight to his heart.
He went into his bedroom, where Kenzie had told him to keep the crate, and opened the little door. “Hey, little girl.”
Gabby bounded out, her entire body wagging.
Remembering what Kenzie had told him, Conrad picked the puppy up, grabbed a few treats, and put her down just outside the back door so that she could do her business.
Gabby sniffed her way around the overgrown lawn, barking at dandelion fluff when her curiosity sent the little seeds dancing in the wind.
Conrad couldn’t help but laugh. What must it be like to be new in the world, to be fascinated by everything?
Gabby made her way to the edge of the yard, where, finally, she peed. She finished and then bounded over to him, taking the treat he offered, her tail wagging.
Conrad praised her. “Good girl!”
Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.
He sat in an old lawn chair, giving Gabby some time to explore, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his day.
He needed to get to The Cave, load his shit into his 4Runner, bring it here, and unpack it, or he’d be wearing these jeans forever. But the thought of going to The Cave put a knot in his chest.
It had once been his home away from home, part of the trinity of his social life—The Cave, Knockers, the rock gym. Now even his home didn’t feel like home. It’s not that he didn’t want to see his friends. He had enjoyed catching up with Moretti and his kids more than he could have imagined. But his fellow Team members might ask questions he didn’t want to answer and offer him compassion he couldn’t accept.
You’re weak, pathetic.
Disgusted, he willed himself to his feet and called Gabby over, giving the puppy another treat when she came. He carried her indoors and set her down, then walked into the bedroom to put on a shirt.
