“Right, of course,” Corey said with a grin. “I was worried you’d gone bi while I wasn’t looking.”
“Nope,” Hank said, “but there’s nothing wrong with that. Fox will kick your ass if you say there is.”
“Fox?” I asked.
“Our cousin.” Hank picked up a plate of food and carried it to the table, then drew out a chair. “Come sit, Jamie. Corey’s headed back to his gamer den.”
His tone was pointed, and Corey snorted. “I feel so loved, man.”
“The food looks great, Corey,” I said. “Hank said you made it?”
Corey blushed. “Uh, yeah. It’s no big deal. I had to make it like five times at work, so I learned therecipe.”
I smiled tentatively. “I know how that is. Well, thanks for letting me crash your dinner.”
“No problem.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m going back to my gamer den, anyway.”
Hank sat down across from me with another loaded plate.
I cut a bite of barbecued chicken breast and hummed at the flavor. “He did a good job with the basting. It’s not too dry, and the sauce didn’t get cooked out of it.”
“High praise from a skilled chef like you.”
“Oh, I’m not a chef.”
“You cater fancy dinners,” Hank said, nudging my foot again playfully. “I’d say that qualifies.”
“I’m an assistant at best.”
“Stop being so modest,” he said. “Own your talent. Brag about it. If you don’t, who else will?”
“You, apparently.”
He laughed. “Fair enough.”
“So, are you the best groomer in the land?” I teased. “Let’s hear you brag.”
“I really am,” he said, yet he sounded so confident and matter-of-fact, it didn’t come across as boasting. “I love BowWow. Sammi lets me do as much grooming as I want, but she’s also willing to cover a couple of the pain-in-the-ass gigs that I hate.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, well, sometimes it’s a picky client who will just complain no matter you do. Sammi is great about sucking it up and doing those jobs, so they can’t blame me. As the owner, she has the freedom to tell them to try another salon if they’re not happy. And Westies.”
“Westies?” I asked with a chuckle. “But they’re so cute.”
“And they have so much hair,” he said with a groan. “They’re adorable, but a real challenge to get the styling justright. Usually, I handle the large breeds, because I’m stronger. Sammi tackles the little finicky dogs. It works for us.”
I nodded. “What about poodles? They’re big and kind of a pain, aren’t they?”
He grinned. “Yeah. We kind of split the difference there. I’ve mostly gotten it down with our current clients, though.”
“I didn’t even consider the idea that people might be picky about how you do the groom.”
“Oh, hell yeah. It’s just like being a hairstylist,” he said. “We have to take people’s vision of what they want and make it a reality, and some people have really ridiculous ideas of how their dogs should look. And don’t get me started on the dogs that haven’t gotten good care and come in all matted up. Sometimes all you can do is shave the poor thing. That never goes over well.”
I winced, casting a glance at Lady and Tramp, sitting by the chair, gobbling up the bites that I opted to share. I’d never felt so glad I had a couple of short-haired dogs. They might be hyper at times, but their coats were pretty low-maintenance.
Before I knew it, my plate was clean. I helped Hank clear the table and rinse the plates before loading the dishwasher.
