Trying to swallow past the tightness in her throat, she rolled to her feet, blew out her incense sticks, and strode to the kitchen. It would be a long day at Kinnections, and then she needed to go pick up her new dogs. Ever since opening up more to her friends and her grandfather, she felt better able to cope. Oh, it hurt so bad, sometimes she just lay there clutching her chest. Then it eased, and she reminded herself of all she had to give. She had a full life, and she would have the love she dreamed of. This time, it would be with someone who’d give it all back to her.
The sharp knock on the door interrupted her mental cheerleading. She peeked through the curtain and opened the door. “Hi, Mrs. Blackfire. Everything okay?”
“Yes. Do you have a minute to talk?”
Arilyn frowned. “Sure. I’ll make you some tea; I have to leave for work soon.”
The walker clicked over the floors and her neighbor settled in her favorite chair by the pine table. “None of that crazy stuff, please. Good old Lipton. Why does it smell like drugs in here?”
Arilyn grinned. “It’s incense. Helps to connect the body-mind center through the sense of smell.”
“Smells like marijuana to me. Where are the dogs?”
“They don’t come till later. Poppy’s coming for dinner tomorrow.”
“Good, I’ll bring dessert this time. I’m baking some Irish soda bread. Your grandfather has an affinity for it, though he eats too much.”
“Sounds perfect.” She handed her the cup of hot tea and sat down. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Officer Stone Petty. You love him, right?”
She almost dropped the cup. “Umm. Umm. Well, ummm—”
“Yes or no will do, missy.”
“Yes. But it won’t work. He got spooked and took off. It’s over.”
“Bah,” Mrs. Blackfire spit out. “He’ll be back. They always come back. Usually drunk.”
This time the cup clattered to the table, spilling tea. “Oh my God, how did you know that?”
“Because I was young once. Before I lost my husband in the war, we played a bit of a chess game ourselves. He didn’t want to settle so young. I wanted to get married. We broke up once. He had too many whiskeys and ended up at my front door, begging my forgiveness.”
“What did you do?” she asked, fascinated.
“Made him suffer a bit and then took him back. Sometimes you need to be the better one. We have no choice.”
Arilyn’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. He gave up Pinky. I don’t know if I trust him not to spook again. I just don’t think I can do it.”
“If you love him, you have to make a decision to give him a second chance. If you think he’s the one, you have to take a leap. But first, torture him. It’s only fair.” She finished her tea in a few unladylike gulps and stood. “I better let you go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She grabbed her walker and headed out.
“Mrs. Blackfire?”
“Yes?”
Arilyn smiled. “Thank you.”
Her neighbor scowled. “Just make sure you keep that tree trimmed. It’s already leaning way too much to the right.”
The door slammed behind her.
twenty-one
I’M HERE TO pick up Pinky.”
Anthony stared at him. Blinked. Stone had come in full uniform, because he wasn’t fucking around anymore. He laid a sweaty palm over his gun holster and held his gaze with a steely determination.
“Pinky? Didn’t Arilyn tell you? We’re sending her to Jim, who’s our new behaviorist. He’ll be working with her from his home, and then a permanent home will be found for her.”
Stone lay both palms flat on the desk and leaned in. “I don’t think you understand, Anthony. Pinky already has a home. With me. I want her back.”
Was that a small smile on the man’s face or a flash of light? The director turned away so quickly he wasn’t sure. He perused a shelf, pulled out a manila folder, and glanced through his notes. “I know you got attached to her, Officer Petty. But she needs a proper home. Arilyn explained you gave her up because you couldn’t handle the responsibility of a dog, so we won’t be able to give her back to you. Happens too many times. The owner decides it’s too hard to take care of a dog, gives them up, misses them for a while, and wants them back. A few weeks go by and we find ourselves with the dog back in our shelter and a heartbroken animal we need to rehabilitate.”
“I understand,” he said calmly. “I do. I was an asshole, and I was confused. About a lot of things. But I’m ready to commit to being Pinky’s owner on a full-time basis. I’ll sign whatever you want. Give you money.”