Slow Burn - a Novel: The Elite (17 page)

Stupid.

Time was flying too fast to stew in my irritation over the situation at hand, so I put Lady in the claw-foot tub in my bathroom while I got ready to prevent any further destruction, and then scooped her back up when I was ready to head out the door.

There was just one problem…I had no idea where to take her.

“I can’t take you to work. You’re a walking health code violation,” I murmured to the puppy on my way to the front door.

The solution hit me as I went outside and I grinned ruefully.

I took the puppy to the car and after putting her in her travel case, started off up the bluff to the Rosen Air Museum. After all, Nick said he’d take the puppy if Alesha couldn’t have her anymore.

I knew the museum wasn’t open yet, so after parking in the lot, I went over to Aaron’s house that shared the property. With a cringe, I knocked on the door, knowing that he and Gemma were likely asleep. To my surprise, Gemma answered the door, fully dressed and made up. “Carly?” Her eyes raked over me and then locked onto the ball of fur under my arm. “Oh my God! Who’s this?”

She reached for Lady and I handed the wiggling puppy over to her. “This little girl is Lady. She’s Nick’s puppy.”

Well, she’s going to be Nick’s puppy.

“Nick’s?” Aaron joined the conversation, peeking over Gemma’s shoulder. “He didn’t say anything about getting a dog. He better not be planning to bring her to work with him…”

Gemma shot him a look. “Of course not. The hangar isn’t exactly a puppy-friendly place.”

Aaron shrugged. “So, if this is Nick’s dog, why is it here?”

“She,” Gemma corrected with a giggle as she snuggled the puppy close. Lady lunged for her face with her chubby paws and tongue going crazy on her cheek.

“I don’t have Nick’s address,” I replied sheepishly. I knew the general area where he lived, but without the address it would take some hunting to find his truck and hope I had the right house when I rang the doorbell at five am.

Aaron grinned. “He hasn’t closed the deal, huh?”

Gemma smacked Aaron in the gut, not batting an eye.

He just kept grinning. “You just don’t wanna admit you lost the bet.”

“Bet?” My eyebrows shot halfway up my forehead.

Gemma rolled her eyes. “Ignore him. Listen, I’m on my way to a very important meeting at the hospital, so I’ll take her and let her play with the kids in the long term care wing. They’ll love her and then I’ll bring her back a little later tonight and Nick can take her home. Problem solved. Does she have a leash? Food?”

“Oh my God, thank you, Gemma! You’re a lifesaver!” I shot Aaron a look as I retreated back to the car to get Lady’s supplies. Whatever this “bet” was about, he was going to spill the beans next time we crossed paths.

He waved and ducked inside as Gemma followed me to the car and gathered everything she needed to take care of Lady for the day.

“Thanks again, Gemma!” I called through the driver’s side window as I backed out the drive minutes later. Gemma took Lady’s paw and made her wave like a baby as I drove off, a huge grin on her face.

I could only hope Nick didn’t murder me when he realized he’d just inherited a puppy.

* * * *

“You what?” Alesha roared loudly enough that all chatter ceased as every eyeball in
The Siren
darted over to us.

“Shhhh!” I grabbed her arm and jerked her towards the kitchen, out of sight. When the door was shut, I turned to face her and flung my arms over my chest. “I gave her to Nick.”

Alesha’s face was a deep shade of pink and it had nothing to do with the heat rolling from the commercial oven that was baking trays of cookies on the other side of the small kitchen. She’d come barreling into the shop around three o’clock, ranting and raving that Lady had gone missing. After I told her that Lady was safe with Nick, she’d channeled all of her terror into rage and pointed it right at me.

“She’s my dog, Carly! You had no right!”

A hollow laugh ripped from my throat. “I had no right? You’re living under my roof, Leash! My rules. I told you that the dog was to be kept out of my stuff and you promised you’d take care of her and keep her out of trouble. You didn’t hold up your end of that bargain.”

“I was out for a little bit, God. How much could she do in an hour?” Alesha threw her hands up in the air to add emphasis to her point.

I didn’t blink at her gesture and her eyes only got darker. “Where were you? You really think I’m going to believe that you woke up, got ready, and left the house before I woke up at four?”

“I did!”

“Right. And pigs flew past the coffee shop this morning.” I pushed past her and went back to the front of the shop at the sound of the bell on the front door.

“Good afternoon, Marcus,” I said, greeting the middle aged man at the counter, making sure to plaster on a sweet smile. Marcus was a regular at the cafe. He retired in his mid-thirties from a high pressure corporate job and spends his time day trading from his beach front house. He comes in every day for a dry cap and a cinnamon biscotti. Never changing. Which was good, since my mind was still locked on the mid-progress battle with Alesha. I made his order on autopilot, keeping my smile cemented in place, and then turned back to Alesha in the doorway as soon as he’d paid, tipped, and left the counter to go out to the patio.

“This isn’t up for debate, so I don’t know why you’re standing there like that,” I growled at her, jutting my chin in a stubborn nod at her tightly folded arms and deep scowl. “If you’re staying here, then put on an apron and go offer refills. If not, then go back to the house and clean up the mess Lady left in her wake this morning.”

Alesha stared me down for a long minute. “I was taking a surfing lesson,” she muttered, pushing off the wall.

“What?”

She pivoted around to face me on her way around the counter. “I was taking a surfing lesson. That’s why I was up so early this morning. I had my alarm set to vibrate so I wouldn’t wake you up. The guy who led the class said the early morning waves are best for beginners. I signed up a week ago down at the community center.”

My heart sank as she laid out her explanation. She wasn’t lying.

“You could have told me. I would have watched Lady for you,” I replied, my voice softening from the dull roar it had been in the kitchen. I rubbed at my temples, massaging away the tension that was pinching my head like a vice.

Alesha shrugged. “I didn’t figure it would be a big deal. I shut Lady in my room. She was still asleep when I left and I didn’t think I’d be gone that long.”

“Why didn’t you leave a note or something? You could have texted?”

She dropped her eyes to the floor between us for a moment. “I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”

“All right.” I heaved a sigh. I was so worn out from fighting and arguing with her over and over again. How did people do this full time? I had no idea. Maybe that was why you had so many years until they were teenagers. Prep time to deal with the drama.

“So, can I go get Lady?” Alesha asked, bringing her eyes back to mine.

I considered her for a moment. “I’ll think about it. Dad’s supposed to call me later today so I’ll talk to him about it and see what he thinks.”

Alesha’s eyes narrowed again. “Great.”

She turned and stalked out of the shop, slamming the glass door behind her as she exited.

“Teenagers.”

I whipped around at the familiar voice and saw Aaron standing at the counter, a halfway amused look on his face. “Where did you come from?”

He gestured at the open door to the patio. Marcus must have left it open when he wandered out minutes before. It was a nice day so I ignored it and left it propped open. “Rough day?”

“You could say that. Alesha is pissed that I took her puppy away.”

“Not gonna lie, gorgeous, I’m not thrilled either. The little rascal has Gemma wrapped around her little paw and now she wants one too.”

I put my fingers against my lips to stifle a laugh. “Sorry.”

He shrugged and grinned. “Could be worse. Could be baby fever, I guess?”

The laugh escaped and I reached over the counter to give him a consoling pat on the shoulder. “Oh, come on, you’d be a great dad.”

“Give me a few years, all right?”

“Not up to me,” I replied, smirking at him.

He chuckled and took a sidestep to consider the pastries in the case. “Go ahead and box up half a dozen scones. I’m gonna try and do a bait and switch so I can pass the pup off to Nick.”

I laughed and gave him a mock salute before grabbing a dessert box and going to work on his order.

“Good luck, Play—uhm, Aaron!” I called out as he sauntered out of the shop a few minutes later, the box tucked under his arm, and a coffee cup in each hand.

A few hours later, after the last customers had left, I’d been able to lock up and get started on the checklist to close down for the day. Alesha hadn’t been back since our spat and I figured—well,
hoped
—she was at home cooling down. I mopped the floor and was nearly back to the kitchen to dump the dirty water when my phone buzzed in the front pocket of my jeans. I tugged it free and answered the international call, knowing it would be my dad on the other end of the line. He’d emailed a few days before and told me to expect his call.

“Hey Dad,” I answered, tucking the slim phone against my shoulder as I dragged the mop bucket back into the kitchen.

“Hey, Noodle.” I smiled at his use of my childhood pet name. “How is everything? Sorry it’s taken me so long to get in touch.”

I shifted the phone to the other hand after I laid the mop handle against the wall. I crossed to the small office space and settled into my worn chair to rest my tired feet. Even with the best of shoes, a ten-hour day on glorified concrete floors did a number on my tootsies.

“It’s up and down. To be honest.” I’d debated with myself all day on how much to tell him, but since Alesha and I were back on opposite sides, my need to vent overrode my instinct to protect her from trouble.

My dad sighed. “I’m sorry, Carly. Alesha is going through…a phase…”

I held back a snort of laughter. A phase? That was putting it mildly.

“—she’s pushing the limits and figuring herself out.”

“Dad, listen, I get it. I was a crazy teenager too. But, I don’t know that I’m the best person to handle her right now. She doesn’t respect me or my rules and other than threatening to send her to Grandma’s for the rest of the summer, I don’t have a lot of leverage here.”

“I know. What’s she been up to?”

I nibbled my lower lip. This was the part where things got sticky. I didn’t want to completely throw her under the bus. Not if I wanted any shot at repairing our obviously fractured relationship in the future. But at the same time, I didn’t want to be the only one who knew just how much trouble she was getting herself into these days.

“Noodle? Come on…just tell me. Has she been drinking? Kelli found some empty bottles in the recycle that weren’t ours.”

I sighed and pinched my eyes closed. “There’s been a little drinking, yes. Mostly she’s just angry. Dad, she’s so, so angry.”

The other end was silent.

“It’s like she hates me. And I don’t know why.”

“Aha. So you’re in that club. too?” I could hear a trace of a smile on my dad’s lips. “Well typically, with teens, if they hate you it means you’re doing something right.”

I laughed. “Really?”

“Believe it or not. It means you’re setting boundaries. She might not like it right now, but you’ll get her respect in the end. But, it’s up to you, Noodle. If you want me to book her a flight to Grandma’s, just tell me. I’ll take care of it first thing tomorrow.”

I paused, a tug-of-war raging in my mind over the idea of sending her away. It was so appealing. I could get my life back, not have to worry about melodrama—other than that found in the comforts of reality TV—and Nick and I could see each other a lot more often without a third wheel. Maybe even spend a night together…

Focus, Carly
.

On the other hand, if I sent her away now, she’d probably never speak to me again. Or, at least not for a very long time. She’d have an even bigger chip on her shoulder. And really, at the end of the day, would our seventy-something-year-old grandmother be able to handle her any better than I could?

“No, it’s all right. I think we’re reaching a better place and I don’t want to mess things up.”

I couldn’t believe the words leaving my lips. I’d just signed away the rest of my summer.

My dad breathed an audible sigh of relief. Apparently he’d been dreading calling my grandmother for a bail out.

“There’s one thing…maybe you can help,” I started.

“Anything, Noodle.”

“There’s this dog…”

Carly

“I got a four legged surprise at work today.”

I laughed softly at Nick’s greeting as he answered my call. After hanging up with my dad, I’d called him to arrange a meeting to swap the dog back to my possession. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t
sound
sorry,” he teased.

My laugh petered off but I couldn’t completely wipe the smile away. “I am. I panicked. Trust me, I’m already on Aaron’s list.”

Nick laughed. “Yeah, I heard about it all afternoon.”

“I bet. Well, if it makes it up to you, I’ll be taking the little fluff back into custody. I talked to my dad this evening and he said that Alesha can keep the dog. So, I’m going to give her another chance.”

“All right,” Nick agreed with a chuckle.

“Hey, are you off work? I just finished closing down.”

I hadn’t left the shop, but the till was locked in the safe, the lights were all turned off, and I was minutes away from setting the security system and heading out the door.

“I’m still up the hill, but I can leave anytime. Aaron blazed outta here a few minutes ago, so I’ve just been putzing around with this plane. We’re at a tricky part in the reconstruction and I get a little…stubborn…with things like this. But for you, I’ll happily leave it for the morning.”

I smiled at the happiness in his tone and my heart swooned, filled with longing to be back in his arms. “Glad to hear it. I need to go home and talk to Alesha, but after that, I’d let you take me out for a beer. Harvey’s?”