Page 21 of Honest Neglect

“Hey, girl, slow down,” I said as I crouched down to pet her. “You’re supposed to be healing.”

“How’s she doing?” Grace asked as she entered through the door behind me. I glanced around.

“I think she’s okay,” I replied, petting Silver’s head. “I bet seeing my mom did her good last night. She seems a lot perkier today.”

“She really does,” Grace agreed, pausing for a moment to look at Silver. “But what about you? How are you doing?”

“I got some sleep,” I replied. Now that I was a little better rested, my mind had cleared slightly—and I was faced with the harsh reality of everything that had happened and everything that might happen yet.

“What time is it, actually?” I asked, frowning. I was still all thrown off by the kidnapping—I still didn’t know how long they had taken me for or what exactly they had done to me or given me in that time. No wonder time was still a little scrambled for me.

“Five,” she replied. “I was just about to start making some dinner. I thought it was about time Silver came in and had something to eat now that she’s rested.”

She gently extracted the drip, and Silver let out a slight groan of annoyance.

“There, that’s what I like to hear,” Grace chuckled. “She’s getting a little of her personality back. That’s a good sign.”

“You think so?” I replied, chewing my lip. I really hoped Silver was going to be all right. I knew she was such a sweet dog she wouldn’t have wanted me to worry and might have covered up her suffering if she thought it would make me feel better.

“Yes, she’s already better hydrated,” Grace replied, pinching some skin on the back of her neck. “See how it snaps back quickly? That means that she’s doing better. And I bet she’s hungry.”

All at once, my stomach grumbled.

“And it sounds like she’s not the only one,” Grace chuckled, shaking her head. “You want to come and help me make dinner?”

“Sure,” I agreed, and I patted my leg to get Silver to follow us. She trotted along behind me happily, following us back down the path.

“You had her for a long time?”

“Yeah, she’s been with me since she was little,” I replied, smiling as I looked down at her.

“You’ve got her well trained,” she remarked. “You should be really proud of yourself. Not many dogs would come that far to find an owner. You must mean a lot to her.”

“She means the world to me,” I replied. It was for that reason, actually, that I knew she had been targeted—Tony and Mark knew how precious she was to me, and they had tried to trap her in that animal shelter and burn it down with her inside. Thank goodness she had gotten out—though I was sure not all of the animals would have been so lucky. I tried to push that thought aside. I could get justice for them along with everyone else when I finally brought Tony and Mark to justice.

Inside, I helped Grace with washing dishes and getting some dinner on. I insisted on doing something to give her a hand. I didn’t want them thinking I was trying to take advantage of how hospitable and kind they had been to Warren and me, and pulling my weight felt vital right now.

“Leroy took your mom back to her place,” Grace remarked. “Seems like the two of you are close.”

“We really are,” I agreed as I chopped some carrots for her stew at the counter beside her. “She’s the reason I met Warren, actually.”

“Oh, really?” Grace replied with interest. I could tell she had the same ear for gossip my own mom did, and I was glad to talk about something other than the McCarthy men for a while.

“Yes, I was out of town for a long time,” I explained. “But when I heard she’d had a fall, I came back to help out. And Warren was living next door to her. And...”

I grinned as I trailed off. I couldn’t believe we had finally said those first I-love-yous to each other—it almost didn’t feel real, but I was so happy we had actually shared how deep our feelings ran, just how much we cared for each other.

“And it just went from there,” I finished up.

“Well, the two of you seem like a good match,” she remarked. “I’ve known a lot of couples in my time, but the way the two of you look at each other....it reminds me of Leroy and me when we first met. When you know, you just know, don’t you?”

“I never really believed that until I met him,” I admitted. “I thought it was just something people said to make themselves feel better about settling for someone. But Warren...”

Every time I spoke his name, it tasted like sugar on my tongue, addictive and sweet. I hadn’t had much of a chance to talk about our relationship with anyone else, and I loved the opportunity to share my excitement with Grace.

“Yeah, Warren’s amazing,” I finished up. “And he’s been so great with my mom.”

“I could tell from the way the two of them were together that she’s really fond of him,” she agreed. “I suppose that helps when it comes to meeting the parents, right?”