Page 29 of Broken Vows

“Levi said she looks like something that crawled out of a trash can.”

A spark of irritation flares in my chest.

“And that she probably started the plague.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. What an awful thing to say.

Theo leans closer to the fence, his eyes wide with fascination. “Can I pet her?”

“Sure,” I say. “But she gets nervous with new people, so I’ll hold her, okay?”

He nods eagerly. At first, Fifi looks mildly offended by his enthusiastic patting, but after a moment, she settles into it, basking in the attention.

“So it’s just you and your brother living here?” I ask.

Theo nods, still stroking Fifi’s head. “My mom died.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugs, surprisingly matter-of-fact. “My brother says people die all the time. It’s not a big deal.”

Gosh, he really is a piece of work.

“It is a big deal,” I say. “I’m still sad that my parents are gone.”

“Did they die from cancer?”

“No. They were just old.” I smile at him, because there’s something so open and gentle about him. So different from his brother. “Fifi seems to like you.”

The back door of their house bangs open.

Levi steps out in a faded black T-shirt, paired with gray sweatpants that sit low on his hips. His dark hair is still mussed from sleep, and he’s wearing that crooked, confident grin as he crosses the yard toward us.

“Morning,” Levi says, his voice still rough with sleep.

His eyes flick to Fifi in my arms, and before I can react, he reaches over the fence and plucks her straight out of my hands.

“I was just telling Theo you had a nice little pet,” he says, holding her awkwardly against his chest. “Cute little thing.”

“You were?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” He shrugs one shoulder.

Fifi chooses that exact moment to release a steady stream of pee down the front of his shirt.

Levi goes completely still.

“She’s pissing on me,” he says, voice flat with disbelief.

I bite my lip hard, fighting the laugh threatening to escape. He thrusts Fifi back into my hands.

“Shit,” he mutters, retreating toward his door, swearing under his breath the entire way.

“He really shouldn’t swear in front of you,” I say to Theo.

“He does it a lot,” Theo says, frowning after him.

I straighten, gently brushing a hand over Fifi’s back. “Well, if you ever need a break from that, you’re welcome to come over anytime. Fifi could use a friend.”