In my dreams, we were always happy. Laughing, in love, and genuinely enjoying our lives together.
But no matter how hard I fought it.
I always woke up.
Alone. In Savannah. Only a few hours from him, but still worlds apart.
It was torture almost as much as it was salve to my soul.
Remi
“No. No. No,” I chanted, crawling on my hands and knees under my dining room table to rescue my most recent fallen soldier—a cherry-red pump. The left one, such was Sugar’s favorite.
I sighed and hauled it out. Staying on the floor, I sat cross-legged as I grieved.
Fortunately, they weren’t expensive. I’d bought the heels on clearance for twenty-nine dollars only a few days earlier. I almost felt bad for having brought them into such a dangerous, hostile environment. Those poor soles never saw it coming.
Unfortunately, I’d only bought them to replace a seriously expensive pair I’d treated myself to as a celebration after selling my first house in Savannah. The left shoe in that pair had been mauled last week.
“What the hell, Sug?” I scolded, lifting the chewed-up heel in his direction. “You have an entire basket of toys I bought specifically for you to destroy. Lay off my shoes already.”
That neutered but still ballsy-as-fuck little guy didn’t even look sheepish as he trotted over and crawled into my lap.
I guess I couldn’t totally blame everything on him. He’d eaten at least four pairs of my shoes in so many months. One would think I’d have learned not to leave them on the floor by now. He wasn’t a foot tall on all fours—barely two if he stood on his hind legs. I could have stored them on a chair and they would have been out of his reach. But no, there was something magical about kicking my shoes off by the front door when I got home after a long day at work. Its powers were second only to taking my bra off.
I picked up the fluffy teddy bear from the wood floor and shook it in front of his face. “What’s wrong? Is this guy not good enough for you? What vendetta do you have with pretty footwear?”
Sugar looked at the toy for only a second before turning his expectant brown gaze back on me. As much as I tried to deny it, I knew exactly what was going on.
He was bored. And probably lonely too.
I tried not to stay gone for long chunks of time during the day. One of the nice things about real estate was I could make my own hours. But he’d gone from having a big backyard where he could run around with Clyde, chasing a ball or just chasing each other. Bowen was amazing with the dogs. He’d sit for hours playing fetch or tug-of-war. Once, I’d even caught him playing hide-and-seek with them. I’d laughed at him then, but now it just made me want to cry.
Life back then had been simpler and happier for all of us—canines included.
I smoothed down the curly black hair on the top of his head. “I know. I miss him too.”
As if he’d heard the longing in my voice, Sugar stood on his hind legs and tried to lick me. I was quick enough to turn my head, so his kiss landed on my cheek rather than my mouth.
“Okay, okay. You don’t need to lay it on that thick. I forgive you. Do you want a treat?”
His ears perked up and his little tail went wild, shaking his entire booty.
After setting the dog on his feet, I climbed to my own and then walked to the kitchen, straight to the treat jar on the counter. “All right, what flavor are you in the mood for today? Chicken, beef, or bacon?”
Not surprisingly, he didn’t answer me as much as he just stared up at me while bouncing off my shin.
“Oh wait!” I grinned and dug my phone out of my back pocket. Holding the side button, I asked, “Hey, Siri, what flavor is left shoe?”
“Okay,” she replied as a list of articles filled the screen of my phone. “I found this on the web about what flavor is left shoe.”
I had to laugh at not only my joke but also the fact that my life was so sad. I was having a full-fledged conversation with a dog and a robot.
Resting my phone on the counter, I tossed Sugar the bacon strip. “Perhaps we should call Bowen and see if he knows. He seemed to keep the majority of his shoes intact with you.”
Well, all except for the one I had been trying to hide the night I discovered the portal through time in his closet. Even all these months later, the betrayal still—
I couldn’t finish my thought before Siri interrupted with, “Calling Bowen Michaels.”
“No!” I yelled, diving after my phone. It was literally on the counter directly in front of me; all I had to do was put my hand down.
