Touched - Chapter Nine
Touched
Chapter Nine
There was nothing she could do about the swimming tonight. She had puppy class in an hour and she still had to set up. Damn. She couldn’t do this. If she messed up everyone’s life was on the line and quite frankly, she didn’t have the slightest clue what she was doing. But she couldn’t bail and she couldn’t find a way out of this. Talk about a pickle of a problem.
“We’ll take her out to the river tomorrow,” Reagan said, voice dead. Maybe they’d all drown then and she wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. “I have to work tonight.”
Besides it’d give her time to think and if she were lucky, she could come up with a freaking plan to save them all. Though maybe that was asking too much. Reagan grabbed the couch and hauled herself up, Tripp bounced up alongside her, her little butt wiggling. Automatically Reagan patted her on the back and looked at Trace. “Where are you staying?”
“With you.”
Uh-uh. “No. Motel, hotel, with your boss boy here?”
“He’s not staying here,” Dmitri said.
She pointed a finger at Dmitri. “He’s not staying at my house.”
“You’re siblings, I’m sure you’re used to it.”
Her fist clenched “Not even close.”
And damn it all if she didn’t need time away from this mess to get it all out of her head.
“Come on Ray-Ray, I’ll just plunk down in the spare room.” His bottom lip popped out in a pout. What a sucker. Reagan glanced to Sunny for help but the squirrel just shrugged.
“As long as he stays away from my nuts I don’t care.” She pointed a finger accusingly at Tripp. “It’s her that I’m worried about.”
A car honked out front and Dmitri stood, smoothing out his slacks and then went to look. Everyone followed. A sleek black convertible sat on the curve and a round little man hopped out over the door, waved at Dmitri and then vanished. She glanced up just in time to see Miss Higgins, the nosy busy-body of the neighborhood nearly fall out of her window before she caught herself. Great. The woman was going to be all over them now.
“Wow,” Trace whistled appreciatively. “Nice ride.”
Even Sunny was bobbing her head. “What I wouldn’t give to take that around the block.”
Reagan’s eyes bounced from that to the ruddy little Honda parked in front of her house. The green paint was rusted and there was a dent in the passenger’s door and probably more dog hair imbedded in the cloth seating than a vacuum at the groomer’s. But at least hers could fit a few dogs safely in the backseat, Dmitri’s would be lucky if the passenger didn’t get windblown.
“Alright. I’m going to work. You,” Reagan pointed at Trace, “Find a place to stay…”
“Spare room. Your house. Thanks again Sis, your hospitality is wonderful.”
“Fine.” She was so not dealing with this right now. “Go get a crate, Tripp is not tearing up my house while I sleep. Sunny…”
“I am going to pick up the new part for my bike. I was on my way out there this afternoon before all of this started happening. I just needed to run home and grab a stash.”
“Oh! Does that mean I’m coming to work with you sis?” He held out his hands. “No car and all.”
There was no freaking way. “You and Tripp are going to beg Dmitri into taking you to the pet store and getting supplies. I assume she eats things other than couch cushions right?”
“That dog is getting nowhere near my car.”
“Then fine, you baby sit and Trace will take your car. Or he watches the dog and you get the crate. It’s either that buster or Tripp is sleeping in your house.”
“Whoa. Trace can take my bike; Dmi here can watch the dog and I’ll take the new ride.” Sunny rubbed her hands together with a smile. “I so bet you that thing can really move on the highway.”
“Fine. Give Dmitri Tripp, Sunny give Trace your keys and…”
“I am not taking the dog.”
“Somebody has to take Tripp!”
“Why don’t you take Tripp to class with you?” Another of Trace’s bright ideas. Reagan glared at him. He was better off not thinking.
“Because she has three heads. You mean to tell me no one is going to notice.”
“Well what if I go with Sunny in Dmitri’s new ride and he comes with you to shield the dog. It’ll be good for her. You are supposed to be helping me train her.”
“I haven’t agreed to take the damn dog!”
Trace ignored him and continued on. “That way Sunny gets her part, I get the puppy supplies, Tripp gets a lesson tonight and you can still go to work.”
“Because I’m not taking either of them to work!”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Sunny butted in.
Reagan whirled on her, finger pointed at the weresquirrel’s nose. “Don’t you start.”
Sunny held up her arms. “Just saying.”
God. How the hell had she gotten herself into this mess? “Fine. Whatever.”
She whirled on Dmitri. “Give Sunny your keys and where the hell is a new leash for Tripp?”
Trace held out the black leather leash and collar, the same one they’d used to open the box. “No,” Dmitri said before she could take it. “The leash will be fine. The collar will draw too much attention.”
He dangled the keys out for Sunny, startling her. For some reason she’d expected more of an argument. “Why are you agreeing with this?”
He lifted an eyebrow at her but Trace squeezed her arm. “Gift horse, Sis, Gift horse.”
Oh bullshit. She’d look the damn horse in the mouth all she wanted.
“You’re going to be late,” Sunny said, taking the keys. “Damn this is going to rock. You ready?”
Trace bolted for the door before anyone could change their mind. Sunny waved and followed him out, grinning like she’d just found the Mount Everest of Nuts.
“Fine. Whatever.” Reagan shoved the leash at Dmitri. “Get Tripp and come on. But if we have even one problem, one problem…”
Ugh. This chapter dragged.