Page 40 of Nicks and Cuts

“Only if he’s making them. We also take it in turns to cook. It’s a little bit like being roommates, except he owns the house.” He shrugged as if it meant nothing. “It works for both of us as there’s no point in cooking two separate dinners for one.”

Shannon sipped his coffee and enjoyed a few seconds of silence even though they were weighed down with expectation.

“I didn’t want to upset you last night, but Spark needed surgery,” his mother said softly. “She has kidney complications and will need medication for the rest of her life.”

Shannon took a bite of pizza to avoid answering. He hadn’t lived at home for years, but when he was there Spark was always glad to see him. She must be pushing fifteen now, which wasn’t too bad for a dog her size.

“Things are a bit tight, and given that she is yours, it would be nice if you could contribute to her medication,” his father said.

Spark wasn’t his; he’d simply been the one to walk her. He couldn’t even remember how they’d ended up with her. Had a friend’s dog had puppies? Or had she been abandoned at one of the houses his father had been trying to sell?

“She’s as much mine as she is Riley’s.” He was sure their older siblings had pretty much moved out by the time Spark had come along.

“Riley is saving up for her wedding.”

“How much are the meds?”

“Five hundred a month.”

“Fuck me.” Shannon shook his head.

Dante brought out a pancake for his mother. “Here you go. I know the vet down here very well, given that my parents were heavily into horses. Why don’t you give Shannon the details, then we can go and see the vet, see if we can get the meds cheaper.”

Shannon glanced at him. Did Dante really know the vet, or was he trying to catch them off guard?

“She needs monitoring, so it’s best if all her care stays with the one vet,” his father said.

Shannon paused before agreeing with his father. He took a sip of coffee. If Spar needed medication, he wasn’t going to be an asshole about it, but he could do it on his terms.

“You know what?” Shannon leaned forward so he could look at his father, who was sitting on the other side of his mother. “I’d like a second opinion from a different vet, and since she’s my dog, it might be better if I come and get her. That way she can retire to a nice rural block with a vet just down the road.”

Dante nodded. “I can’t imagine an old dog getting into much trouble around here.”

Was Spark really sick, or had his parents just been trying to get five hundred a month out of him now that he wasn’t paying LA prices for everything?

His father didn’t even flinch. “We’ll need to check if the others are okay with you taking her.”

“Let me get the second opinion, and then we’ll make a plan after all if it’s no cheaper here than it is there…” Yet at the same time, if Spark was here, he could be certain that she was getting the medication she needed.

“Yes, of course,” his mother said. She glanced at his father and gave him a single nod. “When we get home, I’ll send you all the details.”

“Thanks.” He stood and picked up his now empty plate, and as he walked past Dante in the doorway, he said, “I am so ready for pancakes.”

Dante followed him inside. He poured the batter into the pan and didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say.

He flipped the pancake and murmured. “I wanted you to be wrong.”

“So did I.”

His parents came inside.

“It’s a long drive back so we’re going to head off,” his father said.

They made all the right noises thanking Dante for letting them stay and saying how glad they were that it settled into Foggy Basin. Then they were rushing out the door like their jeans were on fire.

Dante put two blueberry pancakes on the table. “Sit down and enjoy them.”

“It’s a bit hard when I don’t know if the dog is sick or if my parents just need an extra five hundred a month.”