Page 49 of Halloween Town

She looked up to see Thom’s expression as his huge, impossible, unruly dog plopped his butt on the grass, his expression now suggesting that he was heaven-sent.

“He’s never done that before,” Thom stated, looking down.

Poppy stroked Felony’s ears and rubbed his chest. “He’s always done it for me,” she said, sounding offhand. Thom didn’t need to know that when she was supposed to be sanding windowsills or stripping wallpaper, she spent most of that time training Felony.

“Do you have any idea how much effort I put into training him? How many hours, and treats he ate? I gave up, assuming he was too stupid to learn!” Thom said, sounding pretty pissed off. She grinned.

“He was dissing you.”

Thom bent down to look Felony in the eye. “You’re an asshole,” he told him, frowning.

Poppy immediately covered the dog’s ears with her hands. “Don’t say that,” she hissed, sotto voce, “you’ll hurt his feelings.”

“He’s a manipulative, disobedient shit,” Thom retorted, doubling down.

Poppy dropped a kiss on his furry head. “Shh, baby, don’t listen to him,” she murmured, rubbing his neck. “You’re gorgeous and my boy.” Felony stood and snuggled into her, trying to wiggle all the way in. Yep, they were besties now.

Thom, obviously thinking he needed to yank back some control, lifted his finger and pointed it at Felony’s nose. “Sit!”

Felony sniffed and buried his head under Poppy’s arm, moving his body to point his butt in Thom’s direction. Lol, cute try, but not even close. Poppy stroked Fel’s back from his neck to his rump, and Felony wriggled in delight.

“It’s not his fault he doesn’t say it right, Fel,” she murmured, giving Thom shit with a smile.

“I do say it right! I say sit just like you do.”

Poppy rolled her eyes and Thom threw his hands up in the air. “My woman and my dog have teamed up against me.”

Poppy smiled at him, telling herself not to read too much into my woman. They were having a fling, were temporary housemates, exploring their chemistry. That was all there was to this … whatever this was. Poppy took Thom’s hand and he pulled her to her feet. She was surprised when he kept her hand in his. Were they announcing the shift in their relationship to H-Town? How did she feel about that?

Before she could answer her own question, Thom nodded to the people hanging around on Blackweather Green. “Would you and His Lordship like to carry on?” he asked.

Poppy lifted her nose and tried to look aristocratic “How come he gets a title, and I don’t?” she demanded.

Thom tried to hide his smile, but she saw it, and her heart stuttered at the humor in his eyes. “Come along then, Duchess.”

“Better.”

“Thom!”

Poppy saw a woman, about her age and pretty, running across to them, a little unnerved by the excitement in her eyes. She looked slightly familiar, but Poppy couldn’t place her. Who was she, and why was she looking at Thom like he hung the moon and all the stars? Poppy tried to pull her hand from Thom’s and shot him a look when his hand tightened around hers. So, okay, he didn’t seem to care who knew they were together.

Right.

She sent Thom a smile full of admiration. Thom responded with one of his more lethal smiles, the one Poppy loved best: a little flirty, a lot fun. Poppy narrowed her eyes. Seriously, why was he smiling at another woman while holding her hand?

Even Felony was going a little nuts for her. What was she—chopped liver? Though, to be fair, Fel rather liked chopped liver.

The woman reached them and instantly dropped to her knees, throwing her arms around Fel’s neck. As he had with Poppy earlier, Fel burrowed in. Poppy rolled her eyes. Fel was so damn easy.

“Oh, I’ve missed you so much! How’ve you been, darling boy? Have you been good, huh?”

No, of course not. He’d eaten her favorite green Vans. Her left shoe now had a hole right above her big toe.

“Poppy, meet Edie, she’s Fel’s dog-walker. Edie, meet Poppy.”

Fel’s dog-walker? Well, then.

Edie smiled at her. “Hi.”