Revealing Annie - Freya Barker Page 0,23
shoots me a smile back, but it’s reserved. Behind him a skinny kid walks in, his hands in his pockets, and his ball cap pulled low over his eyes. Then he lifts his head and I suck in a sharp breath.
“Annie, this is Bryce.” I turn my shocked eyes on Sumo. “My son.”
I’m pretty sure I would’ve remembered him telling me he had a teenage son. I mean, that’s pretty basic information to share you’d think.
Realizing I’m still staring with my mouth half open, I quickly recover, slap a smile on my face, and offer my hand.
“Hi, Bryce,” I manage, as he gives my fingers a barely-there squeeze before dropping his hand.
“Hi,” he mumbles, looking at the toes of his scuffed sneakers.
I turn to Sumo, who looks decidedly uncomfortable.
“I just picked Bryce up in Denver, he’s going to be staying with me for a while.”
“That’s great.”
Neither Sumo nor I miss the soft snort coming from the boy. Somebody is not happy to be here.
“Anyway, I’m sorry to drop in like this but I was wondering if you’d mind if I introduced Bryce to Daisy.”
At the dog’s name the kid’s head shoots up.
“That’s her name? Don’t tell me she’s one of those fluffy things?”
I see panic on Sumo’s face and I quickly jump in, not quite knowing what I might be wading into. I’m flying blind.
“Actually, she’s a gorgeous gray and white three-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier. She’s a bit leery of men though, but she’s already getting used to your dad.”
“A pittie?” Bryce certainly looks more interested now. “Aren’t those dangerous?”
“Like any other dog, they can certainly be trained to be aggressive, but most pit bulls can make great family dogs.”
“Oh.” He sounds unsure.
“Tell you what, she may feel a little overwhelmed if all of us show up at once, but why don’t you and I go in there and I introduce you to her from outside her kennel.”
I open the door to the back and wait for the kid to walk through. Then I throw a glance at Sumo who mouths, “Thank you.”
The boy stands in front of Hunter’s kennel. The shepherd lab mix who was dropped off yesterday has his front paws up on the gate, trying to stick his nose through.
“He’s our newest guest. A sweetheart, you can pet him if you like.”
Bryce looks a little self-conscious but puts his hand out for Hunter to sniff. When the dog licks him, his mouth twists in the faintest of smiles.
“And this is Daisy.” I stop in front of her kennel. “Hey, girl, you’re getting to be really popular. You’re getting all the visitors,” I mutter my usual nonsense.
The dog wags her tail, but she nervously glances over at Bryce, who comes to stand beside me.
“She scared of me?”
“Maybe it’s your ball cap,” I suggest. “It casts the top half of your face in shadows. Dogs see and recognize faces, apparently, they can even read your mood. When they can’t see your face, it can make them unsure.”
Bryce doesn’t take his eyes off the dog as he removes his cap and tucks it in his back pocket. I’m shocked at how much he looks like his father. Daisy reacts immediately, taking a few steps closer, and her tail now wags furiously.
“Are you okay if I let her out?” I ask, earning me a quick glance and a nod.
Ten minutes later Bryce is in the small fenced pen out back, throwing a ball for Daisy, and I go in search of Sumo. I find him sitting in the front office, his head back against the wall and his eyes closed.
“I’m sorry,” he says the moment I sit down next to him. “I wasn’t sure.”
“Sure about what?”
He doesn’t move, other than his eyes opening at my question.
“Him. Bryce. Swear to God, I met him for the first time this morning at the Denver airport.”
I’m sure it wasn’t hard to see the surprise on my face.
“What? How old is he?”
“Fourteen,” he says, and starts to tell me about a phone call he received last year out of the blue.
By the time he’s done talking, I’m bristling with indignant anger on his behalf.
“Unbelievable. Why? Why would she do that?”
“Ah shit,” he mutters, leaning forward and rubbing a hand over his head. “I wish I fucking knew. All I know is she’s heading for rehab today and the kid doesn’t have anyone else.”
I rub a sympathetic hand on his back.
“He does. He has you.”
Sumo snorts. “Not sure how helpful that’ll be since I don’t