Page 40 of Waves
Ezra snickered along with her, and even I cracked a smile.
“Listen, since I’ve got you both on the line, I might as well ask now. Eric and I are having a barbecue tomorrow to celebrate the Fourth.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Mar,” Ezra interrupted.
Mary smirked then sang, “We’re grilling shrimp.”
I looked at Ezra with a giant smile and pleading eyes. Shrimp? Yes, please.
“Bitch,” Ezra giggled and shook his head. “Once he’s on board, I can’t refuse.”
“I know,” Mary said with a smile. “So, leave the pup at home. There is bound to be at least one asshole on my block setting off fireworks. Bring whatever and be here at... I dunno, around noon, I guess.”
Ezra rolled his eyes. “Oh boy, day-drinking.”
“It’s our patriotic duty, Ezra,” Mary scoffed. “Don’t you love your country?”
“Uh-huh,” Ezra replied with a flat voice.
“And don’t worry about Thom. I’ll talk to Eric and...”
I might have noticeably grumbled at the mere mention of that guy’s name, and Ezra definitely noticed.
“All right, gotta go, Mary. Thanks for the invite, love you, bye,” Ezra said before quickly ending the call. He turned to me and sighed. “I’m sorry.”
I rolled closer and frowned. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because he’s still meddling in my life after all this time and I can’t even blame you for not liking him.”
I grumbled even more to myself while I played with Ezra’s hair. “He smells bad.”
Ezra laughed so hard he started to cough. “He does not.”
“Yes, he does. If your olfactory senses were as good as mine, you could smell it on him, too. He reeks of bullshit.”
Ezra laughed even harder, wiping a tear from his eyes. “I wasn’t aware that I was speaking to my dog right now.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure Ishmael would agree with me.”
Ishmael snorted from the foot of the bed, wagging his tail at the sound of his name.
“Funnily enough, he didn’t like him the one time they met,” Ezra said.
“I’m not surprised. Ishmael is a smart dog, and we agree on most things.”
Ezra cocked his head while he stared at me. “You... you talk... to my dog?”
“Yes?”
“How? When? What does he say?” Ezra asked with growing enthusiasm.
“It’s not how you think. We don’t sit and have a conversation like this. It’s kind of like, you know when he looks at the fridge and then at you to ask for his food or when he sits by the slider when he wants to go out? It’s like that.”
Ezra rubbed his chin while he looked down at Ishmael. “What else has he told you that I might not understand?”
“Let’s see... he knows you spoil him rotten. The first time we met, he showed me all of the toys you’ve given him. He also acts as if he can’t reach things or that he’s forgotten how to do what you’re saying because he thinks it’s funny and enjoys pulling your leg. Oh, and he gets quite upset whenever you lock him out of the bedroom...”
“Okay, I’ve heard enough now,” Ezra interjected. His cheeks flushed, and he turned to hide his face in a pillow.