“Don’t turn this on me,” she snarls. “You know I’ve been working atElectric Vibes.Of course, I know everyone. Hell, I’ve told you all the rumors in town. You’re the one who lied and didn’t tell me you grew up in Winter Falls.” She leans close to hiss in my face. “In fact, you claimed you’d be gone by now.”
Did I? I know I told her I live in one place for a maximum of six months before moving on, but I thought I avoided specific questions about staying in Winter Falls. I haven’t been back in over a decade and my brother just had a baby. I don’t know how long I’m staying.
I scratch my beard and lie, “I planned to.”
She snorts. “Of course, you did. You’re a wanderer. You can’t stay in one place for very long or it would kill you.”
I scowl. “It won’t kill me.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Oh yeah? I dare you.”
“What are we? Kindergartners?”
“Never mind. You can’t handle the dare. It’s okay.” She pats my chest. It’s condescending and has me growling.
“I can handle a dare. There’s a difference between being able to handle something and not doing it because it’s childish.”
“I understand. You’re scared to lose. It doesn’t make you less of a man to back out before you have the chance to lose,” she taunts.
“You can’t trick me into accepting your dare.”
She widens her eyes. “Me? Trick you? I would never.”
“I’m not going to accept this dare to prove you wrong.”
She snorts. “That would be silly, wouldn’t it?”
Curiosity gets the better of me and I ask, “What’s the dare?”
“I dare you to stay in Winter Falls for six months.”
Perfect. I want more time with Cassandra, but she doesn’t do relationships. The only reason I’ve lasted this long is because she thought I would be gone in a few months.
“Too easy.”
“I’m not finished yet.” I motion for her to continue. “You have to come into town and interact with the residents at least once a week.”
“After today, they’re not going to allow me to hide out anymore,” I grumble. “And what are you going to do?” Two can play at this game and playing with Cassie is one of my favorite things in the world.
“What do you mean? Dares aren’t reciprocal.”
“This one will be.”
“What do you want me to do?”
I tap my chin and pretend to consider the question. I don’t need to consider it. I know exactly what I’m going to dare her.
“I dare you to keep a pet for six months.”
“No problem,” she immediately agrees.
Not so fast, princess. “The pet can’t be a cat or any type of rodent.”
“What type of animals are left?” She asks as if she doesn’t know.
“A dog. You need to keep a dog as a pet for six months.”
“What if I’m allergic to dogs?”