Chapter 6
Thom knelt, gripping the table with one hand so he wouldn’t fall on his ass again, and reached between the bars. His fingertips barely touched the dog’s outstretched paw. The dog didn’t pull back, though. Nor did Thom have a bad reaction to their connection. Rather, a kind of warm, almost excited emotion began to twist through him. If Thom couldn’t make friends with people, maybe a dog would be the next best thing. A friend was, after all, a friend. Regardless of type.
“I’ll give you twenty bucks for him,” Thom said, still staring into the dog’s eyes. “But you throw in the cage.”
“If you want the cage, too, he’s going to cost you forty,” the kid said quickly. To Thom’s delight, the boy actually sounded pleased. Maybe the dog’s fate hadbeen marked in hours and not days.
“Thirty,” Thom countered.
“Forty, or my dad’ll kill me.” The boy held up the bag of strawberries. “But I can throw in the berries. He won’t notice two pints.”
Thom nodded. “Deal. But I’m going to need a leash.”