Steven knew exactly what would get his mind off his troubles: cocaine. But he didn’t have any on him, and he didn’t have any weed, either. Lolly was insisting on a drug-free Valentine’s Day, telling him she had special things planned that would make Steven high without the use of mind-altering substances. Steven smiled for the first time since the whole thing went down. Lolly had surprised him by being pretty wild in the sack right out of the gate. He had high expectations for the day’s festivities and had splurged on her Valentine’s Day gift, getting her a Cartier Love bracelet in rose gold. He had gotten his dad’s permission to charge it, and his father had said no at first, but Steven alluded to a little trouble in paradise and that he really needed to make up for some misdeeds on his part. Steven’s father liked when his son owned up to his mistakes and agreed, though Steven knew his father would probably use the nine-grand charge against him at a later date.

Steven’s stomach rumbled, which was when he decided he would wait upstairs in the room for Lolly and order room service. He needed food and fast, which was precisely when he remembered the two Hot Pockets he’d left in the microwave at home. Steven slammed his fist into his thigh over the error. Now his mother would know he had been home for longer than his note suggested. Steven briefly considered going home and getting rid of them, but that seemed too risky. The last thing he wanted was to run into his mother, or worse yet, Mr. Back Tattoo.

If his mother brought up the Hot Pockets, he’d play dumb and hope for the best. Yes, what more could he do?

Damn, he thought, Valentine’s Day is one crazy fucked-up day.

IX

The Westminster Dog Show was one of the few remaining benched dog competitions left in the country, the idea being that each dog waiting to be judged was given a designated spot in a holding area so that attendees could walk around and view the dogs up close while their owners, handlers, and groomers gave them last-minute touch-ups. Anna had been a dog lover her entire life and had attended Westminster many times as a child. Her favorite part was walking around and looking at the dogs before they entered the ring.

Her father had always taken her, and it was here at the show when she told him that one day when she was grown up, she would have a dog win a ribbon at Westminster. Anna’s father told his daughter that he was positive if she put her mind to it, then she would surely make it so. Now, ten years later, Anna had accomplished half of her goal, and though she didn’t know it, she was the youngest owner in the arena.