“Oh, for the love of everything. Must you two be so dramatic all the time?” Ruby appeared above them both, shining with a glittering light that had to be manufactured. As she came into focus, Spencer could see that it was manufactured. In addition to more crystal beads than he’d ever seen collected in one place before, she seemed to have been decked out from head to toe in some kind of glitter. “You’re making a scene.”

Spencer could have easily pointed out that a man being licked on a gymnasium floor was nothing compared to a fully gowned beauty pageant queen gliding around as though walking on air, but he didn’t. He was too happy to see her—scowling, the light of battle in her eyes.

She was back.

“Hello, Ruby,” he said in as level a voice as he could muster. He had to physically set Wheezy aside in order to struggle up to a seated position, but the dog was in a compliant mood for once. “I was hoping to see you today.”

Her eyes narrowed at this, a suspicious twitch at the side of her mouth. “Why? What have you done?”

“You look beautiful. The glitter suits you.”

The compliment did little to reduce her suspicions, even though Spencer was speaking the truth. She might have a complicated relationship with pageantry, but it was obvious she’d been born to wear a crown.

“He’s right, you know.” Caleb stepped forward and grabbed both of Ruby’s hands. Without any hesitancy, he yanked. She was propelled into his arms, where he laughed and pressed a quick kiss on either of her cheeks. “You are, without a doubt, the most gorgeous bitch in this place, and I mean that literally.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Why do I get the feeling that’s not a compliment?”

“Because you didn’t grow up around show dogs the way we did. Believe me when I tell you that we are surrounded by some of the best specimens of bitchery the world has to offer.” Caleb reached down and patted Wheezy’s head. “Present company excluded, of course.”

Wheezy took no offense at this. He sat at Spencer’s feet, looking unkempt and more like a dog than Spencer had ever seen him, with his tongue lolling and an occasional thump of his tail.

“Shouldn’t you be passing around your business card and trying to drum up business or something?” Spencer asked with a pointed look toward the rest of the gym—anywhere in the rest of the gym. “I thought you came here to schmooze.”