Chapter 222

“Good girl.” Andy hugged her, and headed back up the sidewalk toward the doctor’s office. 14

Scooter was not drunk.

Or at least, not as much as he wanted to be. He’d gotten out a bottle of vodka, a fresh one, and unscrewed the cap. Poured a shot. Stared at it for a while.

Considered actually just drinking straight from the bottle. He hadn’t done that in a long while, but it would get the job done.

Didn’t.

It boiled down to one simple fact: he was somebody’s parent now and having Billie walk in that door and see him falling down shitfaced wasn’t going to be good for her. He had a responsibility to someone else, someone who couldn’t be responsible for themselves.

He drank the one shot.

Carefully twisted the lid back on the bottle. Put it back under the sink.

Sat down on the sofa and just stared at the wall.

Discovered a few minutes later that he’d acquired a kitten in his lap and a dog with his chin on Scooter’s thigh. Huh.