Puppy Love, Volumes 1 to 13 Page 5

  "I better take him," Jessica said, reluctantly reaching for Baxter's leash.

  "Yeah, I should get going anyway. I have a shift that starts at six in the morning."

  They paused in the doorway, just inches apart, and Jessica wondered if Bruce was going to kiss her, but then Baxter started barking and clawing at the door, frantic to get outside, and the moment was lost.

  Jessica opened the door and Baxter immediately started pulling her towards the grassy space by the parking lot.

  "See ya," Bruce said and walked away in the opposite direction.

  "See ya," Jessica called back to him.

  She watched Bruce walk away wondering when exactly that might be.

  * * *

  Days passed and Jessica saw no sign of Bruce. Three in the morning or three in the afternoon, it didn't matter.

  Because Bruce was nowhere to be found.

  * * *

  After a week, Jessica decided it was time to write Bruce off. If he was interested, he knew where to find her.

  Seems he hadn't felt what she had that night.

  * * *

  After two weeks she told herself she'd really, truly given up on him. Forget the fact that she now rolled over in bed three or four times a night to look at the clock and had even forced Baxter to go outside one night at three in the morning just in case.

  This time she was well and truly over him.

  There were other hot doctors out there that would love her puppy. She just had to find them.

  * * *

  The next morning when she stumbled out the door at six a.m. for Baxter's first walk of the day, she almost tripped over the teddy bear leaning against her door. She scooped it up before Baxter could start chewing on it.

  It was adorable. Dressed in a white and blue dress, it matched the colors of her apartment perfectly. Whoever this was from hadn't just bought any old stuffed animal. They'd bought this bear especially for Jessica.

  There was a small note tied around its neck that read:

  I'm so sorry for screwing up. Please give me another chance. Dinner for you and Baxter tonight at 7 at your place? If yes, put Baxter's leash on the door. If not, I'll understand.

  The note wasn't signed.

  Jessica stared at it for a long moment. So long that Baxter started barking at her, demanding her attention.

  Absentmindedly, she led Baxter over to the grass.

  It must be from Bruce. Who else could it be from? She danced a little happy dance until she remembered that anyone might see her.

  * * *

  Jessica spent an hour doing her makeup just right so she looked fantastic while also looking like she hadn't put on any makeup at all. She debated throwing on a dress, but with Baxter liable to drag her outside at any moment, settled for her most flattering pair of jeans and a cute top.

  At 6:45, she hung Baxter's leash on the door and sat down to wait.

  * * *

  At 6:55 she heard a knock on the door and rushed to open it. Of course he'd be early like any good gentleman should.

  She swung the door open wide, a smile on her face as she said, "Come in."

  It was Rick.

  "Wow, I hadn't expected that nice a welcome," he said as he stepped inside.

  He handed her the leash as he brushed past her.

  Jessica was too shocked to stop him. She'd been so certain the bear had been from Bruce. It had never even occurred to her that Rick might have left it.

  But he had been a decent guy up until those last few minutes, so it wasn't inconceivable…

  Baxter saw Rick and immediately ran to the bedroom to get away from him.

  Jessica knew she should tell Rick to leave, that she hadn't thought the bear was from him, but she didn't want to cause a scene. She checked on Baxter and saw that he'd curled up under the bed, his face resting on his paws as he watched her with his sad green eyes.

  "I know, buddy," she said before closing the bedroom door.

  Normally Baxter would start barking if he was locked in a different room from her, but he didn't.

  "What can I do for you, Rick?" Jessica asked, standing at the edge of the living room, her arms crossed tight across her chest.

  Rick ran his hands through his hair and let out a deep breath. "I've been doing a lot of thinking the last couple weeks. And…I'm sorry if what I said that night upset you. After a beer or two, I don't think sometimes and the words just come out. I didn't mean anything by it, you know."

  Jessica shook her head. "I'm sorry, Rick. I really appreciate the bear and all. It was a sweet gesture. But…I don't want to be with anyone that talks to my dog like that. Or about women like that."

  He grimaced. "Like what I said was that big a deal. Come on. You'd really turn me down because I yelled at your dog? He licked my ear."

  "Yes. Yes, I would turn you down for that."

  Rick looked like he was sucking on a lemon. "You know, you're lucky you're so damned hot. Because I can't imagine a man that would put up with this kind of crap if you weren't."

  "That's it," Jessica snapped. "Get out. Oh, and you can take your bear, too." Jessica grabbed the bear and shoved it at him.

  Rick stared at the bear in his hands, clearly confused. "What the hell's this?"

  "The bear you left on my doorstep this morning. I don't want it."

  His eyebrows pressed downward in a frown. "I didn't leave this stupid thing for you."

  Jessica gasped. "You didn't?"

  He sneered. "No. Teddy bears are for children, not grown women."

  Bruce. So Bruce had left the bear, which meant he was coming to her apartment any minute now.

  She glanced at the clock. It was already 7:10. Crap.

  "Get out. Get out now." She pushed Rick towards the door, ripping the bear from his hands.

  "Your loss," he shrugged as she held the door open for him.

  It was her loss; just not in the way Rick thought.

  "Go," Jessica said, gesturing him outside.

  He moseyed out the door as if it was all his idea to leave.

  Jessica glanced around, frantic for a sight of Bruce, but he was nowhere in sight. She glanced back at the door, realizing that he'd probably come to her door at seven, seen that the leash wasn't on the door, and left.

  Darn it.

  She rushed back into the apartment, grabbed Baxter, and ran outside.

  She knew which building Bruce lived in. It was just a question of figuring out which apartment. How many choices were there? Ten? Twenty?

  She didn't care. She was determined to find him and apologize.

  * * *

  The apartment buildings were set up so each apartment's door opened to the outside with eight per level and three levels to each building. Jessica started with apartment 101 of the building she thought was Bruce's.

  No one answered.

  Apartment 102 was an old man with bad hearing who didn't understand what she said when she asked if he knew where Bruce lived.

  Apartment 103 also didn't answer.

  Apartment 104 was answered by a young woman with blank eyes who said she was just babysitting and didn't know anyone in the building.

  Jessica continued to have the same bad luck with apartments 105, 106, 107, and 108.

  By that point, the excitement of realizing the bear really had been left by Bruce was starting to wear off and she realized she looked like a complete and utter idiot going door-to-door trying to find him.

  What if this wasn't even his building? There were two others past this one. What if he lived in one of those instead?

  She paused at the base of the stairs, staring upward, wondering if she should just give up now. Maybe it was fate that Rick had shown up instead of Bruce.

  Just then, Baxter yanked out of her grip and took off running across the courtyard, barking.

  "Baxter! Come back here." Jessica took off running after him, not even looking where she was going.

  Baxter ran like a bullet across the courtyard and barreled in
to a man wearing khaki pants.

  "Hello there, Baxter. Long time no see." Bruce knelt down and let Baxter cover him in excited puppy kisses.

  Jessica stopped cold. Now that Bruce was in front of her, she didn't know what to say.

  Bruce glanced up at her. "I guess I was too late, huh? Should know a woman like you wasn't going to stay single for long."

  She shook her head. "No. Not at all. You did leave the bear, right?"

  She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

  Bruce nodded. "Yeah. I thought after two weeks I needed to do something more than just knock on your door. But when I went by at seven…" He shrugged. "I could hear a man's voice and there was no leash on the door, so I figured that was it."

  Jessica laughed and shook her head back and forth. "No, it was all a misunderstanding. I thought the bear was from you so I put the leash on the door, but then Rick showed up right before seven asking for another chance and I thought I must've been wrong and that it was really from him and not you. And I didn't want to give him another chance, but I was stupid enough to let him in and…" She let out a deep breath. "By the time I realized my mistake it was already 7:10. I immediately came looking for you and…"

  Bruce stood up, waving her to silence. "It's okay. Because I still have the food and you got rid of him. So, all good, right?"

  She stepped back, suddenly unsure. As much as she liked Bruce, she didn't really want to date some guy who disappeared for weeks at a time and then apologized with presents. "Where were you anyway?"

  He grimaced. "Long story. I'll tell you the details over dinner. Short version is my sister went into early labor in Chicago the same night you and I had dinner and I flew there the next morning to be with my family. I only got back yesterday."

  "Is she okay?"

  He bobbed his head side to side. "Yes and no. She's alive, the baby's alive, but they have a long road ahead of them."

  "I'm so sorry."

  He laughed. "Don't be. It's not your fault. Now, come on, I'm starving. Let's eat."

  He scooped Baxter up in his arms and Baxter gave him a big kiss on the cheek before settling contentedly into place with his front paws on Bruce's shoulder and back legs cradled in Bruce's arm.

  Bruce threw his other arm around Jessica's shoulder. "I hope you like Filet Mignon and asparagus with a red wine sauce."

  "Sounds delicious." She glanced at him. "You mean you look like this AND you can cook?"

  He laughed. "Honestly? No. I just know a great restaurant that delivers."

  Jessica relaxed a bit, glad to know Bruce wasn't completely perfect.

  "Weird question for you," she said, before she could think better of it.

  "Yeah?"

  "Are your teeth real?"

  He threw his head back and laughed. "Yes." At Jessica's disappointed expression he added, "But don't worry, I have other flaws. I'll tell you all about them over dinner."

  * * *

  Turns out he did have a few more flaws, as we all do, but to Jessica, and Baxter, Bruce was pretty darned perfect. That dinner was the first of many pleasant nights they spent together.

  Puppy Love Surprise Adoption

  "Come on, Carla, it'll just be a moment." Lindsay parked the car and looked at her.

  "I can wait in the car. It looks busy." Carla glanced at the PetSmart. People were flooding in and out of the sliding glass doors, some with dogs or young children in tow. It looked like absolute chaos.

  "Oh, come on. It'll be fun. You can help me find Buster a new toy. Plus, if you come in, I won't need to get a cart. Please, please, please?"

  "Fine."

  As Carla opened the car door, she almost bumped into a woman maneuvering a young child and small dog into the car next to hers. She shook her head. The things she did for her friends…

  "We are definitely stopping for margaritas after this," she mumbled.

  Lindsay chewed on her lip for a moment. "Well, I guess Señor Rick's does have that patio. I'm sure they'd let me bring Buster."

  Carla cussed to herself. Once again she'd forgotten that her best friend now had a puppy and everything had changed. No more spontaneous weekend trips to take advantage of a great airfare deal. No more happy hours right after work.

  No more spontaneous Sunday afternoon margaritas…

  It wasn't that Carla didn't like dogs. She did. And Buster was adorable. It's just that she didn't really know what to do. She'd lost her best friend.

  To a dog.

  At least if Lindsay'd had a kid, Carla would've had nine months to prepare for the change. But this had happened overnight.

  She followed Lindsay through the store, marveling at all the toy options they had for puppies. Rope toys and rubber toys and hard plastic toys. They even had teething rings.

  And various parts of dead animals.

  "Is that really alligator meat?" she asked, picking up a small green bag and waving it at Lindsay.

  "Crazy, isn't it?"

  "Yeah. When I was growing up my dog got kibble. No dog toys. No treats. No special seat belts for riding in the car…" She shook her head. "This is insane."

  "You just wait. You'll see."

  "Wait for what?" When Lindsay just gave her a knowing look, Carla shook her head. "No. I am too busy for a dog."

  Lindsay shrugged. "So was I until I saw Buster's adorable little puppy face."

  Carla laughed, but didn't say anything more. Of course she'd love to have a dog. But it wouldn't be fair. She had too busy a life. She liked to travel. She went to yoga three times a week. She liked to stay out until two in the morning on Friday nights.

  No, she was definitely not going to get a dog anytime soon.

  As they made their way to the back of the store where the PetsHotel was, Carla saw that the back aisles of the store were crowded with people on chairs, each with a dog sitting in front of them.

  "Oh, it's an adoption day. Come on, let's see what they have." Lindsay grabbed Carla's arm and dragged her forward.

  "You already have a dog, Lindsay." Carla slowed her steps.

  Lindsay flashed her a smile. "I know, but you don't."

  Carla pulled away. "And I don't want one."

  But Carla continued to trail along behind Lindsay. The first few dogs were small—Pomeranians and Chihuahuas and the like. She had nothing against them, but small dogs did absolutely nothing for her. She'd grown up with Goldens and Chows. A small dog just didn't make any sense to her.

  The next dog in the row was an older German Shepherd. She knelt down and scratched his ears and he licked her palm.

  "Good boy," she said, giving him one more scratch before she moved on down the line.

  He'd been nice, but if she ever did get a dog it was going to be female and a puppy.

  At the end of the row was a short metal fence, about four feet across. Sound asleep in the middle of the space, twisted almost in half with her legs thrust into the air, was a young puppy. She was mostly beige except for the end of her muzzle, which was black, and her little ears, which were black and dark brown.

  For some reason the puppy reminded Carla of Dobby the house elf from Harry Potter.

  She smiled.

  "What kind is she?" Carla asked the young man sitting next to the fence.

  He shrugged. "Grade A mutt. She's a cutie, though. And she'll be big someday. Look at those paws."

  Carla glanced at the puppy's paws and saw that the man was right. If she grew into them, she'd be huge.

  The puppy rolled over, yawning, and glanced around at all the people crowding around her.

  "She's so calm," Carla said, still keeping her voice low even though the puppy was now awake.

  "Yeah. She's a mellow one, all right." The man reached down and scratched the puppy's ears. She leaned into his hand until he was supporting almost all of her weight. Carla laughed.

  She knelt down next to the fence. "You like that, huh?" she said to the puppy, softening her voice to a gentle sing-song.

  She reached
her hand out and the puppy stumbled over to her and started licking her hand.

  The man said, "She has a thing for lotion. She'll lick your hands until it's all gone."

  Carla tried to pet the puppy's head, but the puppy kept turning her nose so she could keep licking Carla's hand. Carla laughed and turned it into a little game.

  "How old is she?" Carla asked.

  "About four months old? We're not quite sure, but she's still pretty young."

  "What happened to her original owners?"

  He shrugged. "We found her on the street."

  Carla stared at him, "Really?"

  He nodded.

  "Oh you poor thing." She finally managed to scratch behind the puppy's ears and the puppy gave a deep sigh of satisfaction.

  "You can pick her up if you want to," the man said.

  "Okay." Carla picked the puppy up and cradled her in her arms. The puppy immediately started trying to lick Carla's face but she ducked away so the pup only reached her ear.

  Lindsay stepped forward then, a small smile on her face. "So, I'm thinking margaritas are out."

  Carla stared at her. "Why?"

  "Well, 'cause you're going to have a new puppy to take care of. You'll want to get her home and settled in."

  Carla shook her head. "Oh no, I'm not going to adopt her. What would I do with a puppy?"

  "Oh, come on, Carla. You have to get her. She's perfect for you. And then when she's old enough I'll have someone to go to the dog park with. Come on, come on, come on. You have to do it."

  Carla shook her head and put the puppy back down. When she stepped away, the puppy started crying and tried to jump on the fence. The young man pulled her down gently and tried to distract her with a small rope toy, but the pup kept staring at Carla.

  "Look at that face, Carla. How can you say no to her?"

  Carla tore her gaze away from the puppy. "Because I would be a terrible puppy mom. I have a busy life."

  Lindsay rolled her eyes. "You'll still have a busy life. It'll just involve a puppy instead of random idiotic men who never stick around for any length of time."