Puppy Love, Volumes 1 to 13 Page 6

  Carla glared at Lindsay. "Gee, thanks for that."

  Lindsay shrugged. "It's true. Wouldn't you rather have a puppy who loves you unconditionally than date another guy like George?"

  Lindsay had a point, but Carla wasn't going to admit it. Carla turned away from the puppy and her sad brown eyes. "Come on, Linds, let's go. I'm sure Buster is ready to get out of here and go home."

  Lindsay gave her a long look but turned towards the PetsHotel without another word.

  * * *

  As they stood at the counter waiting for the friendly woman to retrieve Buster from day camp—It was crazy. When did people start treating puppies like furry versions of kids?—Carla kept glancing back towards the puppy.

  The puppy was crying. Softly, but the sound went straight through Carla.

  She had started crying the minute Carla walked away and hadn't stopped yet even though some young kids were trying to play with her. She kept avoiding them and watching Carla through the metal fence.

  "Stupid puppy," a little girl said and kicked at the fence. "I want it." She tugged on her mother's dress.

  The puppy backed away from the girl.

  On the mother's other side was a sullen little boy who looked like the type to tie cans to a kitten's tail and make it run.

  "How much?" the woman asked the young man.

  "We're running an adoption special. It's only sixty dollars if you agree to take the puppy home today. That includes a free spay appointment when she reaches six months old."

  The woman glared down at the puppy. "I'll give you forty for her. Not a penny more." She tore the little girl's hand away from her dress. "Stop it," she hissed.

  Carla flinched, imagining what that home must be like.

  "I'll have to ask my manager if that's okay." The young man started to stand up, but before he could move Carla was at his side, gently holding him in place with a hand to his shoulder.

  "Sorry about the confusion. I had to take that call. I will take the puppy after all. You said sixty dollars, right?" She stared into the man's eyes willing him to go along with her. There was no way she was going to stand there and watch this horrid family adopt that adorable little puppy.

  "Um…I can get the paperwork for you?" he asked.

  "Great."

  While the young man walked over to grab a clipboard, Carla picked the puppy back up.

  "Hey, that's my puppy!" the little girl screamed at her.

  Carla smiled at her. "No, I'm sorry, it isn't. This is my puppy."

  Before the girl could say anything further, the mother grabbed her arm and dragged her away. "You heard the lady, Courtney. We'll get you a puppy some other day."

  Carla let out a deep sigh.

  As she looked around, she saw that the other volunteers were packing up.

  "Are you guys done for the day?" she asked as the young man returned.

  "Yeah." He glared at her. "You're not going to adopt her, are you?"

  The puppy had snuggled into Carla's arms and fallen asleep. She glanced down at the little ball of beige fur, her black nose resting on Carla's forearm.

  "What happens to her if I don't?" she asked.

  He shrugged. "I don't know. Her current foster family can't keep her past Friday, so we either find her another foster family or she goes to a shelter. I'm sure someone will adopt her from there."

  Carla glanced towards the front of the store where the little boy was throwing stuffed animals from a center-aisle display onto the floor.

  Someone like that family could still adopt the puppy. Carla hadn't saved her from anything.

  Unless…

  She glanced down at the puppy and sighed. Some rational part of her mind told her she was going to regret this, but her heart said she wasn't.

  "I'll take her."

  The guy smiled. "Really?"

  She nodded. "Yeah. Really."

  Just then, Lindsay walked up to her with Buster, her six-month-old Newfie. "You're going to get her?"

  Carla nodded. "Yeah. This is all your fault, you know."

  Lindsay laughed. "Good. She'll change your life. In a good way, I promise."

  Carla shook her head. "Just get me through this before I come to my senses."

  * * *

  Half an hour later, Carla left the store with a puppy snuggled in her arms and a whole shopping cart full of food, three different types of toys, a dog bowl, a puppy bed, a crate, a leash, a collar, and who knows what other things Lindsay had insisted she'd need.

  She shook her head in amazement, but already she couldn't imagine not having Sophia—that's what she'd name the puppy—in her life.

  * * *

  After a week of working from home, Carla felt like she'd finally started to figure out what she was doing. Thankfully, she had a small fenced backyard and Sophia had already been housetrained. So it was just a matter of trying to keep the pup from eating anything and everything in her path.

  Carla had never realized how many weeds, leaves, pinecones, twigs, and rocks were in her yard until she found herself trying to pry each and every one of those things out of the pup's mouth. And cleaning up the results when she failed to and the pup threw it back up an hour or two later.

  She'd bought a crate for the pup, but she just couldn't bring herself to leave Sophia at home alone for ten hours while she went to work. Forget the fact that her family had done exactly that with every dog they'd ever owned; Sophia was like Carla's child.

  She laughed at herself. To think just a week ago she'd been mocking everyone for treating their dogs like children and now here she was taking her dog into doggy day camp because she just couldn't bring herself to leave Sophia home alone and miserable each day.

  * * *

  That first morning of taking Sophia to day camp was a bit like dropping off your child for their first day of school. Carla was a wreck wondering how Sophia would be with the other dogs and bringing way too many things with her that weren't even needed.

  Sophia thought it was a fantastic adventure. She spent the wait in line sniffing the display cases and trying to eat bits of food off the floor.

  As they stood in line at seven in the morning waiting to get checked in—it was crazy how many people dropped their dogs off at day care—Carla happened to glance behind her and see the cutest black lab puppy. Sophia saw him, too, and they were soon licking and pawing at each other, both still too young to quite know how to play.

  Carla laughed as she watched them wrestling on the floor.

  "They're certainly getting along well, aren't they?" the lab's owner asked her, his voice a surprisingly deep baritone.

  Carla glanced up into the warmest brown eyes she'd ever seen. "Uh, yeah, they're quite the pair." She blushed and then blushed some more when she realized she'd just blushed.

  The lab's owner was incredibly appealing. He wasn't gorgeous by any definition, but he had an aura to him that sucked Carla right in. It was like he radiated kindness. And calm. She was mesmerized.

  "Ma'am? Ma'am?" the woman at the front desk called.

  Carla shook herself out of her daze. "Come on, Sophia. Time to check in." She scooped Sophia up and turned away, trying to figure out what had just happened.

  It was like the day she'd adopted Sophia, but worse. She felt like a spinning top that had just been knocked on its side, still moving, but only out of inertia.

  * * *

  Carla looked for the man each morning, but she didn't see him for the rest of the week. Sophia settled into their new routine like a champ. Her little pawgress reports each day said she loved playing with the other dogs and the staff. And when they got home, she curled up on the floor at Carla's feet and fell fast asleep.

  After two weeks, Carla realized she hadn't gone out once and hadn't been to yoga class since the day she brought Sophia home. And, surprisingly, she didn't really care. She didn't miss it. She just enjoyed coming home and spending time with her pup.

  Lindsay brought Buster over on Saturday and they let the pup
s roll around together in the backyard as they shared a bottle of wine.

  "I told you, didn't I?" Lindsay said as she emptied the last of the bottle into her glass.

  Carla nodded. "Yeah, you certainly did." She shook her head, marveling at how quickly her life could change.

  "Now to just find you a man," Lindsay said, toasting the air.

  Carla laughed, but her immediate thought was of the kind man with the black lab puppy. She'd already found a man, she just needed to find him again.

  * * *

  Monday when Carla went to pick up Sophia, the young woman at the check-out desk, Jenny, said, "Come here. I have to show you something."

  She led Carla over to the glass door that looked into the playroom for the small dogs and puppies. "Look. There in the corner. That's Sophia and her boyfriend, Casper. They played all day together. The two are inseparable."

  Carla looked to where Jenny pointed and saw Sophia passed out asleep with the little black lab puppy from the week before draped across her body, also sound asleep.

  "That is adorable. I feel bad taking her home right now." She glanced back at the check-out desk. "Do you know when Casper's owner is coming to pick him up?"

  "I can check." Jenny went back to the desk and looked at a piece of paper. "It says 5:30." She glanced at the wall clock. "So, about ten minutes?"

  "I can wait until he gets here. Let 'em sleep." She turned back to the glass door and continued to watch Sophia and Casper as they snuggled together.

  She probably would've waited no matter who Casper's owner was, but the fact that Casper's owner was the kind man with the brown eyes made her decision a no-brainer.

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, the puppies were starting to wake up. Someone had come for another one of the dogs in the room and the commotion had caused Sophia and Casper to stir a bit. They were still lying down, but Casper was moving around a lot more and his puppy wiggling was starting to make Sophia restless.

  Carla glanced back to see the man from the week before walking towards the desk. He still radiated that calmness that she remembered from the first time they'd met, so she didn't hesitate to approach him.

  "Here, I want to show you something," she said, motioning for him to follow her back to the door.

  He looked confused, but followed.

  Carla pointed at the puppies. They'd shifted so they were now sleeping side-by-side, both resting their faces on their paws. "Jenny said they played together all day. And when I came to pick Sophia up ten minutes ago they were sound asleep with Casper sprawled on top of Sophia. Here." She pulled out her phone and showed him the picture she'd taken.

  He smiled and Carla stared at him like an idiot because that smile transformed his average features into something amazing and beautiful.

  "That's adorable." He handed her the phone back and turned to look into the room once more.

  Casper noticed him then and started barking as he ran over to the glass door. Sophia was right behind him when she saw Carla.

  "Well, there goes that moment," Carla said, chuckling, as the two puppies scratched at the door and cried.

  The man laughed. "That's life with puppies, isn't it? One moment they're passed out asleep, the next they're running around like banshees."

  As the room attendant scooped up the puppies, Carla turned to the man. She didn't know what to say, but she didn't want him to disappear again. Who knew when they'd cross paths again.

  "So…do you bring Casper here often?"

  He shook his head. "I try not to. I work from home and can generally take care of him while I'm working. But sometimes I have conference calls I have to take so I bring him here when that happens."

  "Oh. That's too bad."

  "Why?" He tipped his head sideways.

  She waved vaguely at the puppy room. "Well they seemed to get along so well. It'd be nice if they got to see each other regularly."

  He nodded to himself. "So you bring Sophia every day?"

  "Yeah. I don't work from home and I couldn't see leaving her by herself for ten hours a day."

  Before either one could say more, Jenny came out of the back with Sophia racing ahead of her. Sophia jumped up on Carla's legs and Carla laughed. "Well, hello there. Did you have fun today?"

  Sophia wagged her tail and barked once.

  "I'll take that as a yes."

  The man knelt down and Sophia turned her attention to him, jumping up and licking his face. He glanced up at Carla. "So this is Sophia?"

  "Yeah. I named her after Sophia Loren. My favorite actress."

  He laughed. "I like it." He stood back up. "By the way, I'm Rob."

  "Carla." She shook his hand and had to force herself to let go.

  They stood there for a moment in awkward silence until Jenny brought out Casper. Instead of running to his dad, Casper ran over to Sophia and started trying to bite her ear. Within moments the two puppies had completely tangled their leashes together and Carla and Rob had to pick the puppies up and unclip their leashes to fix the mess.

  "They really do like each other, don't they?" Rob said once they'd finally separated the leashes and puppies.

  "Seems so." Carla glanced at him and away again.

  She wanted desperately to suggest getting the puppies together for a play date, but she just didn't know how to approach it.

  "Well…" Carla said, "I better get this one home. It's supper time."

  "Yeah. Me, too."

  They both paused, but neither one said anything, so Carla finally turned and walked away, cradling Sophia to her chest.

  She felt like a fool. How hard was it to ask a man to see him again? But there were so many ways that could go wrong that she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

  She kissed Sophia on the forehead. "Your mama's a bit of a fool, baby girl," she said, as they walked outside.

  * * *

  Carla had just placed Sophia in the back of her Range Rover when Rob and Casper came out of the store.

  "Carla!" he called out, waving at her as he crossed to the parking lot.

  "Yes?"

  "I was wondering…What do you think about getting the pups together over the weekend to play?"

  "That'd be great." She tried not to bounce in happiness. "What did you have in mind?"

  Rob looked blank. "Uh. I don't know. I haven't really taken Casper to any dog parks yet…Um…"

  "How about this? You guys can come over to my place. I have a small yard they can run around in. And that way we don't have to worry about other dogs and stuff like that."

  Rob smiled and Carla wanted to swoon at his feet. "That's perfect."

  They exchanged numbers and details, Carla trying to hide her excitement the whole time.

  She waited until she was a full block away from the store before letting out a small whoop of triumph.

  * * *

  Carla was distracted the whole week waiting for Saturday to arrive. She cleaned her house three times, even windexing the windows and wiping down the front door because she thought it looked dusty.

  At nine forty-five she found herself pacing back and forth in the living room, nervously waiting for Rob and Casper to arrive. She checked that her phone was charged just in case something came up and Rob had to call to cancel or for directions or…

  But he didn't. Rob arrived at exactly ten o'clock, carrying a large grocery bag in one arm while leading Casper through the front gate with the other.

  The minute Casper was through the gate, Sophia ran up to him and the two started to roll and tumble around the yard.

  Rob stumbled since he was still holding on to Casper's leash and carrying the heavy grocery bag. Carla ran to his rescue, quickly managing to release Casper so he and Sophia could go tearing across the yard together.

  "Wow, those two really do like to play, don't they?" Rob said, laughing.

  "Yeah, they certainly do." Carla glanced back at him. "Can I help with anything?"

  He shook his head. "No. I just figured since yo
u were providing the venue, I could provide the snacks. I hope that's okay?"

  "Oh, absolutely." Carla decided she wouldn't let him see the cheese and meat board that she'd prepared just for his visit.

  * * *

  Carla and Rob spent the next hour snacking on all the delicious foods that Rob had brought while they watched Casper and Sophia tear through the yard. Within moments both puppies had little bits of grass and leaves sticking out of their coats, but neither one seemed to care.

  It was one of the best hours Carla had spent with a man in years. She was almost always dating someone or other, but none of the men she'd dated recently could hold a candle to Rob. Not only did he radiate that amazing calm kindness, but he was extremely intelligent and witty.

  She was smitten.

  The pups finally collapsed into a heap in the middle of the yard, falling soundly asleep on top of each other.

  "It seems a shame to disturb them," Rob said, glancing at the two as they twitched their little puppy paws in their sleep.

  Carla bit her lip as she watched Rob. "Well, I have nowhere to be. You and Casper are welcome to stay as long as you'd like."

  Rob shrugged. "Okay. If you don't mind. I don't have anywhere to be either."

  Carla dusted off the backgammon board she'd buried in the back of her closet and they spent the next two hours playing backgammon while the puppies slept.

  * * *

  When the puppies finally did awaken once more and started running around the yard, Carla and Rob looked at each other, shrugged and kept playing. They were talking as much as they were playing. The game was just a convenient way to keep their hands occupied and give them something to talk about when the conversation showed signs of winding down.

  (Not that it really did. They were so at ease with each other, Carla thought they could spend days together and never run out of things to say.)

  * * *