“Hold out your hand, Randall.”
I tore my eyes from Harper to stare at him. “Are you insane? She could rip my hand off with those things. It’s like someone shovedJawsdown a cute dog’s throat.”
This time he wasn’t amused.
I held out my hand.
After a few more sniffs, Harper surprised me by walking directly to my hand, not even bothering with Noah. She sniffed my fingers, and I praised my determination that I didn’t pull away. When she stopped, Harper surprised me once more by walking around my outstretched arm and crawling into my lap. She plopped her back-quarters down on my leg and looked up toward my face. Our eyes met. Hers were a watery yellow-brown. Not pretty.
And yet….
With a snort, she snuggled in close to me, and rested her head under my chest.
I continued to stare at the fat, rather hideous dog, and ran my fingers down over her back.
Another snort.
So not cute.
And yet….
I wondered if Bailey would scream when she met her.
Huh. I suddenly realized I’d made up my mind.
Bailey was going to meet Harper. My new dog.
My new ugly dog. Who was warm and heavy in my lap. Snorting more than a dog, or anything else other than a pig, should. Tongue lolling over terrifyingly hideous teeth. Staring up at me like I’d created the entire world just for her.
I looked over at Noah, who was beaming.
“I thought so.”
Within half an hour, I was driving back to my apartment, Harper snoring contently in my lap, Noah’s phone number saved in my cell.
Chapter Three
I’D SPENTthousands of hours in front of my computer tinkering on Photoshop. While many times it was exhausting or made my eyes bloodshot, I’d not found the experience a lonely one. Creating art, even when I was by myself for hours, never felt solitary. At least not in a depressing way. I always saw it as bringing beauty into the world, making new life in a way. I thought I was completely satisfied with my living situation, with how I’d chosen to live in this world.
Apparently what they said about not missing what you didn’t know was true.
After four days of Harper invading my space, I couldn’t picture any other way to live. How had I spent countless hours adjusting photos on the computer without her warm weight on top of my feet? By the second day, she started begging to sit on my lap about half the time. I was going to have to find a new swivel chair with an extralarge seat to accommodate both of us.
Harper never left my side. If I got up to get a drink of water, she followed. Sat on the couch to watchProject Runway, she hopped up and commandeered my lap. Lay down in bed to sleep at night, she’d tap on the mattress with her two front paws until I scooped her up and put her between the sheets with me.
Harper had one accident in the house the day she arrived, but after that, she stood by the front door until I realized what she needed. I might have prettier teeth than she did, but it turned out she was smarter than me.
Taking her on walks sucked up more time away from Photoshop than I thought possible. I tripped over her at least three times a day. I cringed every time I had to pick up warm shit with a plastic bag. I promise to God, I screamed twice that first night when I woke up with her monster teeth inches from my face in the dark. She was the least feminine girl I’d ever met; she never stopped farting and snorting.
And I was completely in love.
THE FIFTHday of Harper’s and my love affair, the final test arrived. Although, as long as Harper was safe with Bailey, nothing else mattered. She was staying. If Bailey was upset about my dog being a hideous cute, she’d have to get used to it.
Harper and I had spent the morning doing final edits on Reggie’s photo shoot. It turned out even better than I’d hoped. I ended up leaving in his splotchy cheeks. They somehow made sense with battling a sea monster. I did a second version where I smoothed over his complexion, just to satiate his mother, but if she was willing, the imperfect version was the one I would add to my collection. I doubted it would be a problem to get Ms. Wells to sign off on the image release. She was definitely the type to want her son to be in the spotlight.
The doorbell rang, and Harper looked up at me expectantly from my lap. She never barked. Snorted, yes. Barked, no. Thank God. Noah really had known what I needed.
“Okay, girl. Hop down. There’s someone who is dying to meet you.”
