Cora hung up and immediately texted Fran. “Hi there, can u pls give me Eli’s #?”
Fran texted, “Be still my heart! Do you need to tell me something?”
“Haha. No, I have a canine emergency and I think he can help.” Fran texted his number and included a few heart emojis.
Cora tried constructing a concise text detailing what had just happened down the hall from him, but she couldn’t find a suitable way to express everything. She entered his number, hoping he’d pick up.
“This is Eli,” he said, sounding like he was still at the office.
“Eli, hey, it’s Cora Bellamy, the dog trainer?”
“Cora, hi! What a surprise! What’s going on?”
She outlined what she knew about Beth Ann’s breakdown, hoping that he would put the pieces together so she didn’t have to ask him outright.
“That’s so sad! I feel terrible I wasn’t more plugged in when I saw her around. So how can I help?” He wasn’t making the leap.
“Eli, this is a huge imposition, and I feel totally awkward asking you, but you really seemed to connect with Chanel...”
“Oh my God—Chanel! I’m so stupid. Yes, of course I can watch her for a night or two. It’s the least I can do.”
Cora didn’t want to push for a lifetime commitment right out of the gate. “That would be great! A night or two would be a big help. Can you start ... tonight?”
Eli tripped over his words. “Tonight? Um, I sort of have plans but I’m sure I can postpone it. Anything for Chanel, right?”
She paused, wondering what sort of plans Eli might have. A date? “They left her key at the front desk. I can run over in a few hours and help you get her set up.”
“Fantastic. I literally have nothing dog-related in my apartment. I can go out and get stuff tomorrow, but can you bring me, like, dog food and bowls? Or can we grab stuff from Beth Ann’s apartment?”
“Have you ever been in her apartment? I’ll bring supplies for you, don’t worry.”
Eli sighed. “This situation sucks for Beth Ann, but I’m excited to help Chanel.”
“I bet she’ll be ecstatic to hang with you. She really seemed to like you,” Cora said, hoping that her subliminal suggestions were working. “I’ll text you when I get to your building.”
Cora hung up, took a breath, and mentally compiled the supplies she’d need for Eli and Chanel. Cora was thrilled that the little dog was going to finally be free of the dungeon apartment, but she felt awful about the price Beth Ann had to pay. But Eli was a dream foster parent: kind, loving, patient, and willing to step up to help without a second thought—a perfect solution!
THIRTY-ONE
“Can I just leave my ID with you while I go up? Remember, I was here a few weeks ago and I walked her dog through the lobby? I swear, I’m just here to get Chanel. Eli Crawford is going to watch her.” She tilted the bag of supplies so the guard could see inside. “See? I brought a bunch of stuff for him.” Cora couldn’t believe that Pamela Devlin had forgotten to leave word at the front desk that the key was for her. The security guard Cora had passed three times had no recollection of ever seeing her and refused to hand it over. Pamela wasn’t answering her phone so she texted Eli.
Eli was in the lobby minutes after she texted him. “Yo, Teddy, why are you hassling this young lady? Does she look like a criminal to you?” He wore a green hoodie with a craft beer logo on the chest and jeans. She’d never seen him out of work clothes, and she had to admit that he looked kind of cute, in an approachable way.
“What up, Eli? I’m just doing my job, and yes, she seems like the shady type to me.” The security guard finally cracked a smile.
Eli joined Cora at the desk and gave her a wink. “We need to help out a little space alien in distress, and we heard that you have the key to the galaxy. How do we go about securing it?”
“I’ll giveyouthe key no problem, as long as you accompany this character.” Cora smiled and rolled her eyes but remained quiet.
“You have my word that I won’t let her out of my sight.” Eli shifted gears. “So did you hear what happened with Beth Ann?”
“Hear what happened? I saw it, man. Rough stuff,” Teddy answered.
Eli leaned in conspiratorially and pushed his glasses up. “Tell us. How bad was it?”
“Well, her mom and dad came rushing in here yesterday like her apartment was on fire or something. An hour later, they come down with Beth Ann, and that poor girl was a mess. Crying like someone died and shaking, all wrapped up in a blanket like a baby. Bare feet, all dirty and nasty. I felt so bad for her. She was always real nice. A little strange sometimes, but just a real nice girl.”
“Yeah, she was,” Eli said glumly. “I mean, sheis. And now she’ll get the help she needs.”
