“Are you serious? That’s amazing, Eli, thank you.”
He sat down on a barstool next to her. “She’s had a rough life so far, and I want to do what I can to make it better.”
Cora watched him out of the corner of her eye. Eli seemed truly worried about Chanel, and Cora was touched that he was so invested in the pathetic dog. His gaze remained fixed on the bottom of the couch, as if willing Chanel to appear. “Why is she hiding? She likes both of us.”
“Yeah, but who knows what’s been going on in here for the past few days. Chanel seemed sensitive to Beth Ann’s moods, so if she was raging around the apartment it might have really freaked her out.”
They sat together in silence, each contemplating what might have transpired, and the journey ahead.
“Can I change her name? No self-respecting straight dude can hang with a toy poodle named Chanel.”
Cora laughed in agreement. “Of course! It’s easy, just say her new name, then give her a treat when she looks at you. Do it a bunch of times. Then she’ll realize that when she hears the new name something good is going to happen. What are you going to call her?”
“I like ‘Nell.’ Get it? Chanel,Nell?”
“Perfect! And I think her forever family will probably like it, too.” Cora studied his face as he answered.
“Take your time with Cha— I mean, Nell. She probably needs decompression time, right? What’s your roomie’s new dog’s name?”
“Josie.” Cora showed him a photo that Abby had taken of the two of them at the shelter.
“Pretty dog! And that’s a great photo of you. You’re really photogenic.”
She blushed. “Nah, it’s just the reflected glory of the beautiful blonde next to me.”
“Look.” Eli nodded toward the couch, and Cora could see Chanel’s nose peeking from under the skirt.
“Hey, sweetheart! You okay? Do you want to come see us?” Cora moved to the floor and sat angled slightly away from where Chanel was hiding. The frightened dog crawled out slowly with her head low to the ground.
“Look at her paw,” Eli said.
Chanel’s front right paw was a tie-dyed rainbow of rusty red near her toes fading to a light pink farther up her leg.
“Poor thing, she must have cut herself and then licked at it. No wonder she’s scared.”
Chanel made her way over to Cora slowly, favoring her injured paw, and rolled onto her back so that her belly was exposed. Cora reached out to stroke the trembling dog and gently examined her paw.
Eli watched the two of them. “Why is she acting like this? Where’s the wiggly dog I met outside? What the hell did Beth Ann do to her?” He sounded angry.
“I really hope Beth Ann didn’t do anythingtoher. I think Chanel is reacting to what happenedaroundher. Let’s CSI a little. Do you see broken glass anywhere? I’m guessing that she stepped in something and cut her foot.”
Eli surveyed the apartment and walked into the small kitchenette. “Yup, there’s broken glass and blood all over the kitchen floor. There’s a lot of blood, actually. Are you sure her paw is okay?”
Cora looked at the wound. “It’s a small cut, and it’s already clotted. It’s probably a mixture of her blood and Beth Ann’s.”
“How gothic.”
“Yeah, I really want to get out of this place. There is some bad juju in here. I hope your apartment is a little cheerier.”
Eli walked over and placed a small bowl of water in front of the dog. She barely sniffed it and turned away. “Is Chan— I mean, Nell ready to head out?”
Cora studied the trembling dog beside her. Nell was a shadow of the dog she had met a few weeks prior. Cora hoped that a change in scenery would bring some of her spunk back. “Yeah, I’d say she’s as good as she can get right now. Since she’s going to be hanging with you for a bit, can you run her outside for a potty break, and I’ll unpack the supplies at your place? I want her to get used to you.”
“Yup, I’ll bring you down to my place and head out with her.”
Eli reached down and gently picked Nell up. He tucked her beneath his chin and walked to the door whispering to her under his breath. Cora heard the wordsnegative energyandnew start. She followed him down the hall silently, churchlike reverence feeling appropriate for the moment.
“This is me.” Eli swung open the door to his apartment. “I’ll do the potty break, you can get her stuff ready.” Cora handed him a leash, and they nodded at each other.
