It was an awkward dinner. On the one hand, I couldn’t stop smiling. This cabin was my dream home. I’d live within walking distance of my parents’ house. I could foster as many dogs as I wanted—within reason, of course. And I’d get to make my home in a place where I already had so many happy memories.
Phoebe had been quiet since she told me the news, her expression hesitant, as if she wasn’t sure where she belonged anymore. A part of me felt like I was kicking her out of her house, even though she’d never planned to live here.
Once I bought it, she’d be a guest in her grandmother’s cabin, but what was the alternative? I couldn’t ask her to sell her condo in Boston and buy a house with me two months after coming back into her life. That would be premature and presumptuous, and she didn’t even have a job yet. So we shared stilted dinner conversation while we ate chicken cordon bleu casserole, and I hoped the answer would present itself to me before it was too late.
In the kitchen, one of the puppies let out a loud yip, and Phoebe rolled her eyes, displaying the playful annoyance that was her usual reaction to them. She loved them, but she was ready for them to go to their forever homes, and I couldn’t blame her. They were a lot to handle.
“I think we could try introducing Minnie and Violet soon,” I told her.
“Oh yeah?” She glanced across the table at me. “That would simplify things, wouldn’t it?”
I nodded. “What if I bring Minnie over for a hike tomorrow, and you join us with Violet? I know she’s not in shape to go far, but meeting outside on neutral ground, away from the puppies, should be a good way to make an introduction between them.”
Phoebe nodded. “Let’s do it.”
* * *
The next day, I drove straight to Phoebe’s house—soon to be my house—after work with Minnie in tow. I texted Phoebe when I arrived and then brought Minnie around back. We crossed the stream and headed onto the path so that she wouldn’t be meeting Violet on her own territory. I kept her on leash today so Violet wouldn’t feel ambushed.
A few minutes later, Phoebe appeared on the trail with Violet at her side. The dog stiffened when she caught sight of Minnie, and the hair along her spine raised in alarm.
“It’s okay,” Phoebe soothed, keeping a tight grip on the leash. “This is Taylor’s dog. We’re hoping you two might be friends.”
Minnie tugged at her leash, tail wagging enthusiastically. She’d never met a dog she didn’t want to be best friends with, so today’s success or failure would be up to Violet.
“Let’s start walking,” I suggested.
Phoebe fell into step beside me with Violet on her other side, and we walked for a few minutes, talking casually while the dogs stole glances at each other around our legs. By the time we’d reached the top of the hill, Violet was relaxed, tail up and tongue out.
“I think you can let them greet now,” I told Phoebe. “Don’t tense up. Just follow her lead. If anything starts to look bad, I’ll move Minnie out of reach.”
“Got it,” she said, looking nervous. Her nerves weren’t helping, but it wasn’t like I could just tell her not to worry. Luckily, Violet didn’t seem ruffled. She leaned forward and sniffed Minnie, who immediately took the opportunity to come around and sniff Violet’s butt. They sniffed and circled each other for a minute, and then I gestured to Phoebe that we should keep walking.
“We’ll turn around in a minute,” I told Phoebe. “I don’t want Violet to overdo it when she’s not used to hiking and still carrying some baby weight.”
“This is going really well,” Phoebe said as we reversed direction on the trail.
“It is,” I agreed. “We’ll do it again, and after the puppies are adopted, we can see how Violet feels about having Minnie in the house.”
“Who will take her after I move out?” Phoebe asked, looking at Violet, and the sadness in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Hopefully, I will,” I told her. “If they get along, I’ll foster her until she’s been spayed and adopted.”
“Good,” Phoebe said, nodding her approval. “I love that idea.”
“Will you stay too?” I asked. “Until you find a job and decide what you’re doing long-term?”
“For now,” she said. “But I have to pay rent or something. I can’t just crash in your house indefinitely.”
“Well, I want you to crash here until you find a job. We’ll figure out the rest afterward.”
“Okay,” she agreed, still looking hesitant. “Thank you.”
We approached the back of the house, and I stopped Minnie at the creek. “Mind if I go home with her tonight? It’s been a while.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Phoebe said, fingers curling around Violet’s leash. “I can manage the puppies for a night.”
“Thanks. I haven’t spent a night at my place in a few weeks, and Kelly’s ready for a break from watching Minnie. Not to mention, I need to start going through all my stuff and packing.” This morning, I’d talked to Mr. Shaw, and we’d agreed on a price and sales terms. We hoped to have all the paperwork taken care of within the next week or so. Luckily, I had a lawyer friend who was going to look over the contract for me, since we weren’t involving Realtors. I wasn’t expecting any trouble, though. Phoebe’s dad was an honest and fair man, as far as I knew.
