"You'd be surprised," Gabe said. "The man had a very specific list."
"And he's the one who tracked down the seller and made arrangements for us to pick her up. She's a shih tzu." Paige stepped close and petted the puppy's head. "I was worried that he was overstepping boundaries with this gift, but he assured us you'd been thinking about getting a dog."
"I have been. I mean I was. I haven't thought about it for a few weeks though, not since..."
"Damon thought it might be a good distraction as you adjust to Mom being gone." Gabe reached out and scratched the puppy's head.
"It's a distraction alright." The puppy licked her cheek again and she laughed. "A very cute distraction." Then she turned to Gabe. "This is the reason you fixed the hole in the fence yesterday, isn't it?"
Her brother nodded.
"So you're okay with keeping her?" Paige asked.
"I'm more than okay. I'm in love." Grace blinked back tears as she cuddled the little fur ball. "How can I not be? Look at this adorable face."
And this thoughtful gesture made her love Damon even more.
Gabe and Paige helped bring in all the supplies and set the kennel up in the corner of the kitchen. Then Paige showed her the lengthy instructions that the previous owner had written about caring for the puppy and the training she'd already started.
"Does she have a name?"
"Lily," Paige said. "But you can change it. Just say Lily to get her attention then call her by her new name. Make sure you're always looking at her when you say her new name."
"Lily fits her," Grace said as she looked into the dog's eyes.
And lilies were one of her mom's favorite flowers. Calling the puppy Lily would make it feel like she had a little bit of her mom here with her.
Gabe and Paige stayed for dinner and helped her clean out the last of her leftovers while they took turns playing with the puppy. It was the most normal Grace had felt since the wedding when her mom's health took a nosedive.
"I'm going to take her outside," Grace said after they finished eating. "She probably needs to go potty."
Gabe and Paige followed her out to the backyard where they watched Lily romp around; occasionally stumbling over her own feet. They eventually went home, and Grace played with the puppy for a little longer before taking her back inside.
She pulled out her phone and texted Damon.
Grace:Thank you!!! Just when I think you can't get any more thoughtful and amazing, you prove me wrong.
She checked the time after sending her text. It was six o'clock in the morning in Iraq. Damon should be finishing his guard duty shift soon. Hopefully, he'd call before he went to bed, so she could thank him personally.
She took the time to read through the instructions that came with Lily and tried some of the obedience commands with her. When the puppy started to yawn, so did Grace. She was tempted to let Lily sleep in her bed, but she didn’t want to foster a behavior that she wasn’t sure she wanted to allow for the next fifteen years.
She'd just tucked Lily into her kennel and was making her way to her room when her phone rang. Her heart skipped several beats as she hurried to answer it.
"Hello."
Damon let out what sounded like a tired sigh before he spoke. "Hello, beautiful."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Grace couldn't help grinning. "You are seriously so amazing."
"Of course I am." Damon returned her grin. "But I assume you're talking about today's little gift and not just my good looks."
"You're amazing in that regard too, but yes, I'm talking about the gift. There is nothinglittleabout it though. You really shouldn't have gone to so much effort and expense." Then her lips turned up again. "But I'm glad you did."
"I just feel so bad that I can't be there to help you through this difficult time. I figured she'd give you the distraction you need, plus, it ticks off another thing from your bucket list."
"She's such an adorable distraction."
"Can I see her?"
