“True.” Karan chuckled. “We like Nimita.”
“Drive faster.” Roshan needed to get out of this car and do something—other than think about Nimita. “It doesn’t matter if you like Nimita. It’s done.”
They finally arrived, gathered some gear and hit the water. The snorkeling was incredible—turtles everywhere.
“Nimita would have loved this,” Karan said. “Even with her snorkel boogie board.”
“She would have loved the turtles,” agreed Vishal.
“So, it’s really you two who are missing her. Not me,” Roshan said.
“Yes, we miss her. She’s fun and smart, and she put you in your place.” Vishal smirked at him. “But you…you’re pining away for her.”
Roshan went back under the water. It was quiet, serene almost. The wildlife was colorful and ample. The guys were right. Nimi would have loved this. In fact she’d probably already seen it.
Enough. They’d had fun. It was over. Move on.
He forced a smile onto his face and joined his brothers in their debate about fish.
These guys. This was real.
Nimita was a fantasy.
* * *
“He’s still a puppy, even though he doesn’t look it. So, if you could just come by and walk him a couple times a day, that would be great. I can feed him and all that. His owner should be home in a few days.” Neha handed her the leash.
The golden retriever was so full of energy that Nimita was having a hard time holding him.
“Tell him to sit. But be firm,” Neha said.
“Sit,” Nimita said.
The dog ignored her.
“Make a fist and hold it like so.” Neha demonstrated. “And use his name first. Finn.”
“Finn, sit.” This time more firmly, and Nimita copied the hand movement. The dog sat and looked at her. She rewarded him with a treat. “Okay, Finn, let’s walk.”
“Tap the side of your leg.”
Nimita did so. Finn came to her side and waited for her. Neha went over a few more basic commands. Nimita had never had a dog, but she had always wanted one. This was her chance. At least for a few days.
“Perfect. Thank you so much!” Neha said.
Nimita waved as she and Finn headed toward the beach. The walk was pleasant enough. Finn responded well to the heel command. This was not so bad at all. In fact, it was the best she’d felt since leaving Roshan at the airport. Her mind wandered for a moment, wondering how they were enjoying Turtle Town. Did they miss her? And bythey, she meanthe.
She sank into a feeling of contentment. It was a beautiful sunny day in Pacific Beach. She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and her favorite flip-flops. She looked forward to a relaxing walk on the beach with Finn at her side, the soothing rustle of the waves and the warmth of the sun on her skin.
She should have known better. She should have known that she would be the one to screw this up.
As soon as Finn saw the sand, he took off.
It was all Nimita could do to hang onto to his leash as she ran behind him, the leash taut between them. She kicked off her shoes so she could run better. Her ankle was not quite yet one hundred percent, but clearly Finn did not care.
Her cries ofheelandstopand whatever else came to mind fell on deaf dog ears as Finn beelined for the ocean.
He didn’t stop at the ocean. He went straight into the water, taking Nimita along with him. He was swimming, and she was simply trying to keep her head above water. She was a strong swimmer, but swimming with a dog on a leash was a whole other thing. And it only got worse when she went under and lost the leash.
