“I’m sure it is. Thank you so much!”
Hurrying out the door, my insides are a mixture of excitement and disappointment. I’m excited because an opportunity like this is exactly what I’m hoping to gain by being here.
The disappointment is leaving today. I wonder if I’ll get to see Maverick before I go.
What am I thinking? It’s only a week, and anyway I’m here to learn, to find a cure for the problems we’re facing back home. I’m completely off track worrying about seeing Maverick again. That’s not the reason I’m here.
Shaking my head, I try to refocus my priorities. Driving back to our little bungalow, I think about the trees dying, not the sight of Maverick Murphy’s defined abs… or the way his arm muscles flex when he hangs off the doorjamb looking down at me… or how soft his hair is.
I am not sad to be missing seeing him again after a week of playful texting or all my plans for his homecoming. I’m a very serious plant pathologist. I’m here for the trees.
My suitcase isopen on my bed, and I’ve just stepped out of the shower when I hear the front door opening downstairs.
“Dove?” Gina calls loudly. “We’re back! Just checking on you guys.”
The noise of little footsteps bounding up the stairs has me quickly wrapping a towel around my naked body.
“Guess what, Aunt Dove? Mama G’s best doggie friend Haze won Best in Show! We were all so excited, wecried!” Owen’s daughter appears at the top of the stairs with Spanky, Gina’s white show poodle.
“Hey, that sounds exciting! Let me put on some clothes, and I’ll come down…”
Maddie’s brown eyes widen, and she races to me at top speed, followed closely by Spanky. I have to grab the doorjamb to keep from falling as she throws her little arms around my waist, holding me tightly.
“Don’t move, Auntie Dove,” she cries, and the dog hops all around us, lifting his front legs and yipping excitedly.
“What’s happening?” I put my hand on Maddie’s back, holding onto her while I try to keep the towel over my naked body.
“Spanky’s a towel thief! He’ll steal your towel right off of you, and you’ll scream, and he’ll just laugh and laugh.”
My eyes squint, and I pat her little back gently, unsure how to respond. “I don’t think dogs can laugh…”
Maddie lifts her head to meet my eyes, nodding rapidly. “Spanky does. It sounds like he’s barking, but if you look close, you can see he’s laughing because everybody saw you naked.”
“Uh… huh.” I glance over at Spanky, who actually does have a suspicious look of glee in his doggy eyes. It’s almost like he’s smiling. “Well, you saved me this time. Now let me put on my clothes, okay?”
The little girl carefully lets me go and just as fast, she grabs the dog’s collar. “Come on, Spanky. You’re not stealing any towels today.”
I adjust mine, huffing a laugh as Gina appears at the top of the stairs. “Oh, no. Did Spanky get you? I swear that dog! It’s all Maverick’s fault. He thought it was so funny when Spanky was a puppy. Now we can’t get him to quit.”
“It’s all good. Maddie saved me just in time.” Although, the thought of Spanky stealing Maverick’s towel off his naked body has my skin heating up. “Give me a second, and I’ll come down.”
I’m sitting on the floor in the living room watching Kelani jump around Spanky’s legs as the larger dog dips his nose and plays with her. They’re really cute, and I think Spanky’s a good dog even if he’s a rascal.
Gina fills me in on all the gossip at the dog show. Frommissing dog toys to broken straps and suspicious grooming errors, it sounds as cutthroat as the two pageants I chose to attend as a young girl.
“There was a time when I aspired to judge at that level, but not anymore.” She shakes her head, holding out her hand to support Kelani’s front paws. “It’s bad enough when I have to judge local dog shows.”
“What do you mean?” I frown, tracing my fingers through Spanky’s perfectly groomed coat.
“My address was leaked online once, and the house was toilet papered… then someone put a stink bomb in our mailbox…”
“Oh no!” I put a hand over my face. “Your poor mail person!”
“That’s exactly what I said!” She shakes her head.
My eyes drift to the clock, and a melancholy pinch is in my chest. “I’d better finish packing. The car will be here soon.”
Gina lifts Kelani in her arms as I stand. “If you have to go before Mav gets back, I’ll take Kelani to our house.”
