_____
“Ugh,” I grunt on the last rep. I still smell like dirt. I showered when I got home but I suppose it’ll take another. Either that or my very self is starting to reek of this town, down to my sweat. I hope not.
I chug water and tap the button to open the garage door to let in the cool air. I don’t turn to look at the neighboring house even though I’d like to make a show of how magnanimous I am with my headphones. I hate working out in them because I work out hard and they get so sweaty. Now they’ll probably have mud residue on them too. Just perf—
“Ahhh!”
I jump, yell and remove one of my earbuds.
A mud-caked horse is in my garage.
Not horse, I guess…pony?
It barks at me.
A dog, then.
The largest dog I’ve ever seen is in my garage.
“No!” I say to it. Then I point to the street. “Out!”
Surprisingly, it obeys.
I lean over, hands on knees, trying to recover from both the workout and the near-death encounter with the beast.
“Aiden?” A small voice says.
I look up. Brilliant green eyes scan me, concerned.
“There’s a—”
“Where’s Stu?”
I stand and frown, “How the hell should I know that?”
She straights as well, putting her hands on her hips, which is how I’m standing too. She snipes, “Well, you just screamed like a girl, so I thought he came in here.”
“I did not.”
She is almost smiling, “You did. He’s big, I get it.”
Somewhere in my daft brain, it all clicks into place.
“Stuart is…a dog.”
She makes a face and murmurs, “Stuart Little, the Greatest Dane.”
She’s already backing away so I ask, amazed that giant thing lives with her and her father in their small home next door, “That’syourdog?”
“Not really,” she says absently, scanning the street and starting to walk away.
“Your dad’s dog then?” I keep on, suddenly desperate to know more.
She scoffs and says under her breath, “He hates dogs even more than I do.” Her eyes go wide and snap back to mine when she realizes what she just admitted, so she says, “Not that I hate Stuart! I love him I just…”
“Just what?”
She shakes her head and juts her little chin down my driveway as if to say,I just better go get him.
