Lucy laughs. “All good! Have a safe drive!”
“I’m so sorry I can’t stay and catch up! I’ll call you when I’m coming back through and we can hang out!”
“It’s a deal! Thank you so much for bringing Alexander!” Lucy calls back.
Her friend waves and pulls out of the parking lot.
The dog licks my hand and sits down, wagging his tail.
“He wants the snacks.” Lucy laughs, then bends down to wrap her arms around him. “Oh, I missed you, baby.”
“Sooo, this is Alexander.” I stare at the gentle giant that Lucy is still wrapped around.
“Yup. Like Alexander the Great.”
“Of course it is.”
“Isn’t he the sweetest baby you’ve ever seen?” Lucy kisses the top of his head.
Babydoes not describe his size in any way. Alexander is a brindle English mastiff that, if I had to guess, I would say weighsat least one hundred sixty pounds. He is not a small dog by any means, but he looks like he smiles all the time.
“Krystal’s on a road trip to meet her family at the Redwoods, so it was perfect timing for her to bring him with her. Thank you for this.”
“You said he was big, but you didn’t say we would need a semi to pull him,” I remark.
Alexander stands up and leans against me.
“It’s his version of a hug,” Lucy explains. “But if you’re not expecting it, you can end up landing on your butt.”
I brace my legs and bend down to pat the dog on the head. “Aww, but you’re a good boy, aren’t you?” I ask as I scratch Alexander’s ears.
Lucy steps around the dog to open the back door of my car. “Come on, buddy.”
We climb in and start the drive back to the campground. Alexander climbs over the back seat to sit on the floorboard behind us, breathing heavily between us.
I have to turn the defrost on high since it’s so foggy inside. “Good grief. It’s like fighting against a sauna—he’s breathing so much.”
“Are you regretting saying yes?”
“Not one bit.” I grin at her as I dodge a long tongue trying to give me kisses.
“You’re the best husband I’ve ever had.”
“Gee, thanks. I’m glad I could beat out the competition,” I answer tartly. “Besides, I already changed my contact name in your phone to that.”
She giggles. “That’ll teach me to leave my phone unattended.”
“Here, take this.” I pass her my coffee cup, which I bought at the Sisters Coffee Company. “Don’t let Alexander have it. He’s coveting it.”
I keep the small bag of food in my hand. I’ll give it to her when Alexander is safely in the back of the car.
The dog’s eyes follow the path of the cup. Lucy waves the cup under her nose and sniffs.
“Hey, I see you coveting it too,” I say.
Her eyes narrow on me briefly before she points at the road, reminding me to pay attention.
“I expect that cup to still have something in it when you pass it back. Or else.”
