“Yes, ma’am.” She and Darius answered in unison.
“Very good. You may call me Vesta. You know my brother, Louis. Are you ready to get to work?”
“Uh, not really.”
Esther tried to hide her smirk as Darius glanced down at his bare chest and pajama pants.
“I don’t think either of us have eaten. We thought we had another hour or so.”
“Go get dressed. We’ll start with scrambled eggs and toast.” Vesta glared at him, though Esther sensed there was far more bark than bite in her. She wasn’t about to test out the theory just yet.
Esther took another sip of her coffee.
“You, too, princess. You’re not exactly dressed either.” Vesta’s raised brow told Esther she’d brook no arguments.
Esther hurried upstairs and changed, walking out of the closet as Darius pulled a shirt on to go with his jeans.
“You as scared as I am?” he asked. “I’m not sure what I expected but five feet of don’t-mess-with-me wasn’t it.”
“I don’t think you’re being fair.” Esther stopped in front of him and rested her hands on his stomach. “I think she’s at least five-one.”
“You did the conversion in your head didn’t you?” His hands slid around her waist.
“Nobody around here talks in metres. You did the math, too.”
He kissed her, though she could tell he was holding back. He backed off just a bit. “We should probably get downstairs.”
Her stomach growled in response.
Darius laughed as he let her go. “I’ll take that as agreement.”
Back downstairs, Vesta had been busy, gathering what they needed to make breakfast.
She turned to look at them, slight disapproval on her face, though Esther didn’t know why. “It’s time to get to work.”
As the service ended, Darius stood and picked up Esther’s canvas bag she used to carry her Bible and notebook.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Darius turned in unison with Esther to see Vince and Samantha walking down the row behind them. They shared greetings before walking toward the exit in the back center of the room.
“Are you going to Sunday school?”
Darius and Esther shared a look before he answered. “We hadn’t planned on it. It’s kind of become our thing to go to brunch after service. You’re welcome to join us.” He doubted they would, but the polite thing was to ask them.
Samantha looked up at Vince. “I didn’t eat anything this morning, and we’re just having a fellowship thing today, no actual lesson.”
Vince shrugged. “I can always eat.”
They all laughed. After agreeing to meet at the café, they went to the car where Darius called Ian. “I probably should have checked with you first,” he told the security man. “I didn’t think they’d accept.”
“They’ve been checked out,” Ian told him. “As they said, they’ve known Prince Charlemagne for years.”
“Will you be there?” He already knew the answer.
“Of course.” There was a smile in Ian’s voice.
“See you there.”
In ten minutes, they were seated at a booth with Vince and Samantha while Ian took a stool at the bar.
“You said you both teach at one of the schools?” Darius asked after they ordered.
“We both teach at one of the elementary schools. I teach fourth grade.” Samantha elbowed Vince. “He does the easy stuff.”
“Twenty kindergarteners throwing rubber playground balls is easy?”
Samantha shrugged as Darius glanced at Esther who didn’t understand either.
“I teach Physical Education to the entire student body. I have to learn the names of hundreds of kids. You have twenty.”
It was clearly not the first time they’d had this good-natured fight.
Samantha rolled her eyes. “Enough about us. What about you guys?”
Darius took a sip of his water as Esther answered. “We’re both students at Serenity Landing University. We have about a year left unless we decided to get a post-baccalaureate degree.”
He managed to keep his composure. She hadn’t mentioned the possibility to him, though it made sense. A Master’s Degree in International Relations could come in handy.
“Will you go back to your home country or stay in the States or go somewhere else?” Samantha’s question was an innocent one, but one that reminded Darius that he wasn’t really allowed to return home without the permission of his father-in-law.
“We’ll probably go to San Majoria after we’re done with our schooling, but nothing is definite yet.” Esther covered his hand with her own. “We may end up working elsewhere, but we don’t need to worry about that now.”
Samantha’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t think we didn’t notice the rings. Decided to get some?”
“Once it registered that we didn’t have them, we decided a couple of bands were in order.”
Conversation for the rest of brunch came easily. Darius drove them back toward their house, but as he neared the turn into the neighborhood, he slowed for an animal in the road.
“Is that a dog?” Esther asked, leaning forward in her seat.
Darius put the car in park as the poor thing stopped and sat in the middle of the road. “I think so.”
He opened his door and climbed out as the pile of fur scurried toward him, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Before Darius could figure out what to do next, the dog jumped in the floorboard of the SUV and then onto the driver’s seat. The dirt and mud covered his fur and paws now covered the leather Darius needed to sit on.
“Guess he’s going home with us?” Darius opened the back door and picked the dog up, putting him in the back seat for the moment. He glanced back to see Ian smirking in the SUV behind them.
Esther twisted in her seat to look at the animal. “What exactly are we going to do with a dog?”
“Clean him up, see if we can find his owner, and if not, keep him?”
“You want a dog?” she asked, trying and failing to conceal a grin.
“A dog could be fun.” His defensive tone made her laugh. “I always wanted a dog.”
“You never had a dog?”
“No. Did you?”
“We had several when I was younger.”
“Can you see a dog running around my palace? Maybe the San Majorian one seems a little less formal because it’s considered the Caribbean.”
“It’s not the Caribbean.” She crossed her arms in a huff as he turned into the driveway.
“I know. But the country as a whole has a more laid-back vibe than Eyjania.”
“True enough.”
In the garage, he climbed out of the car and opened the back door to the wiggling ball of fur.
“You are not going to let that thing just run around the house,” Esther called as she walked through the door. “I’ll get a towel and you can take him straight to the bathroom down here. You’re in charge of bath time.”
Darius didn’t care that his dress shirt was likely ruined. He had a thousand others. “You’ve missed people, haven’t you, buddy?”
His answer was more excited wiggling and a pink tongue giving his face a bath.
Esther waited for him at the door to the appropriately named mud room. After she closed the door leading into the kitchen, Darius set the dog down then wrapped him in the towel before heading for the downstairs bathroom. Once in there, with the door closed behind him, he pulled his phone out and took a couple of pictures. Once the dog was cleaned up, he’d take a couple more then see if he could get Vince to post them online. He certainly didn’t want to. His social media accounts were locked down tightly for a reason. He didn’t have any public ones and barely used the personal ones, especially since moving to Serenity Landing.
Darius put his hands on his hips and stared at the mass of fur sniffing his way around the bathroom. “Okay, bud, you’re about to get a bath.”
Darius was pretty sure they would both be
soaked before this was over, but it had to be done. He turned on the water.
Here went nothing.
“Do you need any help in there?” Esther wasn’t about to go wash that muddy mess off, but she was more than happy to stand outside and smirk at the noises coming from the bathroom.
“No, I think I got it.” His words were punctuated by grunts and squeals from the dog.
She tapped on her phone a few more times. “Does he have fleas?”
“I think that’s what these bugs are.”
Esther headed for the kitchen. “Hang on.” She found the dish soap and took it back to the bathroom, opening the door just enough to set it on the counter. “Wash him in that and let it sit for fifteen minutes. That should kill the fleas and maybe the ticks.”
“Now you tell me.” Frustration, but not animosity, colored his words.
“Just found it online." She waggled her phone though she knew he couldn’t see it. “I was researching.”
An hour later, Vesta stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the mess in the bathroom. “I’m not cleaning this up, you know.”
“I will, Vesta.” Darius looked more worn out than Esther had ever seen him. The dog apparently hated baths. “But first we need to get this guy taken care of.”
“A boy?” Esther asked. “For sure?”
“Yep.”
Vesta turned back around to glare at the towel-wrapped dog in Darius’s arms. “You also need food, a collar, a crate, and a leash at minimum. You could use bowls from the cabinet for now. Tomorrow, you’ll need to take him to the vet and a groomer.”
“After school tomorrow,” Darius promised.
“And what do you want me to do with this thing until then?”
“You may not have to worry about it. I already texted Vince. He’s going to post on the lost pet Facebook pages around here for me. He said he’d let me know if he got any hits.”
“We’ll lock him in the mud room and go to the store.” Darius walked to the mud room. “Esther, could you grab a couple of blankets for him?”
After getting the dog situated on the blankets, Darius stared at him for a minute. “I think he’s completely worn out after fighting me over the bath. I know I am.” At least he’d changed clothes. “Let’s go while he sleeps.”
As they drove toward Serenity Landing, Esther looked at her phone. “I searched online to see what we need besides the things Vesta mentioned. I think that’s probably enough for starters. If we end up keeping him, we’ll want to reevaluate.”
“What kind of food do we need?”
“That I don’t know. How old do you think he is?”
“I have no idea how to tell how old that dog is. He didn’t seem particularly puppy-like, though I’ve never been around puppies, but he had tons of energy.”
“So maybe not a puppy but not very old?”
“Sure.”
By the time they reached the store, she’d made a list. At least Ian was with them to help if they got too far off track. Vesta made him promise not to interfere too much, though.
Once back in the pet section of the store, they stood next to each other and stared at the variety of food options.
“Do we get a big bag?” Darius asked.
“Uh... Why don’t we get a small bag? That way, if he doesn’t like it, or we find his home tomorrow, we don’t have a ton of extra food.”
“Good plan.” He pointed to a small bag on the top shelf. “How about this one?”
Esther shrugged. “Looks good to me.”
Darius put it in the cart. “What else?”
They found a collar that looked like it would fit and a leash to go with it, then bowls, a crate, dog bed and a couple of cheap blankets.
“I know he has ticks.” Darius stopped in front of some gadgets and pulled one off. “Maybe something like this?”
Esther shrugged again as he tossed it on top of the dog bed. They spent way too long deliberating in front of a wall of dog toys before choosing a couple.
On the walk to the cars, Ian helped carry the box with the crate in it. “You know, if you end up keeping this dog, you’ll need a doggy door and a fenced area. I don’t think Louis and Vesta will let you get by with hiring that done either.”
“We’re reasonably intelligent people. I’m sure we can figure it out.”
“Have you ever used a drill, sir?” Ian’s lips twitched as he tried to hide his real reaction.
“I can figure it out. That’s what YouTube is for, right?” As he walked up to the SUV, the doors unlocked. Esther opened the rear hatch so they could put the purchases in.
They arrived home to frantic barking coming from the mud room.
“Guess he woke up.” Esther grabbed the dog bed and a bag of toys. “We should probably close the garage door before we open the door to the mud room so even if he gets out, he can’t run off.”
“Good plan.” Darius set the rest of their purchases to the side so he could close the hatch. When he moved out of the way, she hit the button to close the garage door. Once it reached the concrete, she went into the mud room.
The ball of black and tan fur wiggled excitedly, jumping up and down as he barked.
“I think he’s glad to see us,” she noted with only a hint of sarcasm. The excitement was kind of nice, even if he did need spruced up. The bath helped, but his fur was too long and matted, and would require a trip to the groomer to be truly clean.
First thing they did was work together to put the collar on him. Darius poured a little bit of food into one of the bowls. The dog went after it like they’d offered him steak.
“While he’s busy...” Darius pulled the tick remover thing out of the bag and read the instructions. “Grab the rubbing alcohol and cotton balls.” At least they’d noticed they needed those before they left the store.
As the dog ate, Darius removed a tick and dropped it in a solution of water and rubbing alcohol as Esther swiped the spot with the rubbing alcohol to disinfect. After a few minutes, the dog finished eating.
Darius wiped his forehead on his forearm. “Let’s give him a break. I think it’s time for dinner.”
“I don’t want him running around the house, though. Can you imagine the cleanup if he gets into something? Vesta would have a fit then make us deal with all of it.”
Darius ruffled the dog’s fur. “We need a name for him until we figure out if he has an owner.”
“You don’t think we’ll get too attached?” Esther hadn’t pet him just yet.
The dog licked Darius’s chin as he laughed. “I think it might be a little too late for that.”
15
With the leash gripped tightly in his hand, Darius waited for Esther to get his backpack out of the car for him. It contained several waters and snacks, thanks to advice from Samantha and Vince about how to survive Pumpkinfest. Apparently, the different stands often ran out before the end of the day, so bringing your own was the best plan.
Esther held the backpack out. “I’ll take Raja. You take the bag.”
He grabbed the strap. “I can handle both.”
In the month since they’d found the dog, Vince had posted for them several times in the assorted Facebook groups for lost animals. Their new vet at Pond Creek County Animal Care had scanned several times for a microchip and found none.
They’d even managed to install a doggie door in the sliding door downstairs, though it took nearly three times as long as it was supposed to. The glass panel that fit onto the track only require eight screws to secure, but Ian had been right to question their skill with an electric drill. The four other screws had been required to install a new latch for the sliding door to lock into.
Afterward, they’d installed a small fence running from one retaining wall to another on either side of the walk-out basement. Just glorified chicken wire, it gave Raja enough room to run around without needing to install a full privacy fence. At just twelve pounds, Raja didn’t need a ton of room like a larger dog would.
&
nbsp; Declared a Havanese by the vet, Raja had become a permanent member of their home. Esther searched for words meaning prince and finally settled on one. Darius argued briefly, but finally agreed it fit.
“Where are we meeting them?” Esther asked as they headed away from the football stadium at the middle school and toward the road.
“By the petting zoo, I think he said.”
They merged with a crowd walking along the sidewalk. Several kids stopped to pet Raja before they crossed the railroad tracks between the middle school and the park.
As they turned into the park, they walked between inflatable bouncy toys for kids - a castle, a dinosaur with a slide, even a giant pumpkin - and a pumpkin pickin’ patch filled with hundreds of small pumpkins for kids to take home.
Further down other booths began to line the grassy area between the sidewalk and the fence along the railroad. Raja stopped and stared at the booth grilling hamburgers to raise money for the choir boosters, his tail wagging excitedly.
“Guess we know what’s for dinner later.” Darius tugged gently on the leash attached to a harness until Raja started moving again. They’d discovered he pulled on the leash until he worked his collar loose and slipped out of it. It made them wonder if that was how he got lost in the first place.
“It does smell good.” Esther moved off the sidewalk to survey the main portion of the park. Normally used for playing Frisbee or children’s games, families and other knots of people filled the space, spreading blankets near the stage and emanating outward. “This doesn’t look so different than a festival anywhere else, I suppose.”
“Esther?”
They both turned to see their mutual classmate waving from a dozen yards away.
“Hi, Abi,” Esther called as she started for her friend.
Abi secured a balloon around the wrist of a girl who appeared to be about four-years-old then straightened. “Can I interest you in a balloon? Proceeds go to the drama department.”
Esther laughed. “Of course they do.”
“Travis roped me into helping out.” She looked around. “My daughter and her not-a-boyfriend are around here somewhere.”
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 62