by Hilary Dartt
“We’re getting a puppy?” Summer’s youngest son, Luke, looked up at his mother, awestruck.
“No, Luke,” said Sarah, who, at ten, sounded more like an adult every day. “We’re here to get Josie a puppy. Because she’s lonely. Because Paul moved out. Temporarily. Well, we hope it’s temporary.”
“Because Josie is too grumpy,” said Nate, Summer’s second child, and the one who was prone to blurting out everything he’d heard without regard to other people’s feelings.
Sarah elbowed him. “Shut up, Nate.”
When Josie shot The Look at Summer, Summer put her hands up like she had no idea where the kids had gotten the gossip. Josie shook her head and took the baby, Hannah, from Summer.
“Give Tia Josie some love,” she said, kissing Hannah’s chubby cheek. “You won’t tell me I’m grumpy, will you?”
“Grumpy!” Hannah squealed.
“That’s our girl,” Delaney said in a singsongy voice. “C’mon, Josie. Let’s go find your second soul mate.”
They trooped into the shelter’s front office, Nate and Luke sword fighting the whole way, while Sarah kept her nose in a book.
“We have an appointment,” Summer told the receptionist.
“We do?” Delaney and Josie said at the same time.
“You’re so organized,” Josie said.
“I thought it’d be better since we have the kids with us. Anyway, this way they could get all the puppies ready for you.”
A teenaged girl, probably a volunteer from Juniper High, came through the door that led to the kennels.
“This is Kelsey,” the receptionist said. “She’ll be taking care of you today.”
Kelsey took in the kids, and said, “Hi guys! Can I help you choose your new puppy?”
They were momentarily stunned into silence, and then naturally, Nate piped up. “We’re not here to get a puppy.” When Kelsey looked a bit perplexed, he added in a whisper, “We’re here to help our Aunt Josie get a puppy. She’s lonely. Her husband moved out. We hope it’s temporary.”
Kelsey’s face turned bright red, but to her credit, she recovered quickly.
“Well, I’ve got all the puppies lined up and ready. Follow me.”
“That was embarrassing,” Josie whispered to Sarah, who had finally closed her book. Josie was rewarded with a rare smile and Sarah answered, “No kidding. That kid has no filter.”
***
“So we just got this litter in last week,” Kelsey said. “Their mom is a Lab, but they’re obviously mixed breed. There’s seven total. Four boys and three girls.”
The kids rushed forward, and Josie followed them. The puppies were adorable. Fat and rollicking, and wiggling all over the place.
When Hannah reached her arms out and shouted, “Dog! Dog!” Josie set her down so she could inspect them, too. One of the puppies, a spotted one with a blue eye and a brown eye, knocked her down and licked her face. Hannah giggled and Josie hoisted her back to her feet.
“They’re all adorable,” Josie said. “How old did you say they are?”
“Eight weeks,” Kelsey said. “Ready to go home today.”
“Today?” Josie swallowed.
“Yep! Want to get a closer look?”
Delaney had already knelt in the grass with Luke and Nate, and the three of them tickled a puppy’s stomach while the dog thrashed wildly, nipping at their hands.
“Kind of overwhelming, right?” Summer said. “I mean, I only have four and there’s seven of these guys.”
Josie nodded. “I’m not sure I can handle a puppy. They’re so … active.”
“They are,” Summer said. “Luke, put that puppy down before you drop it.”
“You should get the kids one,” Josie said.
Summer shook her head. “I’m going to have a newborn in a few months. The last thing I need is a puppy.”
“Actually, it’d give the kids something to do while you tend the baby,” Josie said. “Remember how guilty you felt when you first had Hannah? You said you were always sitting around nursing and felt bad for the other three.”
“Yes, I do remember. But add a puppy to the mix? That’s just asking for trouble. I’d have to hop up from nursing the baby so I could clean up accidents. No, thank you.”
Nate came running up to them, another furry bundle in his arms. He held it up to Summer’s face and it licked her like crazy. She laughed.
“See?” Josie said. “You want one.”
Nate held the puppy out to Josie, and she took it from him. Instead of licking her like it had done to Summer, it cozied up against her body and nuzzled her. Then it fell asleep, completely limp and snoring.
Josie sighed, her contentment mirroring the puppy’s. “I’ll take this one,” she said.
The puppy was a dark brindle with short fur and a white spot around her left eye. Her ears looked like they wanted to stand up, but the ends flopped over.
Kelsey nodded and smiled brightly. “I’ll get the paperwork.”
“What’ll you name it?” Sarah asked.
“How about Sarah?” Josie said. Sarah rolled her eyes.
“We don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl, Aunt Josie,” she said.
“True. Check for me.”
“It’s a girl. How about Delilah?”
“Perfect.”
***
With unerring sweetness and well-directed guilt trips, Summer’s kids talked her into bringing home one of Delilah’s brothers, an all-black pup with bright blue eyes. They named him Chuck.
Of course, Delaney couldn’t (or wouldn’t) be left out of the action, and Summer’s kids convinced her, too, to adopt a puppy. She named her Sweetie at Luke’s suggestion.
After they filled out all the paperwork, the ten of them—Josie, Delaney, Summer, the four kids and the three puppies—walked back to the parking lot, the kids dancing all the way.
“Make sure to put your swords up, guys, so the puppy doesn’t eat them,” Summer said.
Even as Summer closed the van door, Josie could hear the kids squealing, calling Chuck’s name and laughing. She smiled as she got into her own car and settled Delilah on her lap.
“Let’s go and get you some toys,” she said to her new family member. “And a bed or something.”
Delilah yawned, a great big gaping yawn, as if she’d never been more bored. She climbed onto the passenger seat, turned around a couple of times and flopped down.
“I love your calm demeanor,” Josie told her. As if Delilah heard her, she opened an eye, looked at Josie, and then closed it again.
Josie laughed. “You’re just right.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Josie arrived at the gym five minutes before her personal training appointment and took a moment to watch Scott. He didn’t know she was there, but she told herself she wasn’t spying. He seemed a little more confident today, judging by the way he casually set his clipboard on the bench in the free weights section and did some jumping jacks and arm circles.
She wondered how his other appointments had gone. Then she wondered why she wondered about that. It wasn’t really any of her business, was it? He turned around and saw her then, and his face lit up. He didn’t smile, not really, but she could see the excitement in the way his whole countenance transformed. When he lifted a hand, she responded in kind and walked toward him.
“Ready to pump some iron?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said. “I’m always ready.”
Oh my God. Why did you say that?
Josie’s memory flashed to a scene in the past—a hot and heavy sex scene. She and Scott had just come back to his place after some fun activity. Josie couldn’t remember what, exactly. Go-karts, maybe? Or Skee-Ball at the arcade? Whatever, it didn’t matter. For some reason, she had felt really turned on all night. She made so many sexual comments they cut their date short and headed home. He stripped her down right there in the living room, in less than a minute.
“Are you ready?” he said then.
“I’m always ready,” she answered.
And then came the super-hot (steamy-hot) sex scene, straight from a romance novel. No, Scott wasn’t slow and careful, but he knew exactly what to do and did it every time. No one had ever been able to make things happen so quickly for her. Back at the gym, Josie could tell Scott had just experienced the same memory. She smiled, and then shook her head quickly as if to clear the steam from her brain.
“Let’s get started,” Scott said.
Josie nodded and went to the treadmill for a warm-up. Throughout the workout she experienced a vague feeling someone was watching her. She wrote it off as paranoia, but she found herself glancing over her shoulder and scanning the mirror compulsively. She never saw Summer and Delaney standing in the corner near the lockers, wearing sunglasses and and those trendy trucker hats they all made fun of. After she completed her warm-up, Scott led her through some stretches, managing to keep a courteous distance.
See? I can keep the sexual tension at a manageable level.
“It’s time to run,” Scott said.
“I thought I just did,” Josie said. They both laughed, because the five minutes she spent warming up was barely more than a fast walk.
“Gotta get you ready for the big race,” Scott said.
The two of them walked out to the gym’s outdoor track.
“Just take it easy, now,” Scott said. “Since your goal is just to finish, not to run the race at a certain speed, let’s work on building up your endurance.”
Why does everything sound sexual?
Josie bit her lip.
“So I want you to jog, just slowly, for a couple of laps. Okay?”
At first, her body protested as if she were asking it to walk through fire. But she found her rhythm after a few minutes. Maybe she could do this, she thought. Maybe she could run six miles at once without dying or vomiting. Maybe.
“Startin’ to sweat,” Scott said.
No shit.
She couldn’t answer. She didn’t have the breath.
“Lookin’ good,” he said.
What are you, a cheerleader?
Still, she didn’t answer. After the first lap, he began jogging beside her. “Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth,” he told her. “Keep your pace nice and steady.”
She followed his advice, and before she knew it, she’d gone one mile. Her throat felt a little tight, and she laughed out loud when she realized it was because she was emotional after completing her first full mile.
“What’s so funny?” Scott asked.
Josie shook her head.
“You’re doing great,” he said. “More than a mile down. Great job. Let’s go for two.”
“Two?” she huffed out.
He laughed. “Yeah. Two. It’ll be no problem to work up to six from there. Just settle into the rhythm you’ve got going.”
In through your nose, out through your mouth.
It became a mantra, and one step at a time, she made it to two miles. She couldn’t believe it. Then Scott gave her a double thumbs-up and announced, “Cool down time.” A stab of disappointment punctured the bubble of her euphoria and she couldn’t believe that, either.
“How do you feel?” he asked, after giving her a chance to get her breathing back to normal.
“I feel good,” she said. “Great, actually. I can’t believe I ran two whole miles.”
“I can believe it,” Scott said. He put his hand up for a high five.
And just like that, Scott Smith was playing a role in the new and improved Josie Garcia. The new and improved Josie Garcia wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
***
As Josie drove away from the gym, still glowing with pride and more than a little sweat, her phone rang. Paul.
“You sound … breathless,” he said when she answered.
“Just got done with my workout. I ran two whole miles.”
“Wow. Two whole miles, huh?”
“Geez, Paul. Don’t sound so impressed.”
He laughed. “Sorry. That’s a good job, Josie. Really. Think you’ll be ready for your race?”
Feeling somewhat deflated, she sighed. “Yeah. I think so. I didn’t before, but now I think I will.”
“What changed?” he asked.
“The girls hired me a personal trainer to hold me accountable. I think he knows what he’s doing and I’ve taxed him with getting me ready, so…” Josie felt herself stalling out, not sure what to say.
“A guy, huh?”
She nodded, relieved he couldn’t see the guilty look on her face. “Yep.”
“Huh.”
“Huh,” she echoed.
“Well, anyway,” he said. “I’m calling to tell you that I’m going to a training next week.”
“Another one?”
“Yeah. Don’t sound so impressed,” he said, mimicking her. “No, really. You should be excited for me. The PD sends me to all these trainings because I have potential.”
“Yeah,” Josie said.
“Anyway. I thought I’d come home Friday afternoon. After the training.”
“For good?” Ugh, there’s that desperation again.
“For good.”
Immediately, her mood soared again. “Great. That’s really great. So, next Friday, then?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Next Friday.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“So, I got a puppy.”
Josie made the announcement to Dr. Strasser expecting some kind of congratulations. Instead, he frowned at her over the top of his glasses.
“For decades, misguided couples have had children in the hopes of saving their marriages,” he said.
Josie held up her hands in surrender. “It’s a puppy, not a child.”
“Did you get the puppy in hopes of strengthening your marriage?”
A long silence followed, during which Josie considered. Finally, she spoke. “I got the puppy because I’m lonely. My friends thought it would help me cope. Also she’ll grow into a good running partner if I do decide to continue running. I can play with her every time I feel like calling that guy.”
On the word, “guy,” she flapped a hand dismissively, as if Scott Smith didn’t mean anything to her anyway.
“Did you need a distraction from Scott?”
Oh, crap. He had to remember his name.
“No. I mean, not really. I just need someone to keep me company.”
“Ah. I see,” said Dr. Strasser.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Why aren’t you happy with your own company?” Dr. Strasser said.
It was a good question, actually.
“It’s not that,” Josie said. “It’s just that I got married because I wanted a life partner. But when he’s not around, which is a lot, I’m lonely. And I got a dog to keep me company. That’s actually better than having a human child at this point, right?”
Dr. Strasser went to his go-to position and rested his chin on his steepled fingers. He didn’t answer.
“Well, I think it is,” Josie said.
“Look, Josie.” Now he leaned forward. “I’m glad you chose to get a puppy rather than calling your ex-boyfriend. But I also think it’s important for you and Paul to repair your marriage without the various elements a dog adds. So I want you to continue the work you’ve been doing.”
Josie nodded. “Of course. Of course we will.”
“Have you thought about the question I asked you the last time you were here?”
“Which one?”
Dr. Strasser smiled an ironic smile. “Have you thought about how you can improve the communication between you and Paul? How you can communicate in a more positive manner so he doesn’t feel attacked?”
The truth: she hadn’t thought about it. She was so busy thinking about herself that she forgot all about it.
I can’t say that to Dr. Strasser. Although he could probably tell from the look on my face.
Just then, a thoug
ht crossed her mind, sudden like a drop of bacon grease popping out of a hot pan.
“I have, actually,” she said. “I could focus on him more, on how his work and the weird schedules and everything are affecting him. I’ve been pretty self-absorbed. He probably gets as sick of working as I do of him being gone. I always assume he’d rather be at work, but I realize now that he feels like he can’t let his team down. And that’s an admirable quality.”
Dr. Strasser looked satisfied, and Josie felt smug.
“That’s a good insight, Josie,” he said. “Well done.”
Josie beamed. Unfortunately, that feeling of pride didn’t last for long. Summer and Delaney were waiting for her in the parking lot, and they didn’t look happy to see her.
***
They leaned against the driver’s door of her car, arms crossed, sentries protecting the world from the terror that was Josie Garcia. Josie felt the nerves buzzing through her body the moment she saw her friends, and the buzzing crescendoed as she approached them.
“Did we imagine it,” Delaney said slowly, “or did we see you with Scott Smith at the gym?”
“Not only with Scott Smith,” Summer said, “but receiving a personal training session from him? After we specifically told you to stop seeing him outside of school.”
The sun hovered low in the sky, and Josie had to squint to see their faces. The air still felt warm, and Josie noticed the trees along the parking lot’s outer edge had tiny buds on them. She didn’t know how to answer, so she said, “Did you?”
“Did we see you, or did we tell you not to see him?” Summer said.
Delaney spoke before Josie could answer. “Don’t play dumb. Even if we didn’t say it, I’m pretty sure it was implied when we saw you at The Blue Fish.”
“How did you guys see me? You weren’t even at the—oh. You must have been at the gym on Friday.”
Because the sun was in her eyes, Josie turned around and stood next to Delaney, leaning against the car and crossing her arms in the same way her friends were.
“Now she’s catching on,” Summer said. “You were acting so strangely about your personal trainer at first, and then all of a sudden you were fine with it. We thought it seemed really suspicious so we—”