by C. Coal
It was a perfect night, the moon almost full, the grass long and green, the air cool but not chilly, insects chirping somewhere in the distance, the very distant sound of traffic on the highway a soothing rhythm as they ran back and forth on the fresh-mown grass.
Suddenly, Gunner tensed and dropped to his belly, his gaze riveted on something behind her. She turned slowly, scared what she was going to find late at night in the middle of a field behind a hotel, but it was just a man and his dog coming down the slope towards them.
When they were ten feet away, the dog—some sort of Australian shepherd—dropped to its belly, too, and stared back at Gunner. Katie and the man exchanged smiles as the two dogs faced off, both clearly wanting to play, but neither one willing to move from its spot.
The man was dressed in dark blue jeans, a golf shirt, and sturdy tennis shoes and looked about her age, maybe a bit older—when he smiled there were deep lines around the corners of his eyes, but it was a kind smile that made her feel immediately comfortable.
Katie shook her head. “It’s a standoff. I wonder which one will move first.”
The man came to stand next to her, his green eyes flashing with amusement. “I’m thinking Boomer. She won’t be able to resist for much longer.” He whistled once and Boomer’s ears pricked. “Go on, girl. Play.”
Boomer raced towards Gunner, only veering away at the last possible moment. Gunner jumped up and chased her, running for all he was worth on his awkward, oversized puppy paws.
Up and down the slope they ran, barking and chasing back and forth, rolling and sliding in the soft green grass. Katie flinched a few times as Gunner lost control, but she didn’t step in—he was enjoying himself more than he had in days.
The man stood next to her making small talk as they watched the pups play. She blushed every time she looked at him. There was just something about him that drew her in. He was rugged in a way she found very appealing. Nothing artificial or brand-name about him.
As the pups raced by once more, Katie smiled. “This is really good for Gunner. I’m glad you guys were here. I take him to day care but he doesn’t get to really run around a lot, you know. Not like this. And I don’t always manage to find good dog parks to take him to in each city. I try, but…” She shrugged.
He stepped to the side to avoid the dogs as they raced past. “So you’re on the road full-time?”
She nodded. “Pretty much.”
She gave him the Cliff Notes version of her job situation. Why she was confiding in a complete stranger outside a random hotel, she didn’t know, but there was just something about him that made her feel safe.
Plus, she was miserable and desperate for a way out of her current life.
The man shook his head. “That sounds awful.”
“It is. But at least I get to keep Gunner with me. And he seems to handle it well for the most part.”
“Yeah, dogs are great that way.” He crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels. “They’ll adapt to anything as long as you start them young enough.”
“Well, I may have made a mistake there….”
“How so?”
“When I first got him, Gunner did not want to fall asleep. He’d cry and whine for hours. So I got him this purple stuffed hedgehog and did this whole ritual for him each night at bedtime. And it worked. He goes to sleep like a champ now, but…he won’t sleep without it.”
“That’s not so bad is it?”
She winced. “Well…it is when the thing’s falling apart. I’ve sewn its face back together at least three times now. I tried to get him a new one, but he cried so bad I had to dig the old one out of the trash for him. You should see this thing—it’s missing its nose and one eye and it has these bald patches on the sides…But he loves it…So what can I do? You know I once drove two hours back to my house to pick it up when I realized I’d left it behind?”
The man grinned and Katie blushed, but he added, “I understand. I’d do the same for Boomer. She has these special duck-flavored treats she likes and I once drove to five different pet stores until I found one that had them in stock.”
They fell into a comfortable silence.
Katie studied his profile, liking the solid line of his jaw. He looked kind, but strong. Solid. Dependable. The type of man who’d fit perfectly with Gunner and her little white-picket-fence house.
“So what about you?” she asked, to bring herself back into the moment and away from dangerous fantasies of what could never be. “What brings you here?”
“Headed up to my sister’s for a week or so. She just had a new baby so figured I’d see if I can help out and meet my newest nephew.”
“That’s nice of you. And nice of your employer. Mine would never let me take a week off like that.”
He winked at her. “Well, I do have the best employer in the world…”
When she looked confused, he added, “Myself.”
“Oh. You’re self-employed? Must be nice. What do you do?”
“I run a sign shop.”
“Sign shop?” She frowned at him.
“Yeah, you know. Signs.” He pointed to the large La Quinta sign in front of the hotel. “We don’t do big stuff like that, but those realty signs like you see in people’s yards and all those signs in strip malls and banners and things? We do all of that.”
“Huh. Never thought signs would be a profitable business.”
He grinned. “You’d be surprised. It’s a pretty steady gig. Not going to be a millionaire anytime soon, but I do alright.” He crossed his arms. “Of course, I’d do a lot better if I could find a good salesperson. Most seem to fizzle out within six months.”
“Sales is a hard gig. I’ve been at it for ten years now and it’s not for the faint of heart. Getting told no every day is never fun. And when a customer’s order isn’t exactly what they thought it would be…ugh.”
“You’re a salesperson? Really?” He turned to her, eyes alight with interest. “How good are you?”
“Very good. Usually.”
Before they could discuss it further, Boomer and Gunner caught the scent of something and took off across the field at a dead run, disappearing around the side of a brick building at the far edge of the field.
“Gunner,” Katie yelled, racing after him, the man at her side.
Her heart was in her throat as she turned the corner of the building, envisioning the worst. He was the only good thing in her life, she couldn’t lose him. And all because she’d been too busy flirting to pay proper attention.
Fortunately, the dogs were right there behind the building, sniffing and clawing at an old wood pile. Katie grabbed Gunner by the collar and latched his leash back on. He looked up at her, tongue lolling to the side, happy as could be.
“Pleased with yourself, are you?” She shook her head. He was too cute for his own good sometimes.
The man leashed up Boomer and joined them. “By the way, I’m Chris.”
“Katie. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands and she had to swallow against the thrill she felt at his touch.
They started back towards the hotel.
“Nice to meet you, too,” he said. “Too bad we can’t do this again sometime. But Boomer and I are headed out to Centreville tomorrow.”
“And Gunner and I are off to Clarkstown.” Only an hour apart, but far enough to mean she’d never see him again.
As they reached the hotel parking lot, he hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say more, but he turned away instead. “Well, safe travels.”
“Thanks. You, too,” she called as she dug for her key card, wishing he’d stayed a little longer but sort of glad he hadn’t.
As she led Gunner back to their room she wondered if this was going to be one of those moments she looked back on later and thought, what if?
* * *
She couldn’t fall asleep. Not until she finally resolved that she’d make an effort in the morning to find Chris and Boomer before she left.
She didn’
t know what she’d say. “Hire me? I can sell anything?” Or maybe, “Call me wherever you are and if I’m going to be there maybe we can get together?”
She just knew she had to say something or she’d always regret it.
But all thoughts of finding Chris the next morning were driven from her mind when her boss called her at five o’clock.
As she groped for her phone in the pre-dawn darkness she wondered what was wrong now.
She shook herself before she answered, trying to sound like she hadn’t just woken up from a dead asleep. “Hello?”
“Katie. It’s Bruce. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
She suppressed a yawn. “Of course not. What I can do for you, Bruce.”
As he talked, she stumbled out of bed, threw on a jacket, and leashed up Gunner who’d woken when the phone rang and needed to get outside immediately lest something unfortunate happen.
“Clint called me last night…”
As she walked Gunner outside, Bruce lectured her on how he expected her to stay at the client site until the client was happy no matter how long that took.
“Bruce, there was nothing more I could’ve said to him. I can’t make the factory ship things faster. And what am I supposed to do when they ship an inferior product?”
As she stood outside in the now-wet and cold grass, Bruce commenced a lecture on how a good salesperson would have been able to handle the situation and leave the client happy no matter what.
Katie bit her lip to keep from arguing. There was no point. “Okay, Bruce, I’ll try better next time. Anything else?” She led Gunner back inside and sat on the bed.
“When will you be in Clarkstown?”
She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. “I was aiming for one.”
“One? No. Get there by nine.”
“I can’t get there by nine.”
“Why? Because of the dog?”
“No. Because it’s a four-hour drive and it’s almost five-thirty.”
“Hm. Well. Then get there as soon as you can. And when you get back to the office next week we need to talk about that dog.”
“What about him?” She set out Gunner’s food for him before he could start whining, and started packing his things so they could leave as soon as possible after she hung up.
“I don’t think your priorities are in the right place.”
She froze, a ball of ice forming in her stomach. “What does that mean?”
“The dog’s a distraction. If you didn’t have him with you, I bet you would’ve stayed around long enough yesterday to fix things. I tried to be accommodating, but enough is enough. You’re going to have to find an alternate arrangement. My sister just had to put her dog down, she can take him.”
“What? Like, permanently?”
“Yeah. You’re going to be traveling too much in the next few months to take care of him.”
Katie shook her head. No.
No. She wasn’t just going to give him away. What was he thinking?
“Katie? Are you still there?”
“Yes.” She tried to keep the anger out of her voice.
Obviously she failed.
“Get on the road as soon as you can. We’ll talk about the dog situation when you get back. And make sure this client is happy by the time you leave or the dog will be the least of your worries.”
As he hung up, Katie sank to the floor next to Gunner. What was she going to do?
* * *
Katie fought the urge to cry as she threw her clothes into her overnight bag.
She needed this job. But she couldn’t give up Gunner. He was the only good thing in her life.
She could lie. Tell Bruce she wasn’t traveling with him anymore. But he’d find out eventually. And then where would she be?
No.
It seemed her choices were Gunner or the job. Assuming she had a job at all. If this next client visit was anything like the last…
She led Gunner out to the van and loaded him up in the back. He cried softly and looked up at her with those so-sweet brown eyes.
“It’s okay.” She ruffled his head and took a deep breath before closing the door and shoving her bags into the front seat. Nothing she could do about it all right now and no point in upsetting him, too.
She merged onto the highway, her mind in a whirl. She needed this job. But she needed Gunner, too.
Question was: which did she need more?
* * *
By the time she reached Clarkstown three-and-a-half hours later she wasn’t any closer to an answer.
As she stared out the window at the darkening sky and waited for the receptionist to announce her, she tried to find a solution to her problems, but there just wasn’t one.
A tall man in jeans and steel-toed boots came storming out to meet her. “Katie?”
She nodded.
“What are you doing here so early? You’re not supposed to be here until one.”
“My boss asked me to get here earlier.”
“Well it would’ve been nice if one of you had bothered to let me know.”
She took a half-step back as he loomed over her. “Where’s Joe?”
He was her usual contact, a nice older man who always showed her pictures of his grandchildren.
“He retired. Now, back to the point. Why are you here so early?”
Katie took a deep breath, reminding herself that she needed this job. “My boss said it was urgent I get here as soon as I could.”
“Well, I wasn’t expecting you until one.” The man glared down at her, the vein in his forehead throbbing.
“I’m sorry. I can leave and return then if that’s better for you?” She tried to smile but the man was so intimidating she couldn’t muster more than a weak pressing together of her lips.
He turned away from her. “No. You’re here now. Let’s settle this.”
He led the way back to his office, Katie trailing along behind him.
The visit only got worse from there. The man spent the next two hours telling her repeatedly how he didn’t understand why his order wasn’t already there and then glaring at her like she should somehow be able to materialize it out of thin air.
Each time he did, she calmly explained to him that the order had already shipped and was in the hands of UPS now and there was nothing she could do to speed it along. At which point he went on a rant about how the order should have shipped a full ten days before it had and demanded to know why it wasn’t there yet.
It was awful.
And there was nothing she could do to fix it.
The man finally told her to leave and never call his company again, he was canceling his account.
Katie knew a lost cause when she saw one, so she slunk away and found a nearby burger joint where she could drown her sorrows in a bacon double cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake.
By the time she finished lunch, she had five voicemails from Bruce, all demanding to know how she’d managed to lose a customer account they’d had for ten years.
She called him back and tried to explain that customers don’t want to buy poorly made products that don’t arrive on time, but he told her it was all her fault for not bringing the man around.
It was all she could do not to hang up on him as he yelled at her, but she knew that would be tantamount to quitting and she couldn’t do that. Not yet.
She needed a plan. An out. But what?
She checked into the hotel and collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted. She wanted to just lay there and never move again, but still had to pick up Gunner. At least he’d make her feel better and help take her mind off her crap job for a few hours.
She forced herself to unpack first. There wasn’t much to bring in. His bed, food bowls, and bag of toys. Her duffel of clothes and toiletries. She built his little puppy corner like she did every night, carefully arranging his bowls and his blanket and…
She froze.
Where was his hedgehog? Where was that ratty, tattered, saliva-cove
red purple mess?
She dumped his bag of toys onto the floor. No hedgehog.
She tore through her duffle, flinging clothes left and right hoping maybe it had somehow ended up in there. But, no.
She raced out to the van and dug around in the front seat thinking maybe it had fallen out when she loaded the car. Nope.
She took everything out of the back—his blanket, his extra water bowl, his stuffed dinosaur, his stuffed elephant.
No hedgehog.
She slumped against the bumper and buried her face in her hands.
She’d left it behind.
In a hotel four hours away.
She chewed on her lip.
She couldn’t possibly go back for it. Eight hours of driving? It was insane to even consider going back.
But she was.
He loved that toy so much. She couldn’t imagine trying to settle him tonight if he didn’t have it.
But going back would take the rest of the day. And what if they didn’t even have it anymore?
They’d probably just thrown it away. She would’ve. The things was disgusting. Who would possibly believe it was some sort of treasured possession?
She sighed. What was she going to do?
Maybe she could get him a new one. Maybe that would work.
But she knew deep down it wouldn’t.
She buried her face in her hands, letting all the stress of her job and of traveling day after day after day overwhelm her. She sobbed, her shoulders shaking, her eyes overflowing with tears until they were gritty and her skin felt stiff.
Someone coughed to get her attention.
She ignored them. No one could help her now. She just wanted to be left alone.
“Having a bad day?” a man asked.
She recognized that voice.
“Chris?” She wiped at her eyes and sniffled, wishing desperately for a tissue. And an hour to freshen up. “What are you doing here? I thought you were headed to Centerville?”