Life on the Leash

by Victoria Schade

  “Awww, he wants you to be up here too. C’mon, get in, Cora!”

  He was right. Cora knew that if she got in bed as well, human-loving Oliver wouldn’t be able to resist jumping up.

  “Well, this is pretty unorthodox, but you do need to get your sleep.” She perched herself on the opposite side of the bed. The moment she drew her feet up off the ground Oliver sprang into the air, seemed to hover there for a moment, and landed squarely in the middle of the bed.

  “Yeah, buddy! There he is, there’s my jumper!” Charlie laughed and petted his dog, who hopped in circles as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just accomplished. Cora joined in, laughing at Oliver’s silliness, which only made him more animated. He sprinted from one side of the bed to the other, pausing in front of Charlie then Cora then back to Charlie, seeming to say, “I did this all by myself! Look at me!”

  Oliver flopped on his back and pawed the air, his energy flagging after the mental workout. “Someone wants a belly rub,” Cora said. She edged her way to Oliver and scratched his undercarriage. Charlie leaned in and rubbed Oliver’s belly as well.

  “You’re getting double teamed, Oliver. Lucky guy.” He chuckled.

  Cora grimaced and imagined what they looked like spread out on the bed together. The scenario was so far past professionalism that she gave in completely. She pulled her legs all the way up on the bed and put her head down next to Oliver, making sure it was far away from Madison’s pillow. “I’m exhausted. I could go to sleep right here.”

  “Be my guest, we wouldn’t mind.” Charlie moved in closer to Oliver. “I’m pretty tired, too.” He put his head down so that he was facing Cora. Oliver relaxed in the space between them. Cora closed her eyes for a few moments, and when she opened them Charlie was staring at her. She didn’t look away.

  “Bet you’ve never had a lesson like this,” Charlie said softly.

  “Never. But that’s what I love about my job. Different every day.” Cora was trembling inside but she managed to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

  “Is it weird that we did bed training?”

  “Not at all. You had a legitimate training concern, and we addressed it. And now we’re taking a break.” She was amazed that she could explain away the divide they were crossing so coolly.

  “Is it weird that we’re still in bed?”

  “I don’t feel weird. Do you, Oliver?” Cora tickled Oliver’s belly playfully. Charlie reached over and rubbed Oliver’s stomach, and their hands touched. Charlie slid his hand on top of Cora’s and left it there, resting on top of dozing Oliver.

  In that moment, looking into Charlie’s eyes, Cora didn’t care about anything else. She didn’t care about doing the right thing, or Madison, or how unprofessional she was acting.

  She leaned over and kissed Charlie Gill.

  He met her lips as if he’d been waiting for them. Movie kiss perfect. He stroked her cheek softly as their lips met, until Cora’s hunger for him made it obvious that he could abandon any tender pretext. She heard him groan quietly as their kisses turned primal.

  Oliver sighed and pushed against Charlie with his front paws, as if registering an editorial comment about what was happening right above his head, which halted the moment. Cora was mortified by what she’d done. How could she have let her libido drown out her common sense?

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” She moved quickly to the edge of the bed, and Charlie grabbed her arm.

  “Cora, it’s okay.” He stared at her. “If you hadn’t done it, I would’ve.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense. I’m sorry, I have to get out of here. Madison—”

  “I don’t want you to go.”

  The room was dim, illuminated only by the light from the hallway. There was no question what would happen next if she didn’t leave. After ages of self-imposed celibacy, she was aching to strip off her clothes and lose her new-ginity to Charlie. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him and not stop. Instead, she hung her head.

  “This isn’t who I am. I can’t, Charlie. You’re not thinking straight. You’re just lonely.”

  “I’ve been attracted to you since the first time I saw you. C’mon, I know you could tell.”

  Cora shook her head and looked at the door. She knew how easy it would be for him to woo away her shaky resolve if she met his eyes. She wanted to get up and leave but she was anchored to the bed.

  “I don’t know anything anymore. I just know this isn’t right.”

  Charlie moved across the bed until he was right next to her. “Are you saying you don’t want me to do this?” He leaned over and kissed her, and she melted into him. He straddled her and deftly lowered her flat on the bed. His hands were everywhere, grazing her breasts, skimming the tops of her thighs, dipping between her legs, and pulling impatiently at the buttons on her shirt.

  A muffled metallic sound pierced the silence. Charlie sat up and grabbed at his back pocket.

  “It’s Madison, right on time.” He jumped off Cora and struggled to turn on a lamp, and Cora ran to a dark corner of the room, tucking in her shirt. “Hey, babe! What’s up?”

  He answered the phone with a stunning nonchalance given what had just been happening seconds earlier.

  Cora was shocked.

  He listened for a minute. “No, I didn’t see that! Seriously? No, I have no record that you tried to Skype me!” Charlie made a silly face at Cora. “Actually, can I call you back in a sec?”

  Cora made her way to the door, but Charlie quietly snapped his fingers at her. “Stay!” he mouthed, and she froze in place. He turned his attention back to what Madison was saying. “Oh, okay. Sure, we can talk now.” He shrugged at Cora, and she mimed pointing at a watch. She had to get out of the room, quickly. There was no way she was going to listen to him lie his way through a conversation with Madison.

  She walked through the dark house while echoes of his voice rolled off the walls behind her. Unable to find any light switches, she made her way to the kitchen in the pitch-black. She packed up her training bag slowly, hoping that Charlie would finish the call and come down to make sense of what had just happened between them. Her only escort was a subdued Oliver, who placed a companionable paw on top of her foot as she finished packing her supplies.

  Cora paused at the bottom of the stairs and heard Charlie laughing. She couldn’t make out the words but the conversation was clearly nowhere near over, and he wasn’t breaking it to Madison gently. Anger bubbled inside of her.

  She berated herself during the drive home. You’re nothing to him. But that kiss! Maybe he’s struggling with his feelings. But he said he wants to marry her. The flip-flopping made her even angrier. Don’t be so naïve!

  She kept checking her phone, wondering if he was going to reach out to her, or if she’d have to pretend that his latest breach never happened, just like she did after sushi night. She was almost home when the text finally came through. “SO sry! Mad only had a few minutes to talk. I feel terrible. U hate me?”

  Cora waited until she had parked her car to respond. “Do wht you have to do, it’s fine.”

  He sent a smiling emoji back to her, then another text. “U still good to come to the gala?”

  She sat in the car with the phone in her hand, imagining the different scenarios that might play out if she went. Even after everything that had happened, she still wanted to get dressed up and eat a fancy dinner with Charlie and his friends. She wanted to drink too much wine and fall into his arms and blame whatever happened on the alcohol. No one had ever kissed her like that before, not even Aaron.

  “Sure.” The one-word answer was loaded, and they both knew it.

  “Great!” A pause followed by another text. “And maybe we can finish what we started tonight?”

  Cora replied immediately. “Nope. Can’t do that to Madison. Sorry.” The text sounded confident. She wondered if he could tell she was lying. Three long minutes passed before he replied.

  “She won’t know.”

  Hi
s response made her feel cheap. While she had been convinced that they were working toward something real, keeping their relationship a secret solidified Cora’s role as a sidepiece and nothing more. Cora typed and erased her thoughts several times, and she knew he could see the reply bubbles percolating on the screen. She settled on, “I’ll contact u for gala deets as date gets closer. Thx.”

  She was angry at herself for not bowing out, but the attraction between them was messing with her head and convincing her to make stupid choices. You can still beat this, she thought. Just go to the gala, don’t drink, listen to Alice, focus on meeting new people, and it’ll be fine. Keep your distance from him. Simple.

  Charlie replied with a thumbs-up emoji. Then a heart.

  It wasn’t going to be simple.

  THIRTY

  * * *

  “Hello? Hello? Is this Miss Cora the dog trainer?” an unfamiliar female voice with a slight twang asked.

  Cora was just leaving her final client of the day and hadn’t planned on picking up her phone, but the 713 area code called and hung up three times in a row without leaving a message.

  “Yes, this is Cora, how may I help you?”

  “Hello, this is Beth Ann Devlin’s mother, Pamela. May I talk to you for a moment, please?”

  Cora immediately knew that something was up and became flustered by the possibilities. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Devlin. Is everything okay?”

  “No, actually it’s not at all. And I’m sorry to involve you, but I don’t know who to turn to about this . . . . Beth Ann . . .” Pamela’s voice cracked. “Beth Ann had a pretty bad breakdown a few days ago, and we only just found out about it. Her daddy and I flew in from Texas as fast as we could. She’s not in good shape.” Cora heard Pamela take a shaky breath.

  “Oh, Mrs. Devlin, I’m so sorry! Is she all right?” Cora’s heart pounded. What could she have done differently at their last session? Had Beth Ann hurt herself?

  “She’s okay, she’s just in a bad place . . . mentally.” Pamela Devlin audibly struggled to admit it out loud. “We’re getting ready to take her back home to River Oaks tomorrow, but we have to get a few things in order before we leave. Beth Ann thought you might be able to help with little Chanel.”

  Could both Beth Ann and Chanel be about to be saved?

  “We would take her ourselves, but I’m deathly allergic to dogs. I’m breaking out in hives as we speak,” Pamela continued.

  “Of course, no problem, I’d be happy to take—” Cora stopped herself, remembering Josie. The week-long camp she’d proposed to Beth Ann would’ve been fine, but an extended stay with no end in sight was impossible. “Oh no. My roommate just adopted our foster dog and I can’t have three dogs at my place. Give me a second to think.” Cora racked her brain, trying to come up with a suitable alternative. She hesitated to get in touch with any of her rescue friends because she felt a special connection to Chanel. She desperately wanted to help the little dog herself, but she knew she couldn’t swing it with two other dogs in the house. Then it hit her.

  “Mrs. Devlin, I think I have a solution that will work. Can you give me a few minutes to check with someone?”

  “Of course, sweetheart. We’re not leaving until the morning. Just give me a call when you figure it out.”

  “This is sort of an awkward question but . . . are you looking to find a permanent home for Chanel? Or does Beth Ann want her back at some point once she’s . . . feeling better?”

  “Honey, I don’t know,” Pamela’s Texas twang slipped out. “I don’t know anything right now. I’m thinking that Beth Ann is better off with us at home, and Lord knows I can’t have a dog in the house. So let’s call it permanent.”

  “That’s fine then. I’ll call you when I know something.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart. We’re at the Hay-Adams Hotel, and you have my cell number. Chanel is going to stay at Beth Ann’s apartment tonight, and we’ll be back in the morning to say good-bye to her and make the necessary arrangements with y’all.”

  “Wait, you’re leaving Chanel there alone tonight?”

  “Well yes, honey. My hives, I told you about these awful hives I’m getting.”

  Cora had to think fast. “Oh, well, I bet Chanel is really scared about everything that’s going on. Is there any way that I could come and pick her up later today?”

  “That would be fine, thank you. I’ll leave a key with the front desk, you can just let yourself in and out.” Pamela seemed eager to get off the phone, as if she’d already washed her hands of the responsibility of finding a home for Chanel.

  “Mrs. Devlin, please send Beth Ann my best and . . . and tell her . . . I’m thinking of her,” Cora stumbled trying to find the right words.

  “That’s so nice, sweetheart. She spoke very highly of you. She considers you a friend. I do hope y’all will keep in touch.” Cora was stunned and saddened by the revelation. What had Beth Ann told her mother about the three short hours they’d spent together?

  “Of course. Take care, Mrs. Devlin.”

  Cora hung up and immediately texted Fran. “Hi there, can u pls give me Eli’s #?”

  Fran texted, “Be still my heart! Do you need to tell me something?”

  “Haha. No, I have a canine emergency and I think he can help.” Fran texted his number and included a few heart emojis.

  Cora tried constructing a concise text detailing what had just happened down the hall from him, but she couldn’t find a suitable way to express everything. She entered his number, hoping he’d pick up.

  “This is Eli,” he said, sounding like he was still at the office.

  “Eli, hey, it’s Cora Bellamy, the dog trainer?”

  “Cora, hi! What a surprise! What’s going on?”

  She outlined what she knew about Beth Ann’s breakdown, hoping that he would put the pieces together so she didn’t have to ask him outright.

  “That’s so sad! I feel terrible I wasn’t more plugged in when I saw her around. So how can I help?” He wasn’t making the leap.

  “Eli, this is a huge imposition, and I feel totally awkward asking you, but you really seemed to connect with Chanel . . .”

  “Oh my God—Chanel! I’m so stupid. Yes, of course I can watch her for a night or two. It’s the least I can do.”

  Cora didn’t want to push for a lifetime commitment right out of the gate. “That would be great! A night or two would be a big help. Can you start . . . tonight?”

  Eli tripped over his words. “Tonight? Um, I sort of have plans but I’m sure I can postpone it. Anything for Chanel, right?”

  She paused, wondering what sort of plans Eli might have. A date? “They left her key at the front desk. I can run over in a few hours and help you get her set up.”

  “Fantastic. I literally have nothing dog-related in my apartment. I can go out and get stuff tomorrow, but can you bring me, like, dog food and bowls? Or can we grab stuff from Beth Ann’s apartment?”

  “Have you ever been in her apartment? I’ll bring supplies for you, don’t worry.”

  Eli sighed. “This situation sucks for Beth Ann, but I’m excited to help Chanel.”

  “I bet she’ll be ecstatic to hang with you. She really seemed to like you,” Cora said, hoping that her subliminal suggestions were working. “I’ll text you when I get to your building.”

  Cora hung up, took a breath, and mentally compiled the supplies she’d need for Eli and Chanel. Cora was thrilled that the little dog was going to finally be free of the dungeon apartment, but she felt awful about the price Beth Ann had to pay. But Eli was a dream foster parent: kind, loving, patient, and willing to step up to help without a second thought—a perfect solution!

  THIRTY-ONE

  * * *

  “Can I just leave my ID with you while I go up? Remember, I was here a few weeks ago and I walked her dog through the lobby? I swear, I’m just here to get Chanel. Eli Crawford is going to watch her.” She tilted the bag of supplies so the guard could see inside. “See? I brought a bunch of
stuff for him.” Cora couldn’t believe that Pamela Devlin had forgotten to leave word at the front desk that the key was for her. The security guard Cora had passed three times had no recollection of ever seeing her and refused to hand it over. Pamela wasn’t answering her phone so she texted Eli.

  Eli was in the lobby minutes after she texted him. “Yo, Teddy, why are you hassling this young lady? Does she look like a criminal to you?” He wore a green hoodie with a craft beer logo on the chest and jeans. She’d never seen him out of work clothes, and she had to admit that he looked kind of cute, in an approachable way.

  “What up, Eli? I’m just doing my job, and yes, she seems like the shady type to me.” The security guard finally cracked a smile.

  Eli joined Cora at the desk and gave her a wink. “We need to help out a little space alien in distress, and we heard that you have the key to the galaxy. How do we go about securing it?”

  “I’ll give you the key no problem, as long as you accompany this character.” Cora smiled and rolled her eyes but remained quiet.

  “You have my word that I won’t let her out of my sight.” Eli shifted gears. “So did you hear what happened with Beth Ann?”

  “Hear what happened? I saw it, man. Rough stuff,” Teddy answered.

  Eli leaned in conspiratorially and pushed his glasses up. “Tell us. How bad was it?”

  “Well, her mom and dad came rushing in here yesterday like her apartment was on fire or something. An hour later, they come down with Beth Ann, and that poor girl was a mess. Crying like someone died and shaking, all wrapped up in a blanket like a baby. Bare feet, all dirty and nasty. I felt so bad for her. She was always real nice. A little strange sometimes, but just a real nice girl.”

  “Yeah, she was,” Eli said glumly. “I mean, she is. And now she’ll get the help she needs.”

  “Definitely. And Chanel, too,” Cora said, hoping to remind them of her reason for being there.

  “Right! Chanel. May we have the key?” Eli asked.