“See? It’s like I’m not even here. He goes into the red zone.”
“I’d call this pre–red zone. We still have a chance to get through to him at this stage, but once he tips over and starts barking at a dog, it’s going to be tougher to reach him.”
Cora explained the basics of dealing with Sydney’s leash reactivity as they threaded the sidewalk, keeping a buffer between Sydney and the other dogs they encountered so he’d remain calm. The streets of Old Town were a challenging proving ground, and within a few blocks it was clear that both Fran and Sydney had had enough.
“Nice work, guys,” Cora said. “This is just the first step, but I think he’s going to do great. He figured it out quickly.”
“Yes, yes, yes, we get it, we’ll work hard,” Fran said dismissively and looked at her watch. “The lesson is officially over now, so let’s move on to the important stuff.” She peered over her glasses at Cora. “What in the devil is wrong with Eli these days?”
Cora’s phone rang, and she used it as a redirect to hide the pink exploding on her cheeks. It was a 212 area code—New York—which meant it was probably a robocall. She stuffed it back in her pocket and looked at Fran questioningly.
“Oh, don’t play innocent with me, darling. Something strange happened between the two of you, and he won’t tell me what it was. You might think today was just about Sydney, but I had ulterior motives. I’m going to engineer a run-in when we get back to the office so you’ll have to face each other.”
Her heart surged at the thought of a Fran-mandated meeting. If anyone could fix it, Fran could. “How do you know something happened, what did he say?”
“It’s not what he said, it’s what he didn’t say. You always used to come up in conversations with him, and then suddenly—nothing! The second I mention your name, he’s busy on his phone or making a quick exit. I just don’t understand it. Did you root and run?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry, darling, a little Oz slipped out. Did you two ever get together and . . . you know . . .” She made a lewd hand gesture.
“Fran!”
“Sorry, darling! His reactions about you changed so dramatically that I assumed you two had an unfortunate assignation. I know something happened between you. Spill it.”
Cora rubbed her forehead and grimaced. “It’s not what you think.”
The whole story tumbled out in a flurry so circuitous that Fran kept interrupting to get clarification. Cora was careful to avoid mentioning the Feretti dogs specifically, but she told her every detail of the near miss with Charlie, the gala, and how Eli had once again saved the day but felt unappreciated.
“And then . . . I sort of told him that I have feelings for him,” she finished sheepishly with her eyes downcast.
“I knew it! I am never wrong about these things!” Fran crowed. “I knew it before you did! So what did he say?”
“He shot me down before I could even get all of the words out. It was awful. I’m cringing just thinking about it.”
“Pshaw, I can make this right, darling! Easy peasy, Franny to the rescue.”
“You don’t have to,” she protested weakly. “I can see why he thinks I’m awful, and he has every right to be upset at me. Let’s just try to forget it. It’s fine, really.”
They stood facing each other in front of Fran’s building. Fran sighed. “Darling, you are not awful. This is all a ridiculous misunderstanding, but you have my word that I won’t say anything. It will test my limits, but I’ll refrain. Aussie’s honor.”
Cora managed a small grin. “That’s fine. Thank you. I’ve got to run, time for me to hit Rock Creek with my guy. Keep me posted on your progress with Sydney, okay?”
“Oh, you’ll be hearing from me,” she replied mysteriously, and then disappeared with Sydney into the building before Cora could respond.
Cora checked her phone as she made her way to her car. Two new client inquiries, then a voice mail that stopped her in her tracks when she played it.
“Cora, this is Dalton Feretti from World of Animals. I’m here with Mia and Vaughn, and we need to talk with you. Give us a call back in the next hour or so.”
Something happened with Blade and Hunter. He knows. They know. Cora was beside herself. She got in her car and replayed the message twice, trying to figure out if he sounded angry. She wiped her palms on her jeans. Forty-five minutes had passed since he left the message. What was he going to do to her? Have her arrested? Was Hugh Brannon implicated? Or Eli? She had to own up to it and take the fall. Everything was her doing. She swallowed hard and dialed the 212 number.
“Dalton Feretti.”
She summoned every ounce of Maggie in her system and spoke with a strong, clear voice. “Hi, Mr. Feretti, this is Cora Bellamy returning your call.”
“Cora, hello! I’ve got Mia and Vaughn here with me, let me put you on speaker. Can you hear us?”
“Yes, I can, hi, everyone.” Cora’s heartbeat slowed a measure. He sounded cheerful, so unless he was in the business of delivering mob-style ambush attacks, she was in the clear. Blade and Hunter were safely still in Middleburg.
Vaughn took the lead. “Cora, we have an interesting idea we’d like to run by you. We’re here at WOA corporate with Dalton today to brainstorm through some challenges with Everyday Dogs. We’ve had some surprising feedback on our rough cuts, as it turns out.”
Cora had no clue what he was implying. “Hm, interesting,” she said.
“Yeah, the show is a scripted-reality hybrid, and it seems that the scripted part is going fine, but the reality aspect, well, that needs some help.”
She still didn’t know what he meant, exactly, but she did pick up on the fact that no one had mentioned Brooke’s name.
Mia chimed in. “Some of the feedback is that we need to inject some . . . what did they call it?”
“Q-score saver,” Dalton mumbled. “We need to make her more relatable.”
Mia cleared her throat. “We need to add another voice to the show to maximize the advertising synergies. To bring some warmth to the package. Brooke is really awesome at reading copy on camera and doing all of the scripted content like the interstitials before we go to commercials, but she . . . um . . . has a bit more of a challenge when it comes to interacting with the families. She’s just very . . . how should I say it?”
“Formal,” Vaughn added. “She’s superb with the dogs, but corporate is getting a headmistress vibe when she’s working with people. We need some down-home warmth on the show as well.”
Everyone paused, and Cora held her breath.
“And we all agree that you are the warmth we need,” Mia said, breaking the silence.
“What?” Cora wasn’t sure she understood what they were telling her.
“You had such a way with Honey, Cora. You stood out from everyone. It was like you could talk to her, like, in her language, and she could talk back to you, and you could totally understand her. It was Dr. Doolittle stuff. And you were fun to watch. Very likable,” Mia went on.
“That’s such a nice compliment, thank you.” Cora tensed her body to try to stop the trembling. Are they saying what I think they’re saying? “So, um, how can I help?”
“Cora, we’re asking you to cohost Everyday Dogs with Brooke Keating. Would you be interested?” Vaughn said, speaking plainly for the first time in the conversation. “After some media training, of course.”
“Are you serious?”
“We are totally serious. What do you think?”
Cora took a breath and spoke the words that she’d known in her bones since Wade’s e-mail first appeared in her inbox.
“I would love to host Everyday Dogs!”
FORTY-TWO
* * *
Fritz was waiting for Cora when she got home. He had taken to sleeping by the door again on the days when Maggie brought Josie to the theater with her. While he enjoyed the occasional respite from his boisterous sister, he clearly missed having her around.
They mad
e it to the park in the golden hour before the rest of the world came home from work and took to the trails. Fritz’s tongue hung low, and as always Cora surveyed his body as they strolled to make sure he seemed comfortable. When the sun hit him just right she could see new white hairs hiding in the dark patches on his head.
Cora hadn’t told a soul about the call. She wanted to be alone with the news before letting the rest of her world in on it. Was she ready for the scrutiny? The haters, judges, bullies, and trolls who wanted to tear her down for the way she looked or the things she believed? Could she stand the relentless gaze of social media? Was she ready to make her quiet voice heard without hiding behind an anonymous blog and babbling French? And how could she possibly work for Dalton Feretti, knowing that she had essentially stolen his dogs?
She let all of the fear and doubt and anxiety run through her until the only thing she could hear echoing in her head was, “Yes. I can do it.”
Fritz slowed down behind her and finally came to a standstill with his nose magnetized to the ground. She walked a few paces ahead, turning her face into the sun to enjoy this feeling of confidence and peace before everything changed.
“C’mon, slow poke,” she said, after a long pause but without turning around.
“We’re getting acquainted,” a voice answered.
Startled, Cora screamed and leaped around. “Who— Eli?!”
Fritz was leaning against Eli’s legs, grinning while Eli rubbed his shoulders. They looked like old friends, delighted to have run into one another in such an unexpected spot.
“What are you, a ninja or something? I didn’t even hear you walk up! You gave me a heart attack!”
He laughed. “I’m sorry, I do walk really quietly. It’s another one of my superpowers.”
“What are you even doing here?”
“I heard you were at church.”
“Thanks, Fran. So much for ‘Aussie’s honor.’ ”
“Remember, it’s an island of convicts.”
“But how did you know I’d be here?” She pointed to where she was standing.
“I read your entire blog, Cora. Between the millions of mentions and the photos of Fritz on the trail, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out your route. Anyway, I’m in your church because I need absolution.” He bowed his head like a pious congregant.
“What are you talking about?”
“Cora, I’m sorry I was so awful to you on the way home from Brannon’s house. You didn’t deserve that.”
“No, I owe you an apology. I’m mortified that I made you feel like my errand boy. I’m so sorry. Really. I appreciated everything you did to help me.”
They stood a few feet apart, staring at each other in silence. Fritz looked at Cora’s face, then at Eli’s, then back to Cora’s, as if trying to translate what the tension between them meant.
Eli took a step forward. “Do you accept my apology?”
Cora nodded. “I do. And will you accept mine?”
“I will.” He put his hand on his chest and bowed.
They stood cemented in place, not sure how to act or what to say next. Eli focused on Fritz, massaging the dog’s shoulders like he was cornerman in a boxing ring. Cora adjusted his leash in her hand over and over. The silence became painful.
“Want to walk with us?’ Cora asked.
“Sure,” he answered quickly.
Fritz high-stepped between them as they set off.
“He’s a really handsome dude,” Eli said. “The photos on your site don’t do him justice. No offense to your photography skills, of course. I just mean he’s really good-looking.”
“I’m biased, but I agree.”
They were talking as if they’d just met, or like Eli was a client and they were in the first minutes of his first session.
Should I bring up the weather? Cora wondered.
“Warm today,” Eli said.
“Mm-hm,” Cora agreed placidly. Inside she raged. I need to say something! I need to tell him that I miss being around him. That I want him to put his arms around me and say that he’ll never dance with anyone else. That I need his kind of quirky in my life. Don’t screw this up again, Cora!
“Hey, I’m really glad we sorted everything out. I mean, I’m glad we’re back to normal,” Eli said.
Back to normal? Is that all he wants?
“Yeah, definitely. Me, too. Back to normal.” She smiled as she said it to force the feeling into the words.
They walked along silently. The only sound was the impatient jangling of Fritz’s dog tags.
“Eli, stop being stupid,” he muttered to himself. He took a deep breath, stopped walking, and turned to face Cora. “I’m lying. I don’t want to go back to normal. Our normal was torture for me. This is the normal I want.”
He gazed at Cora for a moment, placed a hand to her cheek like he was asking for permission, and then swept her into a kiss unlike any she’d ever experienced. He wrapped his arms around her, and the feel of him, the smell of him, and the familiarity of his body against hers mixed with his unexpected passion made Cora dizzy. They kissed for a long time, neither one wanting to pull away. He finally loosened his grip on her, looked into her eyes, and sighed.
“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that? And do you know how long I want to keep doing it? I mean, that was worth th—”
Cora kissed him on the mouth midsentence, reveling in the way his lips felt on hers. This was exactly where she was supposed to be.
A cyclist sped by and whistled at them, and they laughed at the spectacle they had created. Fritz danced next to them, wagging his tail and grinning, as if he approved of what was happening right above him.
“So this is our new normal?” Cora asked.
“I hope so. Does Fritz like little space alien dogs?”
“Fritz likes every dog. No, scratch that. Fritz loves every dog.”
“Then let’s go to my place and grab Nell and see what happens.”
“Yes,” Cora replied and reached up to kiss him again. “Let’s see what happens.”
FOUR MONTHS LATER
* * *
“I can’t believe it’s finally here,” Cora said, looking around the patio at the group of beloved people and dogs. “I’m still in shock.”
“I’m in shock that Josie won’t stop counter-surfing the appetizer table.” Maggie dashed over to stop Josie from grabbing an entire tray of stuffed mushrooms, then cupped her hands around her mouth. “Anyone know a dog trainer I can call?”
Cora took a sip of champagne and surveyed the crowd. Fran was sitting next to the glass-walled fire pit, gesturing emphatically at Wade and Rachel with an overfull glass of red wine. Sydney was on leash near her, taking playful nips at Daisy’s heels every time she turned away from him. Cora had Fran to thank for the gorgeous venue for the first-episode viewing party of Everyday Dogs. Fran had called in a favor with a swanky DC property that was getting ready to close their outdoor dining area for the season, and begged them to allow dogs for the event. The result was a magazine spread–worthy cobblestoned space lit by hundreds of café lights and punctuated with a dozen dogs of all sizes trying to be on their best behavior.
“We did it,” a voice said behind her.
Cora turned and smiled at Brooke, who was holding out her champagne glass in a toast.
“Indeed we did,” Cora said, clinking her glass. “Thank you for helping me figure out how to be on a show.”
The costars had reached a quick truce by the end of the first episode taping, aware that they could either make life easy for one another or make the experience a nightmare. Once the initial posturing and assessing was over, the women became strong allies. They were really different, of course, but working with Brooke was more seamless than Cora could’ve imagined.
“I’ve gotta go find Sasha,” Brooke said. “I’m sure she’s taunting the big dogs and making me look bad.” Her Yorkie was incorrigible, but she didn’t seem to care.
Cora saw Vanessa beckon from
across the patio and point to her feet. There was Sasha, crouched and barking at Vanessa’s yellow Lab, Samson. Winnie stood nearby, nursing her beer and watching the dogs with a detached look, making it clear that she was officially off dog training duty and that it wasn’t her first drink of the evening.
Cora heard an unmistakable canine snort behind her.
“There you are!” she exclaimed as Eli walked Fritz and Nell to her. Fritz looked dapper in a preppy blue-and-red bow tie that matched Eli’s, and Nell was sporting a leather collar with a cowboy boot–inspired thistle motif, shipped all the way from Beth Ann in Texas. “Was it a successful potty run?”
“You know it,” Eli said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Two pees, and Nell did a nice solid poop.”
“Aw, honey, you really know how to sweet-talk a girl.”
“So when does this thing get rolling? I’ve been nervous-drinking all night and I’m feeling it.”
“You’re nervous? I’m the one who’s supposed to be nervous,” Cora said.
“Nervous is the wrong word. I’m excited. I’m super stoked. We all are.” He looked down at Fritz and Nell, and his voice went up a pitch. “Right, puppy-faces? Right?” Fritz danced in place and Nell turned in her happy-dog circles.
As if on cue, the big-screen TV in the middle of the space sprang to life, and the show’s cheerful theme song came over the loudspeakers. People clapped and hooted and a few dogs barked along. Cora and Eli settled into a love seat off to the side. Like always, they arranged themselves so they were touching from shoulder to hip. Fritz hopped up beside her uninvited, and Nell stood on her back legs and danced in front of them, her adorable way of asking for help.
Eli leaned over and kissed Cora’s neck. “I’m so proud of you, love.”
Cora’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker as scenes of frolicking dogs played out on-screen.
“This season on Everyday Dogs, you’ll learn exactly what it takes to build a relationship with your dog that’s based on love, compassion, and a little bit of science. You’ll understand how to bring out the best in your best friend, and have fun while doing it. We’ve got tons of laughter, a few tears, and tools that every pet parent can use. Are you ready to get started? Let’s train some dogs!”
Life on the Leash Page 26