The Art of Wag

by Susan C. Daffron

  He squeezed her hand. “I figured that out all by myself.”

  She pulled her hand out of his, pushed herself back up to a sitting position, and glanced over at the computer. “Oh yippee, you turned it on for me.”

  “I wanted to take a look at what you were working on yesterday.”

  Tracy scowled at the evil machine and put her face in her palms. “Ugh. I hate what I did. It’s awful.” She lifted her head and her expression brightened. “I know the ice cream place is closed for the season, but maybe we can get some of that tiramisu.”

  “I was hoping we could talk about the page. I have a couple of ideas.”

  “Do we have to? She hugged her knees and put her forehead down on them. “It’s terrible. I knew you’d hate it.”

  Rob reached over and took her hand again. “I don’t hate it. But nothing is perfect on the first try. That’s what the Delete key is for. Can’t we talk about it?”

  She lifted her head and turned to look at him. “What’s the point? I should just go home.” She moved to get up off the bed.

  He gripped her hand more tightly so she wouldn’t get up. When she turned, he looked into her eyes. “Yesterday, I asked you why you’re avoiding this, and you said you’re not. But you are. What’s wrong?”

  Tracy’s shoulders slumped. “What if it really stinks and everybody hates it? I’m not really a web designer. I mean, who are we kidding here?”

  Rob let go of her hand and moved toward the top of the bed so he could lean on the headboard. “What you’re saying is that if you don’t ever design something, then no one will hate it. Nothing bad will happen, right?

  She shrugged noncommittally. “I guess.”

  “I agree that doing something creative is a risk. But you must have taken risks before. Done something you’ve never done before?”

  “Yes. Usually I screw it up. Like when I left college. Twice.” Tracy slumped down and rolled over on her stomach. “I wanted to be a vet, but I couldn’t handle the math requirements. I dropped out. But then I went back and took some other classes, including some art classes. But I washed out again.” She traced the ugly pattern on the well-worn bedspread with her index finger. “My father said he wasn’t paying for me to be a screw-up, as he called it, and I came back here.”

  Rob looked down and picked at a loose thread on the bedspread. “So you view that as a failure?”

  “Yes.” Tracy crossed her feet at the ankles and swung them back and forth over her back. “My father reminds me periodically about how much he spent on my lack of education, just in case I might forget.”

  “But now you work at a vet clinic. You must have learned something.”

  Tracy sat up and crossed her legs. She leaned forward and smiled. “Actually, that’s why I got hired. Dr. C loved that I knew so much about anatomy already.”

  “Sometimes good things come about in ways you don’t expect. But you don’t know unless you go out and do something. Every choice you make has pros and cons.”

  She wrapped her arms around her knees again. “Give me a break. What’s the pro of me flaking out on you?”

  Rob looked up. “Well, it’s great for you. You can continue with what’s familiar, doing what you’ve always done.” He waved toward the door. “You can go home, eat ice cream, and hang out with your dog.”

  Tracy grinned. “That sounds good to me.”

  “But you’ll never know if you could do something else. Maybe you wouldn’t have to work at a job that makes your feet hurt and sometimes makes you cry. Maybe you could be a web designer. Do something that lets you use the incredible artistic gifts you have.”

  She said in a quiet voice, “You think I have gifts?”

  He nodded. “Yes. You do. Our teacher thought so too. Weren’t you listening?”

  “She probably had to say that.”

  Rob made a wry face as he continued to pick at the thread. “Um, you may have noticed she didn’t say it to me.”

  “Oh yeah.”

  Rob tugged and finally ripped the errant thread off the bedspread. “Like I said, this whole project is risky for me too. But I don’t want to install networks forever.”

  Tracy poked at his leg playfully with her index finger. “Yeah, but you’re not like me. You’re a diligent buckle-down kind of guy. Dudley Do Right has nothing on you.”

  He looked up and his eyes met hers. “It’s not often I’m compared to a Canadian Mountie who rides horses backwards. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted.”

  “It was a compliment.” Tracy poked at his leg again. “You’d totally rescue a damsel in distress.”

  “I appreciate your confidence in my ability to uphold justice, if not my equestrian skills.”

  Tracy giggled and flopped back on the bed next to him, putting her hand on his thigh and patting it amiably. “If I were tied to railroad tracks, you’d totally be there.”

  Rob removed her hand from his leg and slumped down on the bed, so he was almost nose to nose with her. “Maybe we should get to work now.”

  At the intense look in his hazel eyes, she started and moved away quickly. Up close, Rob’s eyes were extraordinary —a deep amber color with gold flecks throughout the iris. “I think you’re right. I’ll shut up now.” She scuttled off the bed and sat down in front of the computer. “If you need me, I’ll be over here. Working.”

  Chapter 9

  Scientific Experiments

  Tracy worked late with Rob at the H12. They didn’t say much, but she made some progress on her designs. By the time she went home, she was worn out from the long, draining day. She pressed the button on her answering machine and was surprised to discover that Todd had left a message. A little glimmer of excitement fluttered through her exhaustion at the thought of seeing him again. After giving Roxy a brief outing, Tracy was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her alarm went off at what seemed like an obscenely early hour and she dragged herself off to the clinic.

  When Dr. Cassidy came in, Tracy had gotten most things set up, but was still working on cleaning out kennels. The veterinarian came into the room and Tracy turned to face her. “I know. I’m late getting stuff set up. Sorry!”

  The vet put her hand on Tracy’s shoulder. “We got a cancellation, so you have a little more time. Are you okay? I know yesterday was rough.”

  Tracy leaned back against the rows of metal cages. “Yeah. Then I had to work on the web site stuff with Rob. Sorry if I’m kind of spaced out.”

  The vet busied herself laying out her surgical implements. “How’s that going?”

  “I don’t know. Rob is being nice, but I think he’s figured out I’m a flake.”

  Dr. Cassidy looked up. “You’re not flaky when you’re here.”

  “Here, animals could get hurt or die. Or I could get bitten if I screw up. I couldn’t stand hurting an animal, and dodging personal pain is a great motivator. But this thing is just a web site, not life, death, or physical harm. He thinks I’m avoiding working on it. Like I’m afraid to take a risk or something because I’m afraid people will hate it. So I goof off and procrastinate.”

  The vet nodded her head. “I could see that.”

  “I thought you said I wasn’t a flake.”

  “You have said you want to do a number of things, but then you back off. Like the art class. You almost didn’t go. But I saw some of your paintings at your place when I had to pick you up that time. You’re really talented. But the paintings I saw aren’t done. It seems like you find reasons not to finish them.”

  The bells on the front door jingled and Tracy looked toward the lobby. “Oops. Somebody is here. Guess it’s time to get started.” As she hustled to greet the client, she was still thinking about what Dr. C had said. Did she really do that?

  The last appointment of the day was late and Tracy rushed out of the clinic when it was over. She decided to walk straight over to the H12, so Rob wouldn’t think she was ditching him. Plus, she was going to have to leave early to mee
t Todd, which Rob probably wasn’t going to appreciate either. The good news was that after her little crisis of confidence last night, she’d made progress and was actually looking forward to working on her designs today.

  She knocked on the door of Room 2 and Rob opened the door and waved her into the room. “I was starting to wonder what became of you.”

  Tracy walked through the door. “I’m sorry. This guy was late for his appointment and the dog was not exactly excited about going to the vet. It took a while to get them out of there. I came here first to let you know, but I really have to go walk my dog now.”

  “Do you want company? I could use a break.”

  “Okay. After staring at this stuff all day, your brain has probably melted.”

  “I think I’ll live.” He went inside, grabbed the room key, and locked the door. “Let’s go. You seem to walk everywhere. How far away do you live?”

  “My place is above the gift store. Most of the buildings along the main drag have offices or apartments above them.”

  They walked across the H12 parking lot and down to the street. At the slam of a door, Tracy looked behind her. Todd was exiting room number six. It would probably be awkward if Rob and Todd met each other. Best not to go there. Tracy picked up her pace. She looked over her shoulder again. Todd wasn’t alone. Hmm. Interesting. Who was that woman?

  Rob matched her increase in speed. “Wow, you can really move when you want to.”

  “Like you said, I walk a lot. And Roxy hates it when I’m late.” She wrapped her arms around her torso. “I need to grab a warmer jacket too. I’ve been resisting breaking out the winter wear. I’m not ready to deal with the cold yet.”

  Rob shuffled through some leaves. “Oh come on, fall here is incredible. I love this weather. It’s all crisp and bright. Even though the trees have just about dropped all their leaves, there are so many pine trees, it’s still green.”

  “You wouldn’t be so enthusiastic if you had to trudge through the snow for the next five or six months.” She rubbed her hands together and turned toward the door to the stairs up to her apartment. “Here it is. That sound you hear is angry dachshund.”

  Rob laughed. “I figured.” He followed her up the stairs and into her apartment. Roxy’s barking evolved into a paroxysm of deafening canine hysteria.

  Tracy kicked aside some magazines and grabbed the dog off the floor. “Quiet, Roxy. That’s enough.” The little dog growled in her arms.

  Rob looked around and walked toward the painting that was sitting on her easel. He stumbled slightly over the box of paints. “Oops, sorry.”

  “I haven’t found a home for that. I trip on it all the time.” Roxy growled for emphasis. “Roxy, stop that!”

  “This is a really good start. You should finish it.”

  “You sound like Dr. C. She said the same thing to me earlier today.” She bent her head to peer at Roxy’s face. “Have you got yourself under control, little dog?”

  Rob turned back to her. “I guess your dog isn’t particularly friendly, is she?”

  “It depends. She tends to hate men.” Usually only men she was dating. Roxy was selective that way. Who knew what her problem was now? Good thing she hadn’t let Todd up here.

  “I’ll try not to take it personally.”

  Tracy clipped on the leash and put the dog back on the floor. “Can you behave?” Roxy started toward Rob and launched into another barking episode to let him know exactly what she thought of him. Tracy picked the dog up again. “Okay, that’s not going to work. Let’s get going.”

  Rob left and waited at the bottom of the stairs while Tracy locked up. She followed with Roxy in her arms. He said, “So does that dog ever walk on her own?”

  Tracy put Roxy down and the dog immediately started motoring down the sidewalk. “Yes. She’s quite mobile when she wants to be. She’s only got three legs and dachshunds can develop back problems too, so I never let her run up and down the stairs.”

  The humans walked together in silence while Roxy sniffed all her favorite spots for any new information that might have transpired since she’d been out this morning.

  Tracy wondered what Rob was thinking about. He usually wasn’t this quiet. Maybe after seeing her painting, he was having doubts. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually finished a painting. Maybe he was coming to some obvious conclusions. He already knew she wasn’t exactly a workaholic. And he was going to be really irritated that she had to leave early tonight. But there was no way she wasn’t going to miss out on another date with Todd. Not to mention she was curious who he was with at the H12. Even the idea of starting something with Todd was stupid, given that he lived so far away, but she still wanted to see those gorgeous blue eyes again.

  Tracy turned around, pulling Roxy back in the opposite direction. “Okay little dog, you’ve done what you came here to do. Let’s go home.” Roxy wagged her tail and started pulling on the leash, back toward the apartment.

  Rob looked down at Roxy. “She certainly is a determined little thing.”

  “Roxy likes being in charge. Usually she is, so it works out well for her.” Tracy turned to look at him. His eyes were downcast, watching Roxy’s short legs propel her forward. Behind the glasses, that man had some seriously long eyelashes. It would take six tubes of mascara to get her eyelashes to look that thick. Life was so unfair.

  They stopped at the doorway and Tracy unlocked the door. “Okay, so I have to tell you something you’re not going to like.”

  Rob followed her up the stairs. “Thanks for warning me.”

  Tracy ensconced Roxy in the apartment and locked up. “So, I have a...uh...an appointment tonight, so I have to bail out early.”

  Rob touched her forearm quickly. “Is everything okay? This isn’t about the dog yesterday or anything, is it?”

  “Fine. I just have to meet someone.”

  “You mean a date?”

  “Sort of. I’m meeting a guy who used to live here a long time ago.” Rob didn’t have to look so surprised. She could have a date. It wasn’t the most impossible thing in the world to think she might have a social life, was it?

  He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We really should talk about that one page you weren’t happy with, though.”

  “I know. I did some stuff last night that I like better. I think I’m starting to get the hang of the program again.”

  They crossed the parking lot and went back into Room 2. The computers were still sitting there, waiting. Nothing had changed. But today, Tracy sat down and turned on the machine. She turned in her chair to look at Rob. “Okay, so tell me your ideas on the hideous design.”

  Rob pulled a chair over to her table. They went through the page and Tracy wrote notes on the motel notepad. Then they discussed how the ideas could be used in other areas of the site.

  Tracy glanced over at the clock radio next to the bed. “Is that really what time it is?”

  Rob looked at his watch. “Yes, the clock is right.”

  “I’ve got to go.” She looked down at herself. “I was going to go change my clothes first. Oh well, I guess this is it.” She gathered up her coat. “Sorry!”

  Rob nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We need to figure out how we can finish this up. We’ve only got two days.”

  “I know. I know. But I really have gotta go now.”

  Tracy ran down the street to the cafe where she and Todd were meeting for coffee and dessert. She opened the door and the wind caught it with a whoosh, so everyone at the small tables looked up at her. Her tenth-grade English teacher was sitting closest to the door. “Hi Mrs. Plunkett. Sorry about that.”

  Todd waved from across the room and she sat down across from him. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Thanks for waiting.”

  He flashed her a charming smile, revealing his perfect white teeth, and she was reminded again of how handsome he was. Yowza. He gestured toward the cafe. “No problem. It was nice to just sit and relax for a few minut
es.”

  “How are Fred and Max doing?”

  “They’re good. We’re all taking off tomorrow. After lots of time in front of the TV, I think those two are well rested. And they’ve cleaned the store out of junk food.”

  “Did you watch football, too?”

  “Yeah, and I did some other stuff. Who is that guy you’re hanging around with? I didn’t realize you were seeing someone.”

  Tracy bit her lip and shook her head. “I’m not. That’s Rob. I met him at a class and we’re working on a project together.”

  “So he’s not a boyfriend? That’s good. I was hoping we could spend some time getting to know each other better.”

  “Do you want to go somewhere? Not much is open at this hour. This cafe is about to close, so we should probably get moving. Betsy is going to want to start shutting down here soon.”

  “We could go somewhere for a drink.”

  “Yeah, I suppose. Where? The 311 bar is pretty disgusting.”

  “I bought some beer. We could go to my room.”

  Tracy looked at him sharply. “What?”

  Todd rested his elbow on the table and leaned toward her. “We could have some fun. All work and no play isn’t good, right?”

  She looked into his blue eyes. “Actually, most people seem to think I don’t work hard enough.”

  “Jobs where you’re on your feet are tough. Physically, I mean. I know how that is. It’s good to relax and unwind.”

  Tracy looked over at the menu on the wall. The first item was chicken. Was he really suggesting that she sleep with him? After the trout kiss? She was stupid, but not that stupid. Time to change the subject. “So when I was walking with Rob I saw you with a woman at the H12. Who was that?”

  Todd squinted at the window toward the street. “Oh, just an old friend.”

  “Someone who lives here? She didn’t look familiar to me.”

  “Oh come on, you don’t know everyone.”