by Dylann Crush
“Since when? You’re only going to be here long enough to cash in and then you’ll be off again on another adventure.” She shrugged his hand away and ran a finger under her eye, wiping away any hint of emotion.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could have been here for you more.”
“You don’t mean that.” She leveled him with a direct gaze. “You’ve never been able to stay in one place.”
His cheeks tingled. He knew she’d been struggling. He’d known it for a while. Every time they chatted via video, he’d get an idea of just how busy her life was. But when he’d been on the other side of the world, it had been easy to ignore. Char could handle anything. She was the strong, stable one. He was the one who took the party with him wherever he went. He’d never grown roots, never wanted to, not the kind that Char had put down.
“I’m here now.”
“Yeah, but for how long? I can manage the four kids, the husband who’s never home, working two jobs to try to keep groceries on the table. The choices Dave and I have made have led us to where we are and we’ll deal with that.”
He nodded.
“But I can’t take on Gramps all by myself.”
“I’m here to help. I won’t leave until we find a solution. One that works for both of you.”
“And watch your language.”
“I’ll try. I’m not used to being around impressionable ears but I’ll do my best.” He glanced down at his clothes. “Now I’ve got to change before I go meet with the contractor. Can I do anything to help you get out the door this morning?”
“Actually”—Char bit her lower lip—“Dolly’s day care provider canceled for today and my calendar is packed at work. Think she can hang with you?”
“What, like all day?”
“Yeah. She only has preschool three days a week and goes to day care the rest. But there’s some virus sweeping through and I could really use a hand.”
Alex swallowed the no that tried to squeeze past his lips. “Yeah, of course. I’d be happy to watch her.”
“Great. Thanks.” Char leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll make sure she and Gramps are ready to go.”
“Wait. Where’s Gramps going today?”
Char stopped in the doorway and turned around real slow. “With you. He can’t stay here on his own all day. My house can’t take it. Last night I caught him trying to order pay-per-view.”
“Okay, Gramps, too.” It was going to be a real party trying to get work done with a multigenerational audience today, but that’s what he’d signed up for.
“You’re a lifesaver.”
He didn’t feel like a lifesaver. He felt like a life ring, bobbing around in the ocean trying to stay afloat until someone bigger and braver came by to take over. But he’d promised to pitch in, so he vowed to make the best of it.
Twenty minutes later he’d changed clothes, snagged a quick breakfast of lumpy waffles, and was ready to head out. Char had already left to take the three older girls to school and get to work.
“Dolly, Gramps, time to go.” He’d tried drying his notebook with a hair dryer but the pages still stuck together. There had to be something else sitting around he could use. While he waited for his niece and his grandfather to turn off the TV in the other room, he pulled open one drawer after another, looking for something he could write on.
“I’m ready, Uncle Alex.” Dolly skipped into the room, her plastic dress-up heels clunking along the floor.
“Oh, sweetheart, we’re going to a warehouse today. Why don’t you run back to your room and change?”
Her lower lip jutted out. “But I want to wear my princess dress.”
He checked his watch. They were short on time but if she hurried, they wouldn’t be late. “I just don’t want you to get dirty. Warehouses can be a tricky place for princesses, you know.”
Dolly’s brow furrowed as she whirled around and stomped out of the kitchen.
“Gramps!” Alex opened the last drawer. He scooped up a pen and notebook and shoved them into his bag.
Gramps shuffled into the kitchen. “I’d rather stay home.”
Alex shook his head. “Not gonna happen. Char said you need to be supervised today.”
“I pressed the wrong button last night. Thought I was getting that new Bourne movie.”
“You can tell that to Char later. Right now I need you to get it in gear or I’m going to be late.”
Gramps frowned and muttered to himself as he moved toward the hall closet. Alex checked his watch again. He needed to start this project off on the right foot.
“Dolly! Come on, hon. We’ve got to go.”
She clomped down the hall in some sort of footwear that was too heavy to be the plastic princess shoes. As she entered the kitchen, his head felt like it might explode.
“I’m ready, Uncle Alex.” The voice sounded like his adorable niece, but the creature it came from didn’t look anything like the four-year-old he’d sent back to change a few minutes ago.
“What the hell did you do to yourself?” His heart skipped a beat, then another as he took in her makeover. She’d wrapped herself in toilet paper from head to toe. All except for her face, which peeped out from the white shroud.
“What the hell. What the hell.” Why did the damn bird only repeat swear words? That was a question for another day. Right now he needed to get Dolly cleaned up and out the door.
“Now I won’t get dirty.”
“Come on, we’ll unwrap you as we go.” He grabbed her under his arm and swept her out the door behind Gramps, the bird squawking as they slammed the door.
* * *
* * *
Zina checked her watch again. The contractor Alex hired to start work on the penguin habitat had been pacing for the past fifteen minutes. If Alex didn’t show up soon, she’d have to lock up and tell him to reschedule. She had quite a few errands to run before heading to Lacey’s for their meeting. As if the whole idea of creating a wedding around penguins wasn’t ridiculous enough. The least Alex could do was be considerate of her time. It’s not like she was on board with this stupid idea to begin with. Any lingering warm feelings toward him had faded the longer she stood there waiting for him to arrive.
She was about to start turning off lights, when a vehicle pulled into the gravel parking lot. Finally. Alex deserved an ass chewing for keeping her waiting this long. She opened her mouth, ready to deliver when he entered the front door.
“Where the hell have you been?” she asked, ready to meet his gaze with a glare of her own.
Instead, a child walked in. Barely three feet tall and wearing some sort of shredded toilet paper gown with thick-soled boots, the girl opened her eyes wide.
Alex appeared behind her. “Language, please.”
Zina startled. She didn’t like being caught off guard, especially when her mood had gone sour from waiting so long.
The contractor thrust his hand at Alex. “Good to see you again.”
Alex gave Zina a smug grin as he took Toby’s hand. “Thanks for meeting me out here. I’m sorry I’m late. We had a wardrobe issue.”
“My daughter’s got a mind of her own also, so I completely understand.”
Zina crossed her arms over her chest, ready to interrupt the moment of male bonding. “Should we check out the back?”
“Let’s do it.” Alex walked ahead of them, leading the way with his hand on his niece’s shoulder. “Dolly and I are eager to put some plans in place, aren’t we?”
The girl nodded. “Uncle Alex says I can pet the penguins when they move in and help feed them.”
Zina rolled her eyes. Who else would want to feed the penguins? Ido had already turned into a tourist mecca with all the weddings. What kind of crazy visitors would a penguin habitat bring in? She’d have to talk to Lacey about that. Maybe they could keep it on
the down low until they got closer to the wedding.
“Gramps, you want to wait out here or come to the back with us?” Alex asked.
“I’ll wait here.” Morty slumped into a chair and set his chin in his hands.
“Suit yourself.” Alex opened the door to the warehouse. “Shall we?”
Zina followed the small group into the cavernous space. She didn’t know exactly how big it was but Lacey had said they could fit a regulation-sized football field inside, so there was plenty of room for whatever half-baked idea Alex might come up with. She stood to the side while he counted off steps.
“I figured we can bring in a temporary dome. That way we don’t have to insulate the entire space. We’ll need to keep the temperature regulated for the penguins.”
“Of course.” Townsend jotted down a few notes.
While the men volleyed ideas back and forth, Zina’s gaze wandered around the warehouse. They’d moved all of the shelving to one side, so the vast majority of the space was open, making it seem even larger than it probably was.
Dolly spun and danced in a wide circle around them, her shoes thunking on the concrete floors. Zina remembered her from the restaurant last night. She’d been dressed in sparkles and a tutu then. “I like your shoes.”
“Thanks.” Dolly spiraled closer. “Uncle Alex said I would get dirty here, so I wrapped up.”
Zina stifled a giggle. So that’s why the kid was outfitted in layer upon layer of toilet paper. “Don’t you have a jacket or something you could have put on instead?”
Dolly stopped spinning and wobbled slightly. Zina put her arm out to keep the girl from falling over. “If I wore a robe, you wouldn’t be able to see my sparkles.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Do you like sparkles?”
Zina thought for a moment. “Yeah, I like some sparkles from time to time.” The truth was, she’d rather dress in camo than adorn herself with glitter and jewels. But Dolly obviously preferred to shine, and Zina would never take away someone’s right to sparkle.
“Mama says I’m obnextus.”
“Obnoxious?”
“Yeah, that’s what she says. But Daddy likes it. He says I’m his little princess.”
“I’m sure your daddy’s right.” Zina smiled at the girl. She’d felt like her daddy’s little princess once upon a time. The memory made her stomach twist. She missed her dad, especially in moments like this when she was reminded of the special bond between a dad and his little girl. She’d been a daddy’s girl from the beginning. That’s why she’d gone into the military in the first place—to follow in her father’s footsteps. But when Zeb came home a damaged shell of the eager eighteen-year-old who’d gone off to serve his country, her dad hadn’t been able to handle it. He’d taken a civilian assignment on the other side of the world, and Zina hadn’t heard from him in over a year.
“Uncle Alex says you have puppies here. Can I meet one?” Dolly glanced up at her.
“Sure, but one at a time. They get pretty crazy when they have visitors.” That was an understatement. So many of the pitties at the rescue had such little socialization with people, especially kids, that they went absolutely crazy with excitement when exposed to a new person. Most of the animals had acclimated to having her around, but new dogs came into the shelter just about every day and there was no way to predict which ones might be used to kids and which ones needed to stay separate.
“Daddy said we could get a dog someday when he’s home all the time.”
“Oh?” Zina asked. “Where’s your daddy now?”
Dolly twirled, making the toilet paper flop up and down. “He’s in Ganistan. Mommy says it’s far, far away.”
“Afghanistan?”
The girl’s forehead wrinkled. “I think so.”
“Yeah, that is far away. I went there once.”
“Is there lots of sand?”
Zina chuckled, immediately taken back to where the sand blew across her face all day, finding its way into cracks and crevices she didn’t even know she had. “Yeah, there’s lots of sand.”
“Like at the beach? I like the beach.”
“Not quite like at the beach.” The beach had the ocean, where you could take a quick dip and wash off the hot stickiness of the day. The sand in the Middle East was relentless. It found its way into her hair, her nose, and the cracks between her toes. No matter how many times she rinsed off, she’d still find it everywhere. Not to mention how many pounds of sand she probably ate since it seemed to coat everything at camp, including the food.
“Who would you like to meet first?”
“Do you have any puppies?” Dolly asked.
Zina mentally raced through the dogs in residence. “Not really. We don’t get a ton of puppies unless one of the mama dogs we rescue is pregnant.”
“That’s too bad. I love puppies.”
“Yeah, they’re super cute. I do have a dog that just came in who’s about six months old. That’s kind of still a puppy. Would you like to meet her?”
“Yes, please.” Dolly took her hand, her tiny fingers wrapping around Zina’s, making her feel a strange sense of protectiveness inside.
Danger zone. Zina wasn’t used to caring for small children. Big children, either. She hadn’t spent too much time around kids at all. Maybe entertaining Alex’s niece for a few minutes would be good for her. It would give her a heads-up on what it might be like when Lacey and Bodie delivered their little bundle of joy.
Zina led Dolly into the back section of the warehouse. “They’re going to bark a lot when we go in. Not because they’re mad or anything. They just get excited when they get visitors.”
Dolly nodded as she pulled her hand away and covered her ears.
“You ready?”
The little girl smiled up at her. “Yep.”
“Here we go.” Zina stepped past the shelves. A chorus of barks and yips erupted. Tails wagged and dogs came to the front of their kennels, hoping for a treat or a chance to head outside and play with their friends.
Zina smiled at the volunteers who’d come to help the dogs settle in as she led Dolly toward the space they’d designated for the younger dogs. Sometimes the older pups got too wild with the smaller ones, so they kept them separated until they put on enough bulk to handle themselves.
She stopped in front of the kennel of a female who’d been brought in the previous week. The pup had passed the health exam but was a little shy around strangers so needed to be socialized a bit more before she’d be eligible for adoption.
“What’s her name?” Dolly asked.
Zina checked the tag on the front of the kennel. “Looks like they haven’t given her one yet. Would you like to name her?”
Dolly’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, please!”
“Great. Let me get her out so you can get to know each other better.” The door to the kennel swung open and the pup took a few tentative steps toward them, her tag wagging. Zina slipped a leash over her head and led them outside.
“Can I pet her?” Dolly asked.
“Of course. Just let her sniff your hand first so she can get to know you.”
Dolly held her hand out toward the pup, who took a few shaky steps forward. She sniffed at Dolly’s hand, then her tongue swept out of her mouth and covered Dolly’s fingers. The little girl giggled. “Oh, that tickles.”
Zina didn’t try to hold back her own laughter. “She likes you.”
“I like her, too. Can we call her a princess name?”
“Sure.” Not particularly partial to sparkles and glitter herself, Zina wasn’t sure what constituted a princess name but if Dolly wanted to come up with something, that would be fine with her. She’d run out of dog names a long time ago. Every time she had to give one of the rescue pups a name, it made her just a little sad to think of how many dogs she’d had to fin
d names for over the years. And now, with the shelter in need of repair, she might have to stop taking in new ones until they could fix the roof.
“How about Aurora?” Dolly asked.
“Oooh, that’s a nice choice.” Sounded a little fancy for the gray-and-white pittie who stood in front of them. But if it made Dolly happy, then Aurora it would be. “Want to walk her around a bit and let her get some exercise?”
Dolly clapped her hands together. “Oh yes.”
Zina’s heart lightened a little at the enthusiasm in Dolly’s smile. Had she ever been that young, that bright, that full of happiness? Probably at some point. Before her mom passed and she had to grow up overnight and take on her brother’s care. Would she have grown up to be so naive about the responsibilities of the world if she’d never had to fill in for her parents?
Dolly raced ahead. “This way?”
Zina held Aurora’s leash. “No, let’s go around back where there’s plenty of grass.”
Dolly followed, skipping along like she didn’t have a care in the world.
For a moment Zina envied the little girl. But then she screwed a stake into the ground and clipped the tie out to Aurora’s collar. The dog raced around the yard, excited to have some freedom. Dolly ran after her, two girls at play even though Aurora lapped the little girl.
After several minutes of running, Dolly collapsed against Zina, her breath huffing in and out. “That was fun.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Should we go inside and check on your uncle?”
Dolly looked up at her. “Can Aurora come, too?”
“Of course. She deserves a little fun time out of her kennel. Let’s go find her some treats and we can see if she knows any tricks yet.”
“Where did she come from?” Dolly asked. “Did her mommy and daddy not want her?”
“Oh, it’s not that way with dogs. She probably got adopted into a house that didn’t realize how big she’d get or how much energy she’d have.” That was the typical reason most of the dogs were abandoned. Pit bulls were a fantastic breed for people who knew how to handle their curiosity and boundless energy. But so many dog owners didn’t appreciate the amount of exercise they’d need and she found herself with more dogs than she could handle. And that didn’t count the number of poor animals they’d found abandoned—the ones who’d most likely been part of the dog-fighting ring Bodie was trying to end.