I turned and smiled at him drily. ‘I don’t think we’re likely to change our minds anytime soon.’
Sheila looked relieved at my words.
‘If that proves to be your final decision, then so be it,’ Gazmuuk said graciously.
The puppy bounded over from the beach and dropped a mouthful of wet seaweed at Ashely’s feet. It sat on its haunches, cocked its head, and gazed at the former US Marine with an expectant expression on its canine face.
‘If you think we’re playing catch with this, you’ve got another thing coming,’ said Ashely.
The puppy yipped.
Ashely sighed. ‘I told you Peanut was a bad choice of name for a dog,’ he told Sheila. ‘It’s made him stupid. Even the cat’s laughing at him.’
Barnabas was eyeing the dog haughtily.
‘No, he isn’t.’ Sheila rose from the chair and petted the puppy on the head. Its tongue rolled out further and it whimpered in delight. ‘Let me guess, you would’ve preferred something like Butch or Bud.’
She lifted the tray of empty glasses from the table. Barnabas curled around her ankles as she headed for the patio doors.
‘What’s wrong with Bud and Butch? Or Bob, even?’ said Ashely. ‘What?’ he added defensively in the face of our stares. ‘Bob’s a great name for a dog.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Sheila, her tone emphatic. ‘When you have a dog, you can call it Bob.’
Ashely muttered something under his breath.
Sheila rolled her eyes. ‘Tell you what, we’ll rethink Peanut.’
I smiled.
Ashely brightened. ‘Oh. Good.’ A faint frown dawned on the former Marine’s face at Sheila’s expression. ‘Wait. What’re you gonna call him in the meantime?’
‘Dog,’ Sheila stated firmly.
Gabriel grinned. Gazmuuk chuckled.
Ashely’s eyes widened in horror. ‘D–Dog?! Why, you might as well just shoot the poor bastard!’ He stormed after her.
As the sun started to sink over the ocean, we followed them inside the house, the D-O-G included.
THE END
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