by Sharon Kleve
“Everyone wants him back, John. They killed two guards and wounded another. But word is he’s not out of the country yet. He’s still somewhere between Tucson and the Mexican border, a sixty-mile radius. We still have a chance to catch him and send him back to hell,” Mike said with a steely voice.
“How much time do I have?” John asked as he pulled into the Department of Justice parking garage.
“We have a direct flight form SeaTac to Tucson leaving at nine o’clock. They’ll have a team waiting for us with up-to-date intelligence. Don’t worry John, we’ll track the bastard down,” Mike said as he got out of the car.
John wanted Daisy safe so he got the carrier out of the trunk and transfer her into the cage. He didn’t want her falling on to the floor while he drove to Brenda’s.
Chapter Five
On her way home from work, Brenda passed the hardware store and saw a large holiday sale sign. “All lights, decorations, and holiday yard-art fifty per cent off.” She couldn’t pass up a good sale, even if she’d already told John they’d shop after the fifteenth.
Twenty minutes later
She pulled into her driveway and still hadn’t stopped giggling. She couldn’t believe she’d bought a trunkful of holiday cheer: multi-colored LED house lights, two evergreen door wreaths, lots and lots of scented candles, silver and red ornaments and white LED tree lights.
Maybe John would want to buy a tree tonight instead of waiting. The weather forecaster predicted clear skies until late tomorrow when the area could expect several inches of snow. Tonight would be the perfect night.
****
John watched Brenda’s headlights as they turned into her driveway. Instead of pulling in beside her, he parked in front of the house. He knew he could be honest with Brenda and tell her he needed to leave for work that night. She’d even understand, but he still hated to leave her.
He hoped Daisy would fill a small void until he could return. The puppy made cute whimpering noises from her carrier; she must’ve sensed they reached their destination. He covered the carrier with a fleece blanket to keep her warm.
Go in there and get it over with; you don’t have much time.
Before he could open his door, Brenda ran over to greet him. He didn’t open his car door, but rolled down his window instead.
“Hey, why did you park out here?” Brenda asked.
“I have a surprise for you. Don’t look… Can I meet you in the house?”
“A surprise? Really? Okay, but don’t be long, it’s cold out here.”
Once Brenda was inside, he picked up the carrier and headed toward the house. Daisy moved from side-to-side, faster and faster the closer he got to the front door. He opened the door and walked in backwards, blocking Brenda’s view from the living room.
“Stop wiggling,” he whispered to Daisy, but she didn’t obey.
“Are you okay? Do you need help?” Brenda asked, and started to rush forward.
“No… No. Sit down and I’ll bring your present to you. That’s if I don’t drop her in the process.” He kept his back toward her and walked slowly to the chair.
“Her?” Brenda sounded confused.
“Close your eyes, honey.” He set the cage down and unlatched the door. Daisy had backed into the far corner. He reached in, lifted the scared puppy into his arms, and held her tight. The bundle of cream-colored fur squirmed and licked him everywhere.
“Daisy, settle down,” he whispered again, while laughing, and turned around.
“Open your eyes, sweetheart.” Daisy spotted Brenda and tried to jump out of his arms. He lowered the puppy and the chubby creature ran over to Brenda’s feet. The puppy plopped down, exposing a pink belly, chewed on her pant leg, and emitted a low; I’m a fierce puppy growl. Brenda immediately squatted and rubbed the puppy’s soft flesh.
“John, whose puppy is this? She is so cute.”
“Brenda, meet Daisy. Daisy, this is your new mama. Merry Christmas, honey.”
“What? She’s mine?”
Brenda started to cry. He hoped they were tears of joy, not sadness. Brenda wrapped her hands around the wiggling puppy and he heard her whisper, “Daisy, my sweet Daisy.”
The puppy stretched up and licked Brenda’s face and she laughed after wiping her tears away with her sleeve. He watched the minutes tick by and wondered when the right time would present itself to say goodbye.
“I bought a bunch of stuff the pet store said Daisy and you’d need. I’ll go out to my car and get them, okay?”
“Do you need help?” Brenda asked.
“No, I’ve got it. You stay here with your new puppy.”
“John?”
“Yes.”
“I love you. You couldn’t have chosen a more perfect gift. Thank you so much.”
“I love you too, and you’re welcome. A puppy is a risky gift but a little birdie told me you’d been thinking about getting one.”
“My fear was I’d go to a shelter and bring them all home with me,” Brenda confided.
“I got lucky. Daisy was the only puppy available or you might’ve ended up with more than just one.”
He’ll bring in Daisy’s things and then tell Brenda. He still had a few minutes… He leaned down and kissed Brenda softly, which set Daisy off into a fit of puppy aerobics, front legs springing up and down while she growled playfully. Brenda sat on the floor and a split second later Daisy collapsed into her lap. One minute full-speed ahead, the next, complete exhaustion and sound asleep.
“I’ll be right back,” he said as he quietly left the house. He needed to hurry, he still needed to print his boarding pass.
It didn’t take long to haul everything in and put Daisy’s things in Brenda’s bedroom. When he asked Brenda where he should put everything she said she wanted Daisy close by incase the puppy needed anything during the night—hugs, kisses, food, water, or to go to the bathroom.
The insistent ticking of Brenda’s bedroom clock gave him a headache. He came back out and sat next to them and stroked the energetic puppy’s back. The puppy fell asleep in Brenda’s lap, and must’ve been playing in her dreams, because her little whiskers flickered and her little legs twitched.
Brenda leaned over and kissed him deeply. When he leaned in closer to deepen the kiss he felt a tug on his pant leg. Daisy woke, grabbed the hem, and then pulled and tugged on the fabric. He let the puppy continue to chew.
“Daisy will keep you busy. Do you think Corny will let you bring Daisy into work with you?”
“I don’t see why not. Pete hangs out there. He can help me keep Daisy entertained.”
“Pete, the ferret babysitter,” he said and shook his head. “I’ll go get a handful of toys for Daisy to chew on instead of my pant leg.”
And check his plane reservation, any updated email about the situation and print his boarding pass.
“Do you mind if I use your computer? I need to print something out.”
Tick, tick, tick…
“Take your time, but don’t forget to bring her toys when you come back,” Brenda reminded him. “I’ll make a couple sandwiches and heat up my homemade butternut squash soup.”
He should tell Brenda now, but instead he said, “I’m not hungry. I’ll eat later.”
After grabbing a couple of frog-shaped chew toys, he logged into his account and found nothing new. His flight was on time and he printed his boarding pass.
He came back down the hall, stood with his hip resting on the wall and watched Brenda use a couch pillow to entertain Daisy. She looked up and her gaze seemed to zero in on the leather jacket he’d slung over his shoulder. Daisy took the unsupervised moment to race around the room. The puppy skidded to a halt in front of Brenda with a piece of paper in her mouth.
“Daisy girl, what have you got there?” Brenda asked and laughed at Daisy’s antics.
Before he could react, Brenda carefully removed the paper from Daisy’s mouth. His United Airlines boarding pass must’ve fallen out of his pocket and not lay in B
renda’s hands.
“John, what’s this? I don’t understand,” Brenda said, confusion in her voice.
“That’s my boarding pass. I’ve got to go. I love you,” he said as he slid the paper into his jacket pocket and kissed Brenda goodbye.
Chapter Six
Brenda told herself she understood John needed to leave. Her head understood, but her heart hurt nevertheless. Before she went to bed, she tucked all the bags of new decorations in the spare bedroom. They’d decorate together when John got back. If he couldn’t make it back by Christmas Eve, she’d do it herself. She just needed to get through tomorrow…
Unlike her, the puppy had no problem sleeping in-between trips to the puppy potty pad, nibbles on food, water, and few laps around the house. Brenda stared at her ceiling most of the evening until her alarm clock clicked over to midnight.
December fifteenth
Brenda’s eyelids refused to stay closed, so she tossed back the covers and sat up. The silver bells with big red bows, the scented candles, and swirling gold ribbons for the windows were just down the hall. Why wait to decorate? John would understand. In fact, he’d be ecstatic she wasn’t letting her past ruin another holiday.
Daisy must’ve sensed something exciting was about to happen because she jumped up, did a half-twist in the air and landed on her side. The puppy’s coordination needed some work. Dressed in her most comfortable sweatpants and sweatshirt, she unloaded the bags onto the dining room table. Once out of the bags, her loot looked a little overwhelming.
She’d start with hanging the matching red velvet stockings above her fireplace. Brenda looked down at Daisy chewing on a rubber ducky and realized she needed a third stocking. No problem, the sale should still be going on tomorrow. She scrounged through her material bits-and-pieces and found a large square of green felt. Brenda carefully cut the material, and made the initials B, J, and D to glue on the stockings. Six hours later, her living room rivaled that of the Christmas displays in the mall.
She had just enough time to take a shower, feed herself and Daisy before she headed into work. The dog carrier John bought came in handy when she packed up the things the puppy would need for the day. Daisy wanted to play tug-a-war with anything that moved. In a moment of brilliance, Brenda folded a small fleece blanket covered in white snowflakes into the carrier and tossed in a squeaky toy. At warp speed, Daisy followed the toy in and she slid the door closed behind the playful puppy. She secured everything in the backseat of her car, except Daisy—she’d ride shotgun.
Lucky for her the three-inches of snow that fell overnight kept some drivers off the roads, but the ones that did venture out thought they were invincible. SUVs and trucks wove in and out and around the slower, more cautious drivers like herself, throwing-up brown slush in their wake.
Of course, Daisy was oblivious to what this day meant to her and had the time of her life yipping at the snowflakes. When they arrived safely at work, she took a deep, cleansing breath and released the death grip she had on the steering wheel. By the small amount of fresh snow in the tire tracks of Corny’s Mini-Cooper, it looked as though she’d just arrived.
Brenda used the dog carrier to push the door open and Pete immediately scurried over on all four little paws. In a split second, Pete climbed her leg, and made a slight leap to the top of the cage, chattering the whole time. He only added a pound or two to the weight, but without much sleep, her limbs felt like jelly. She lowered the cage to the ground and Daisy backed herself into the far corner as far away from Pete as she could get, and whimpered. She needed help.
“Corny, can you come out here please?” Corny must’ve heard the urgency in her voice because she ran out of her office in full take-charge mode—coffee in one-hand and her cell phone in the other.
“Pete, get off that cage and leave that poor creature alone,” Corny scolded her ferret.
Pete hopped down, ran over to Corny’s feet and gave her an earful of chatter. Brenda’s boss smiled, and shook her head back and forth as though she’d heard it all before. Corny picked Pete up and scratched his little head.
“Did Santa come early for Brenda?” Corny joked as she peered into the carrier.
Her spirits high, Brenda joked back, “Her name’s Daisy and I hope it’s okay that I brought her in with me today. John left town on business and I can’t leave her alone when she’s so little.”
“Of course it’s okay. All critters are welcome to hang out in our office.”
“You know, I can’t imagine who could’ve told John I wanted a puppy. He said the information came from a little birdie, but I think Pete spilled the beans. What do you think?”
“Nothing remains a secret when Pete’s around. So... tell me all about Daisy.”
“I will, but do you mind if I go out and get her things first?”
“No, go ahead. Do you need help?” Corny asked.
“I’d prefer you kept an eye on Pete and Daisy. He doesn’t seem to like her,” Brenda said as she chewed her lip anxiously. Corny kissed Pete on his nose and then set him in one of the reception chairs.
“Pete is spoiled, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Corny said as she unlatched the carrier and lifted Daisy up into her arms. “Oh, she’s so sweet. You better hurry or I might steal her from you.”
“I won’t be long.” She rushed out the door, but was careful not to slip and fall again.
Oh, she’s so sweet… Gag me with a fur ball, Pete said as he made exaggerating coughing noises.
“We talked about having a puppy at the office and you said you’d behave,” Corny chided Pete.
I am behaving, Pete grumbled. Hey, you let that little furball lick your face. How come you get mad at me when I do that? Pete asked.
“Um… I can’t explain the difference. Why don’t you go roll around in your ferret ball and burn off some energy?”
You want me out of the way so you can play with Daisy. Fine, I’ll go, Pete huffed and scurried away.
Corny held the door for Brenda as she brought in Daisy’s essentials and tucked them behind her desk.
“You look bushed, but you need to tell me about precious here,” Corny said as she stroked Daisy’s stomach.
“I don’t know if he planned to give her to me last night but he got called away on business. When John left my fears crept in but Daisy helped chase away my demons.”
“Good. I take it John knows about your family history now?”
“Yes, and he offered up his family to me if I wanted them. Isn’t that sweet?”
“Yeah, isn’t one of them really hunky?” Corny asked as she wiggled her eyebrows.
“You’re funny. There’s only one guy for me. The pretty colors under my eyes aren’t from crying. I spent the night making my house festive and all I need is a tree and something to adorn the top. I wish Aunt Carol would’ve kept my parents’ tree topper. They bought it on their first date together.”
“Well, the ones you buy this year you’ll pass down to your kids.”
“You’re right. I will,” Brenda replied.
“Why don’t I take the puppy and a few toys and let you have a little peace and quiet out here?”
“Sounds great, thanks.”
Brenda sipped a cup of tea and relaxed in her chair. Corny had the puppy in her office and Pete snoozed in his ferret ball wedged in a corner of the kitchen.
Brenda surfaced from a deep sleep to the insistent ringing of her desk phone. She reached out to grab it and noticed the time: 11:00 a.m. She’d slept several hours using her arm as a pillow. She cleared her throat and picked up the phone.
“Green Hornet Investigations. How can I help you?”
“Brenda, this is your aunt.”
“Hello, Aunt Carol. How are you?” Brenda asked, feeling insecure and not knowing what else to say.
“I’m fine. I called for a couple reasons. I’m leaving tonight for Florida to stay with my cousin through the New Year.”
“Oh... Well… Have a nice visit…” Brenda stuttere
d. They’d always been together through the holidays even though it was low-key.
“When I got my suitcase out of the attic, I found a box labeled ‘Skinner’s decorations.’ Why anyone would label their own decorations with their last name is beyond me, but never-the-less they’re yours. I didn’t open the box, so I hope whatever’s in there brings you happiness,” Carol said in a strained voice. “Along with your parents box I also left a small gift box on your front porch, behind the wooden planter box from me. I hope you like it.”
Brenda’s emotions had been on a roller-coaster ride for two days, but she held back her tears. “Auntie, I love you. Can we please get together when you get back?”
“Honey, I’d love that,” Aunt Carol said before she hung up.
Chapter Seven
The drive home took twice as long as it did to get there that day. The temperature increased a couple degrees and the sun peeked through the clouds. Everyone that waited to leave their home until late that morning, decided to leave all at once that night.
Brenda felt happy to see the front porch light shining bright as she pulled into her driveway. She opened the front door and deposited Daisy in the living room before she retrieved the boxes from the porch. She was anxious and excited to open the gift her aunt bought her after all these years and especially the box of her parents’ ornaments. Her aunt had wrapped the packages in plastic and secured them with an overabundance of tape. Brenda stood on the porch and struggled with the tape. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted movement and a figure, dressed in black, as they walked up her driveway.
****
John grabbed his jacket, locked his car, and walked toward Brenda’s house. She stood on the porch as he walked up the drive. She had a huge grin on her face and was trying to rip the tape off of a small box. “Honey, looks like you need a big, strong man to help you with that package,” he said humorously.
