About a Dog

by Jenn McKinlay

  She stepped back, dribbled once, and let the ball fly off the tips of her fingers. Nothing but net!

  Emma shrieked and jumped up and down, while Carly gave Jilly a high five. Mac hugged her tight and Jilly made a fist and pumped it into the air.

  “Okay, sugar pants,” she said to Sam. “Pick your prize.”

  Sam stepped forward and picked a huge lion. Then he looked at the boys and said, “I don’t know about you all, but I am feeling somewhat emasculated by this, although I love my new friend.”

  He hugged his lion and they all laughed.

  “Step right up, only one basket wins you the prize of your choice,” the barker cried out.

  “Come on, Gav, you have to win one for the team,” Zach said. The group turned to look at him and he shrugged and turned to Mac.

  “If I participate in this display of testosterone, what would you choose?” he asked her. She looked at the array of supersized stuffed animals and saw a big banana hanging on the end of the booth.

  “The banana,” she said. “Definitely, the banana.”

  Gavin stepped up to the line, with a five-dollar bill in hand. Mac grabbed his arm.

  “No, I was just kidding,” she said. “Don’t do it! These things are rigged.”

  The barker and Jillian both gave her outraged looks.

  “Except for you, Jillian,” she said. “You hit that like a boss.”

  “Are you saying you don’t think I can do it?” Gavin asked.

  “No, I just . . .” Mac didn’t know how to say she felt uncomfortable having him win her anything, or even try to, after their sexy time on the Ferris wheel. Lines were getting blurry and she was feeling very confused.

  “Don’t be a doubter,” Gavin said.

  “Let him try,” Zach said. He pushed his veil over his shoulder and plopped his hands on his hips. “Come on, Gavin, win our self-respect back.”

  Brad looked Zach over and said, “Yeah, that ship sailed, princess.”

  Gavin went to the line and the barker took his money and gave him three basketballs. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. He went three for three.

  Zach clapped his hands to his veil and jumped up and down. Brad laughed and slapped Gavin on the shoulder and the girls all stared at him like he was a demigod. There was just something über sexy about a guy who can make bank at an arcade and win a gal the big prize.

  “One banana for sure,” Gavin said. He looked at Emma and Carly and said, “And whatever you two want, because clearly Jilly doesn’t need me to win her anything.”

  Sam looked at Jillian and said, “We can share custody of Leo.”

  “Leo?” she asked. “You named him already? I was thinking Simba.”

  “Oh, hell, no,” Sam said, and the two of them began squabbling.

  Mac took her big banana from the booth guy and hugged it to her chest. It was totally stupid, but she’d always wanted a guy who could win her silly stuff. Then she looked at Gavin, but she couldn’t have him, not yet anyway.

  When the group stopped to watch the men try to win the strongman competition by ringing the bell by hammering the lever with a sledgehammer, Mac took the opportunity to pull Emma aside.

  “Hey there, bride girl,” she said. She watched Emma’s face to see if there was a hint that she knew about what had happened on the Ferris wheel, but Emma turned a slightly tipsy brilliant smile on her and hugged her hard.

  “Oh, Mac, I’m having the best time, aren’t you?” she asked.

  Mac nodded. She was, or she would be, if it wasn’t fraught with anxiety and inappropriate thoughts about Emma’s little bro.

  “I am,” she said.

  She stared at her friend, wondering how she should broach the subject of her and Gavin. Ugh, knowing how Emma felt about her sibling, Mac wondered if she expressed an interest in him Emma would think she was a pervert or, god forbid, a cougar.

  “Here’s the thing though.” Mac paused to choose her words carefully before continuing, “When you asked me to hang with Gavin, you said he was really depressed about his breakup, but I have to say, he doesn’t seem that bummed out about it like maybe he’s moved on from his heartbreak and might even consider dating again.”

  She pointed to where the men stood and they both glanced at Gavin. He and Brad were doubled over laughing at Zach’s antics as he tried to hit the lever that would send the puck up to the bell. Zach got tangled in his veil when he went to strike and managed to drop the heavy mallet on his foot and hopped around on one foot, howling.

  “Honestly, I haven’t seen him laugh like that in months,” Emma said. “Come to think of it, even longer, maybe years. I think having all of us around him, you know, like family, has really cheered him up.”

  “Like family,” Mac repeated. Oh, man, Emma probably thought they all viewed him as a little brother like she did. Awkward. “Or maybe he’s met someone he’s interested in?”

  “No,” Emma scoffed. “Mac, you didn’t see him after The Beyotch left. He was a wreck. He lost twenty pounds, he never smiled, he wouldn’t leave his apartment except to go to work, it was awful. I was literally afraid he was going to die of a broken heart.”

  “Really?” Mac felt her stomach twist. Oh, god, what if this whole flirtation between them was just Gavin getting his mojo back? What if—oh, horror—what if she was just his transition woman?

  “Trust me,” Emma said. “This is the first sign of life I’ve seen in him in ages. I really hope that before the wedding festivities are over my bro has got his groove back.”

  “Yeah, let’s hope.”

  Mac looked at her friend with her bright blue eyes so like her brother’s. Emma had no idea the prurient thoughts Mac was entertaining about Gavin, nor did she know about their past or that it was clearly not completely in the past.

  Mac knew she could take this moment to tell Emma, but what would that do to their friendship? What would it do to Emma’s wedding? Especially given how protective of Gavin she was and always had been. Mac did a gut check. Could she handle having her oldest friend call her The Beyotch if she was unhappy about Mac and Gavin hooking up? Nope, she could not and she was not brave enough to do this to her best friend. Not now.

  “You’ve been great about cheering him up,” Emma said. “Thanks, Mac, I owe you for that.”

  Mac gave her a half smile. If she only knew; yeah, Mac suspected if Emma knew what was what and what had been Mac would be sporting a black eye and possibly a fat lip.

  All right, so the talking to Emma plan was officially abandoned. Probably it was for the best. This would force her to keep her distance from Gavin and that was as it should be. She and Trevor were on a break, but it was just a break and they clearly had some things to work out, whatever happened to them in the end.

  What was she supposed to say to Gavin at this point? Oh, hey, sorry for grabbing you and kissing you on the Ferris wheel, but, oh, yeah, my boyfriend and I are taking a break so I figured it was okay. Like there was any way she could work that into a conversation and not sound like a complete jerk.

  The group meandered through the games, rides, and junk food, buying popcorn and cotton candy, and when it was time to leave as the park was closing for the night, Emma stopped them all under the Belmont Park sign.

  “Oh, I know what I want to commemorate the night,” she said.

  “Because a giant unicorn isn’t enough for you?” Gav asked. She crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him.

  “I want to recreate the picture we took here seventeen years ago,” she said. She looked at her friends. “Remember?”

  “Are you kidding?” Carly asked. “I keep it on my dresser.”

  “Me, too,” Jillian said.

  “Me, three,” Mac joked.

  “Ha! Me, four,” Emma said. “Okay, same positions.”

  Without having to be told, they each stood in the e
xact spot they had stood in so many years ago and laughed at themselves for being able to remember exactly how they had all looked back then.

  Brad snapped the picture and Zach said, “I may be biased but I think this is the best-looking group of women I have ever had the pleasure of calling my friends.”

  “Aw,” Carly said. She reached out and pulled him into the group and as they all kissed his face, Brad snapped another picture.

  When they released poor Zach he was covered in lipstick and wore a silly grin. “On that note, I am going home,” he said. “I mean how could my night get any better than that?”

  They all parted with hugs and promises to meet up at Brad and Emma’s house for a cookout the next day. Emma had her list of final details to go over with the girls so it was going to be a working dinner.

  Mac handed off her banana to Carly as they walked out of the park and dug into her purse for her phone. She wanted to be sure the aunts hadn’t called as she never would have heard it over the sound of the amusement park.

  Her phone showed that she had missed a call and there was a message. The number wasn’t one she recognized so she stepped away from the group. The horrified thought that it might be her ex Seth—that he had somehow gotten her number—filled her with dread but then common sense kicked in and she figured that was ridiculous.

  She held the phone to her ear with one hand and plugged the other ear so she could hear over the conversation around her. When she heard the stranger’s voice on the message, she felt her stomach drop into her feet.

  “Hi, um, this is Ralph Lester. I believe you have my dog.”

  Chapter 23

  “I’m so sorry, Mac,” Gavin said. “These papers look legit.”

  “They can’t be!” she cried. Her throat was tight, she couldn’t breathe, and her eyes were burning from unshed tears.

  After listening to Lester’s message, Gavin had insisted that Mac arrange to meet Lester at his clinic on the chance that he was just some pervert trying to hook up with a woman over a lost dog.

  Mac only wished that was the case. Lester had shown up with papers certifying that he had gotten Tulip from a friend. When Gavin had called the friend to verify the description of Tulip, it had matched perfectly, a three-month-old brown and black brindle of undetermined parentage. Apparently the owner had a pure breed American Staffordshire terrier and had been less than thrilled with the surprise litter of half Boxers.

  Mac was devastated. She had left Tulip in an exam room, refusing to let Lester see her until she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she belonged to him. With each moment that passed it was looking more and more likely that she would lose her dog.

  Ralph Lester was sitting in the lobby of Gavin’s animal clinic in grubby jeans, a hooded sweatshirt over a stained white T-shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes that had seen better days. He sported the middle-aged man’s requisite receding hairline and spare tire and smelled faintly of bacon and despair.

  “I’m not letting him take her,” Mac said. “I’m not even letting him look at her.”

  She crossed the lobby and glared at the man in front of her. He flinched when he met her gaze.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked. He looked nervous. “My dog is all right, isn’t she?”

  “She’s fine,” Mac said. “In fact, I was wondering if you’d consider selling her.”

  The man considered her for just a moment and then shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I’m pretty attached to the little fur face.”

  “Really? So attached you lost her?” Mac snapped. “You never got her proper tags, she was underfed, and I’ll bet she hasn’t been vaccinated, has she?”

  Lester looked irritated. Gavin put his hand on Mac’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She didn’t know if it was to calm her down or to remind her to keep her cool. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t calm and she wanted to kick Lester’s backside right out to the curb.

  “Listen, I don’t need a lecture from you about how to take care of my dog. Can I have her now?” he asked. “Or do I have to call the cops?”

  “I’ll get her,” Gavin said. When Mac would have argued, he squeezed her shoulder again.

  Mac stared at Lester. “One thousand dollars.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’ll pay you a thousand dollars for her,” she said.

  Lester grinned. “No, I don’t think so.”

  Gavin came out of the exam room with Tulip. She was straining at her leash to get to Mac. Mac knelt down and let the dog rush her. Tulip licked her face—got her in the mouth—which made Mac laugh and sob at the same time.

  “Hey, there, girlie,” Lester called. Then he knelt down and held out his arms.

  To Mac’s horror, Tulip broke away from her and rushed to Lester. She buried her face in his hands as if reacquainting herself with his scent and he enfolded her in an affectionate hug. Tulip wagged her bottom and licked his face. Mac felt like it was a punch in the chest. Her dog really did belong to this guy.

  “Well, it looks like you took okay care of her,” Lester said as he got to his feet and took Tulip’s leash. “So, thanks for that.”

  He began to walk to the door and Mac felt like tackling him to the ground and snatching her dog back. Gavin must have read her mind because he grabbed her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

  “Two thousand dollars,” Gavin said.

  “I’m sorry?” Lester asked.

  “I’ll pay you two thousand dollars for her,” he said.

  Mac whipped her head in Gavin’s direction. Was he really doing that for Tulip? She didn’t think her heart could break any more than it had, but it did.

  “Yeah, no,” Lester said, looking at him like he was crazy.

  “Three thousand,” Mac said.

  “Four.” Gavin upped it again when Lester kept shaking his head.

  “No!” Lester said. He smiled at them, showing his yellowed uneven teeth. “But thanks for the offers, crazy people.”

  He stepped on the mat and the door opened. He led Tulip out and Mac took a step forward as if she could stop them, but she knew she couldn’t. If the man wouldn’t take four thousand dollars for the dog, clearly there was no price that would change his mind.

  Once outside, Tulip paused and looked over her shoulder at Mac with her big brown eyes. She looked sad and a little afraid. Mac cried out but Lester didn’t even pause. He dragged Tulip away, and she scurried to keep up with her ears flattened back and her tail tucked between her legs.

  “Did you see that?” Mac cried. “She’s afraid. She doesn’t love him. She doesn’t want to go with him. And did you notice he smelled like bacon? I bet that’s why she was so happy to greet him. What dog doesn’t love bacon? I have to do something. I have to get her back.”

  The sob when it came from inside of her almost doubled her over it hurt so bad. Tears blurred her vision and she couldn’t catch her breath. She was shaking so hard she thought she might break apart into a million pieces of pain.

  Gavin pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Mac collapsed against him and sobbed all over his shoulder, until his shirt was soaked and her eye sockets were dry.

  He never said a word. He didn’t try to talk her out of her feelings. He didn’t try to spin it or find some sort of positive outcome. He knew she was devastated and he let her be devastated. He ran his hand up and down her spine in a gesture of comfort that soothed like no words could.

  When Doc Scharff arrived and found them standing in the lobby, he asked, “Grieving?”

  “Yeah, something like that,” Gavin said.

  Mac stepped away from Gavin and glanced at the white-haired old man in the lab coat. She rubbed her face with her hands and took a steadying breath. “Sorry, Doc.”

  The kindly old veterinarian patted her shoulder. “It’s all right. I’ve been doing this for over forty years
and I still cry every time I have to let go of a patient.”

  Mac felt her throat get tight again and she nodded.

  “Go get her a cup of coffee,” Doc said to Gavin. “She looks like she could use it. I can handle this place on my own for a while.”

  Gavin nodded and put his hand at Mac’s back to usher her out the door. Instead of walking to The Grind, however, he led her to the stairs that ran up the side of the two-story white building. At the bottom, he took her hand and pulled her up the stairs behind him.

  Potted plants that looked like they were in the throes of suicide filled one corner of the small deck. Gavin unlocked the security door and gestured for Mac to go in. She stepped into an apartment that was compact but charming with a galley kitchen to the right and a large living room to the left.

  Gavin moved around her and swept a pile of clothes off a nearby chair and tossed them through a doorway on the right, closing the door afterwards. He turned back to face her and shoved his hands in his back pockets. Now he looked like the little boy she remembered and, yet, still sexy.

  “It’s not much but you can’t beat the commute to work,” he said. She nodded, tried to smile, and failed.

  “Can I use your bathroom?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure I need to deal with this.” She pointed to her face, knowing full well that she had the post-crying jag, blotchy cheeks, swollen eyes, red nose, and pale lip thing going, always so attractive.

  “Sure, I’ll make coffee,” he said.

  Mac splashed cold water on her face until the red receded and she looked pasty pale. When she glanced in the mirror, her own sad brown eyes stared back at her and she remembered the last look Tulip had given her with her own dark eyes. Mac had thought she had no more tears left, but as one coursed down her cheek and she sniffled, she knew she was wrong.

  There had to be something she could do, some way to get Lester to sell her dog back to her. She was a mutt, of no distinction, how could he have said no to four thousand dollars?