by Lee McKenzie
This had to be Henry. He was taller than Casey, with light brown hair that was short on the sides and combed into wavy spikes on top. She’d bet anything that his eyes were blue. He was wearing black jeans and a gray pullover sweater with the sleeves scrunched up to expose his forearms. Wow. He was the cutest boy she’d ever seen.
Casey had said they’d been best friends since first grade. She’d been surprised, shocked even, when Kate asked if he was her boyfriend.
“Henry?” She’d laughed at that. “No way. That would be too weird. He’s just a really good friend, practically like a brother.”
Well, he wasn’t Kate’s brother.
She quickly pulled on her boots and zipped them, checked her hair and makeup again, and dashed down the stairs and out the front door. Outside, she slowed to a casual saunter across the yard. Casey, eyes bright with excitement, waved to her.
“Kate, looks who’s back! This is my friend Henry.”
He watched her walk toward them, and she congratulated herself on being right about the eyes.
“Hi, Henry.”
“Hey.”
She liked the way he held her gaze, even as Casey pelted him with chatter about school and a barrage of questions about what he’d been doing all summer.
“My dad and I are going out for dinner tonight,” Kate said. “He says it’s okay if you want to come with us. Both of you.”
“That’d be great,” Casey said. “What do you think?”
“Sounds good. My parents are still unpacking,” he added. “They won’t mind if I’m not here.”
“All right, then. I’ll go let my dad know.”
“What time?” Casey asked.
“I’ll text you when I find out. It’s good to meet you, Henry. Casey’s told me all about you.”
“You, too.”
Did that mean Casey had told him about her, or just that it was nice to meet her? Seriously, who cared? Not her. She had a feeling life in Serenity Bay was about to get interesting. And it was time to let Casey know Dexter was all hers.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BY MID SATURDAY MORNING, Sarah congratulated herself on having caught up on all of her paperwork. No more frittering away half a day spying on her new neighbor. Today she was in control. Her books were in order, all the invoices paid, and she had even checked the new To the Nines Facebook page Kate had created. In just a few days, the shop had close to a hundred likes.
Kate suggested having a contest when they reached a certain number of fans, or drawing a name from among the people who posted comments and giving the winner an in-store discount or maybe a scarf or a belt. For someone so young, the girl had some business savvy, and several customers, including Mrs. Bentley, had raved about her window displays.
Casey liked her, too, and the girls were getting along well in spite of having such different interests. Or maybe because of it. Tonight they’d get to spend more time together because Jonathan and Kate had invited them over for Jonathan’s homemade pizza.
All week she had done her best to avoid him, and aside from that brief encounter at the grocery store, she had succeeded. In spite of her initial reaction to the way he talked about his daughter, she had to admit that her impression of the man was starting to soften.
According to Casey, he was already one of the favorite teachers at Serenity Bay High, and the best soccer coach ever. Granted, Casey’s views might be somewhat skewed since he’d named her as the team’s first-string forward and her teammates had voted her assistant captain. But the man also had some serious cooking skills. The pasta sauce and garlic bread he’d sent over with Kate had been to-die-for delicious, and Casey hadn’t been able to say enough good things about the raisin bread he’d baked. Clearly there was more to the man than a pretty face and killer abs. So had she misjudged him? Caught him on a bad day? Could someone so well-rounded really be the hopeless parent she’d taken him for?
Maybe she’d find out tonight, she thought, tucking a bundle of envelopes into her briefcase. She would drop those at the post office on her way to the store. She was turning off her computer when the front door was flung open and banged shut.
“Mom? I’m home!”
“Up here, sweetie. In my office.”
Casey pounded up the stairs, more energetic and even more excited than usual after putting in a shift at the animal shelter.
“You’ll never guess!” She burst into the room, breathless, face flushed, eyes wide.
“You’re probably right.”
“A water main broke and there’s water everywhere. The shelter has to close for a couple of days, maybe longer. They have to dig up the parking lot and everything.”
“That’s too bad. What will they do with all those animals?” Sarah zipped her laptop into its protective sleeve and tucked it into her briefcase along with her paperwork.
“Well, that’s the thing. I was hoping—”
“Oh, no. Casey. No. We’ve talked about this. We’re in no position to leave an animal alone all day while I’m at the shop and you’re at school.”
Her daughter went quiet and looked sheepishly down at her shoes.
Uh-oh. “Casey? What have you done? Please tell me you didn’t make a promise we can’t deliver on.”
Her daughter’s guilty shuffle told her that’s exactly what she had done.
“You did.” Sarah strengthened her resolve. A dog was simply out of the question.
“I didn’t actually make a promise,” Casey confessed. “I sort of made a decision.”
“You decided we would take one of those animals?”
Casey’s nod was barely perceptible. “I decided, and then I sort of...brought him home.”
“You...what? Where—?”
“Mom, I didn’t have a choice! The animals had to go right away and I couldn’t leave him there.”
Him? Let me guess. “Petey.”
This time the nod was more vigorous.
“Where is he?”
“Ah...” She looked up and finally made eye contact. “In his crate. On the front porch.”
“Oh, sweetie. You brought him home? Without checking with me?”
“I had to, Mom. It was crazy. There was water everywhere. They called Dr. Jacobson at the vet clinic and she came and took three of the bigger dogs to her place.”
Sarah’s sigh was heavier than intended. “Okay, let’s meet this guy who has stolen your heart.”
Casey’s eyes filled with unchecked emotion.
“No promises,” Sarah said. “Seriously. No. Promises.”
Undaunted, Casey whipped around, ponytail flying, and dashed down the stairs. Sarah followed, unable to match her enthusiasm.
“Wait’ll you see him, Mom. He’s so cute, so adorable, I know you’re going to love him.”
And I know nothing of the sort.
Casey flung the door open and held it, waiting for Sarah to join her. She knelt in front of a pet crate that seemed impossibly small for a dog, that’s for sure, and pulled a red canvas leash from the plastic bag sitting next to it. She opened the crate, snagged the little dog’s red collar as he wriggled his way out, belly to the porch floorboards, and clipped on the leash.
“Good boy,” she crooned. “Good boy, Petey. You’re going to live with me now.” She shot Sarah a look. “For this week, anyway. Yeah, you are. That’s a good boy.”
Petey’s little pink tongue darted across the back of Casey’s hand that gripped the leash. Her other hand stroked the smoke-gray ears. The rest of him resembled a shaggy white dust mop.
“They gave me everything he’ll need for a week. Food, treats, his food and water bowls, a ball, his squeaker toy...” She produced a yellow plush duck and squeezed it, producing a high-pitched squeak from the toy and an even higher-pitched one from the dog.
“His tennis ball squeaks, too.” Her demonstration had the same effect as the squeaky duck.
“Look how cute he is, Mom. Isn’t he cute?” Casey gently tipped his head up so Sarah could see for herself.
“He’s very sweet.” He was, with his glossy black eyes and the little black button nose. She struggled to harden her heart and failed, dismally.
Casey picked him up, scrunching her nose and giggling as he tried to lick her face. “No thanks, Petey. No puppy kisses.”
“What kind of dog did you say he is?”
“A shih tzu-Maltese cross.”
“And he’s finished growing?” she asked. Not that it mattered.
“For sure. He’s two years old so he’s full grown, and he’s really well trained. He used to live in Gibsons but then the lady who owned him got sick and couldn’t keep him, so he had to be surrendered.” She hugged the dog closer. “Poor Petey. It wasn’t because she didn’t want you, it’s because she couldn’t keep you.” She talked to him as though he knew exactly what she was saying. “But we can. For now.”
“For now,” Sarah repeated. She appreciated her daughter’s boundless enthusiasm, but she needed to understand that this couldn’t be a permanent arrangement. “How long before the water main is repaired?”
“By the end of the week, probably. Maybe.”
And a week, in Casey’s mind, was long enough for her mother to become so attached to the animal, she couldn’t bear to part with him. Well, that wasn’t going to happen.
“You’d better bring him in,” she said. “We can’t leave him out here.”
“Did you hear that, Petey? You get to stay!” Casey set him down and picked up the crate and the bagful of canine accoutrements. The dog wagged his stub of a tail and dashed into the house ahead of her, tugging on the leash. “He won’t be any trouble, I promise. I’ll look after him. You won’t even know he’s here.”
Sarah doubted that, but she followed the pair inside and closed the door. “Where is Petey going to sleep?”
“He can stay in my room.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows at that.
“He’s crate-trained, Mom. It’s not like he’ll be sleeping in my bed.”
“I certainly hope not, but what about your critters?”
“They won’t be a problem. They’re all caged, and Petey’s used to being around other animals. Poor guy’s been at the shelter for two whole weeks.”
Poor Petey? He looked healthy, happy and perfectly adoptable. By someone else.
“Keeping him in your room is your call,” Sarah said, wishing he looked less adorable, that those bright eyes were a little less heart-melting.
“He’ll be fine, Mom. I’ll feed him, walk him, clean up after him—”
Sarah couldn’t stop her eyebrows from going up again.
“Not that he’ll make a mess. He’s totally not messy, I promise. I’ve been looking after him since he came to the shelter and he’s a really good dog.”
“I’m sure he is.” She hated making her daughter defend something she was so passionate about. “He’s lucky to have you looking after him.”
Casey set the crate and the bag on the floor and hugged her while Petey wound the leash around their ankles. “Thank you, Mom. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t, sweetie.”
Casey untangled them and unclipped his leash. “There you go, little guy. Check out your new home.”
Sarah let that one go. “We should have lunch, and then I need to get the store. Juliet’s been by herself all morning and she’ll need a break soon.”
“Okay. I’ll put Petey’s things away and open a can of soup.”
“Thanks. Give me a few minutes to finish getting ready for work and then I’ll join you.”
Casey toed the crate into the closet and hung the leash on a hook, then she picked up the bag of supplies. “Come on, Petey. Let’s check out the kitchen.” The dog scampered after her, ears flapping, tail wagging.
Casey had soup heating on the stove when Sarah came back downstairs a few minutes later. She kept up a steady stream of chatter to the dog sitting at her heels, gazing up at her, head to one side.
Sarah set out bowls and spoons and a box of crackers. It was usually right around this time every Saturday that they talked about what kind of pizzas to order for dinner, which movie they’d watch. “Did Kate say what time we should be there for dinner?”
Casey stirred the soup. “No set time. Her dad said to come over after you get home from work. He won’t put the pizzas in the oven till we get there.”
Sarah sat at the table and couldn’t help smiling as the little dog approached cautiously and nudged her leg with his nose. She stroked his head, then the soft, shaggy ears. Darn little dog. Do you have to be this adorable?
“Do you think we should take anything?”
Casey shrugged. “I don’t think so. I asked Kate’s dad what kind of pizza toppings he was using. He said he’d surprise us.”
Sarah had never cared for surprises but they’d been popping up all week. Unexpected changes to her routine, a dog, a man who offered to cook for her. The same man whose morning routine she knew almost as well as her own. She knew what time he left for his run along the seawall and she knew when she would see him return in a sweat-soaked T-shirt if she happened to be looking out her window.
“Mom?”
“What?”
Casey looked puzzled. “I said lunch is ready and I’m taking mine out to the deck. Do you want yours out there, too?”
“No thanks.” Her face felt warm. Was she blushing? “I’ll take mine to the store with me. Is that okay?”
“Sure. Come on, Petey. Let’s go outside. After lunch we’ll play ball.”
Sarah put her bowl away and ladled chicken noodle soup—Casey’s favorite—into a small thermos. The store was always busy on Saturday afternoons and she would have plenty of work to do. All she had to do was stick to her routine and not let herself be distracted by a man who had thrown her off her game.
* * *
CASEY QUICKLY CLEARED away the lunch dishes after her mom left for work, then she snapped a picture of Petey and sent it in a text message to Kate. Having Petey here was one thing but getting her mom to let her keep him was a whole other matter. What she needed was a plan, and since she and Kate sort of already had one, it was time to put that plan in motion.
My new dog!
Srsly? BRO!
The doorbell rang a few minutes later. She scooped Petey into her arms so he couldn’t run outside, and opened the door.
“Omigosh, he’s adorable.” Kate stepped inside and shut the door behind her. “I can’t believe your mom is actually letting you have a dog.”
“Well, that’s the thing.” Casey set him on the floor and he raced circles around them. “She didn’t let me have him. I just brought him home.”
“He’s a stray?”
“No, this is Petey. The shelter dog I told you about.” She filled Kate in on the flood and the broken water main. “So now I only have a week, maybe a little more, to convince my mom to let me keep him.”
Kate grinned at her. “Then we’d seriously better get to work on our plan.”
Problem was, how were they going to get Kate’s dad to ask Casey’s mom out on a date? “I’m not sure that’s going to work.”
“Of course it will. When my parents were splitting up and my mom starting seeing Xavier they let me have anything I wanted.” Kate cupped her hands around Petey’s face. “You are so cute.”
Her friend might not see the flaws in this plan, but Casey did. “You were just taking advantage of a situation. That’s not the same as creating the situation and then taking advantage of it. I just don’t see how we’re going to get our parents...you know...together.”
Kate was grinning again. “You’re still coming over for dinner tonight, right?”
Casey nodded.
“And Petey will need to be walked, won’t he?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Well...” Kate said, drawing out the word for dramatic effect. “Something will come up, something very last-minute, and you and I will have to go out after we eat. You won’t be able to walk the dog, so you’ll ask your mom to do it. Beg her if you have to, and I’ll convince my dad he should go with her.”
“I don’t know. What’s going to ‘come up’?” Nothing in her life ever happened at the last minute.
“Well...” she said again. “What if you get Henry to call you? He can say he has friends coming over because he’s been away all summer and wants to get everyone together. Your mom knows you missed having him around. I guarantee she’s enough of a softy to walk the dog so you can hang out with him.”
Casey had never attempted anything so devious, but Kate was right. If she asked, her mom would definitely let her go over to Henry’s after dinner.
“I don’t want to tell him about our plan, though. He might tell his parents.” Or even worse, let something slip to her mom.
“We’ll figure something out,” Kate said, with the self-assurance of someone who’d had plenty of practice at deceit. “All he needs to do is send you a text after dinner so it looks totally last-minute. We don’t have to tell our parents what’s in the text.”
“Okay. We can talk to him this afternoon and see what he says.” And she would leave most of the talking to Kate.
“Is Henry friends with Dexter?” Kate asked.
“They’re pretty good friends. Why?”
“Maybe we can invite him to come over, too.”
Seriously? Last night it had been glaringly obvious that Kate was flirting with Henry, and it was just as clear he was flirting back. And that was okay. She could handle that. But Dexter, too? No way.
