Fame

by Susan X Meagher

  “Awesome! Where’s the movie being filmed?”

  “Hawaii. My first visit to paradise is going to be a long one. At least three months on location.”

  “Damn, Charlie, that’s the best news I think I’ve ever heard. I’m so proud of you!”

  “The rumor is that Sierra’s manager convinced her she had them by the balls. She demanded they renegotiate her contract for the sequels before she’d step on a plane. If this hits, they will definitely do two more, and she didn’t want to spend three or four years attached to a project while locked in at a shitty salary.”

  “That can happen,” Piper said, already starting to worry.

  “I don’t give a single fuck about the future. To star in this one, I’d sign on for twenty sequels. At scale!”

  “That is so awesome!” Delta was sitting right in front of her, his little head cocked, wondering why she was so excited. “Your mommy’s going to be in a big movie, Delta. Can you bark for her?” She growled playfully and he looked suspicious, but finally let out a muted yip. “That’s the best I could do,” Piper said.

  “Oh, I miss him. Text me a picture. Right now.” Piper snapped one and sent it, then turned the phone around and took one of herself.

  “Now you can see how bad I look after dragging my butt all the way over here from Woodland Hills all week.”

  “Ooh, you’re the best sister ever. Are you going to see your new girlfriend tomorrow?”

  “She’s not my girlfriend. I’m still not entirely sure she’s gay, although we did have brunch today after our training session.”

  “Bet she doesn’t do that for all of her clients. You’re special,” she said, making Piper smile.

  “I hope I am. I’d love to have someone whose breath didn’t smell like mackerel licking my face.”

  “You’ll have her eating out of your hand in no time. Oh! Don’t tell her about the movie. Tim’s super secretive and likes to control what info gets out when. They’re going to announce me on the day I arrive in Hawaii.”

  “I won’t say a word,” Piper promised, not adding that she hadn’t told Haley a single detail about Charlie. Not even her name.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ON TUESDAY EVENING, PIPER ARRIVED at Frisky’s den at seven thirty. She’d had a hell of a long day, even though she’d only been at work for a total of eight hours. But she hadn’t had a moment between clients, not even time enough to stuff down a quick lunch. Now she was tired and a little grouchy, just wanting to grab her—Charlie’s, make that—dog and shove something greasy and deep-fried into her mouth.

  When she entered, she spotted a different person sitting in the big play area, a nice-looking Latino with shiny, long hair. She walked to the reception desk and saw that Haley was still in her office. That made her stand up tall and try to look less bedraggled, but she’d wasted her effort. A guy was sitting in the chair opposite Haley, nodding his head. Haley was leaning forward, with a very stern expression on her face, her eyes boring into the guy. Piper had no idea what was going on, but it looked like the guy was getting either a lecture or a pink slip. Then Delta was licking her face, dancing around excitedly on the counter.

  “We don’t normally let dogs run around up there, but he’s so tiny it seems dumb to make him go through the gate,” the guy said, giving Delta an indulgent smile.

  “Thanks for giving him special treatment. I’m Piper, by the way.”

  “Cesar,” he said, shaking her hand. “Delta’s fitting right in. No problems.”

  “Thanks. It’s always nice to have a little progress update.” She hadn’t brought his carrier in, given Haley had urged her to use his leash whenever possible. They’d worked on walking with a leash at least ten times the previous day, and he was getting into the habit pretty darned well. She settled him onto the floor, then clipped the leash to his collar.

  “He looks silly with this on, but he’s taking to it,” she said, having to boast to someone.

  Cesar leaned over the counter and smiled. “He sure is. It’s a good idea,” he added. “Carrying a little dog in your arms isn’t smart.”

  “So I’ve been told,” she said, giving the office one more quick glance. Haley was still talking, now leaning back in her chair, a resigned look on her face. If the guy in the chair was still employed, Piper would have been a very surprised woman.

  She and Delta left the building, with the little guy strutting at the end of his leash. He wasn’t pulling much, so she let him choose their route—for a minute. “Come on,” she said, tugging him to get him to turn toward the car. She’d had to park two blocks away, forcing them to walk past some older apartment buildings that looked a little dicey. Even though Venice had improved dramatically in terms of entertainment and shopping, there were still some pockets that gentrification had missed. While she didn’t have any personal interest in buying drugs, she’d heard you could get anything you wanted in this little section.

  She was paying such rapt attention to Delta that she didn’t notice a very thin man walking a very large dog until they were facing each other. It was too late to cross the street, besides being unspeakably rude. Her instinct was to grab Delta and clutch him to her chest, especially when he stopped on a dime, then hid behind her legs, all of his bravado gone in an instant.

  “Hey, look, Diesel,” the guy said, “it’s an appetizer.” He let out a hearty laugh, then his dog, some kind of flesh-covered killing machine, lunged, almost knocking the man off his feet. Piper let out a startled cry, feeling Delta cowering against her.

  The guy got him under control with a violent snap of a heavy-gauge metal leash. “Son of a bitch,” he grumbled. “Sorry about that, lady. He’s still a puppy.”

  “Puppy?” she gasped.

  “Yeah. He’s just nine months.” The dog was snuffling at the ground like a bull about to charge, trying to get closer. “He’s gonna be a big boy, isn’t he?”

  “Um, could you…” She was trying hard to control her voice, which she knew had risen to girlish heights. “Turn him around?”

  “Oh, yeah, sure.” He yanked again, and the dog started to follow. Just before his half-turn was complete, he lifted his leg and let out a forceful stream of piss, hitting Piper’s legs, and just about every part of Delta.

  “Oh, fuck,” she moaned. “How long has it been since he’s been out? Two days?”

  “He drinks a lot.” The guy fruitlessly searched the pockets of his jeans. “Sorry. I don’t got any napkins.”

  “Great. Um, do you mind crossing the street? I don’t want Diesel to take a dump on me while I’m trying to clean my dog up.”

  “Yeah. Yeah,” he said, nodding. “Sorry about that. He’s…” He shrugged. “The big dog can do what he wants, right?”

  Looking down, Piper saw a humiliated little thing, with his big black eyes bulging out from his head, his normally bouncy hair now plastered to his skull. He was shivering, but she couldn’t tell if that was from fear or being soaking wet. Either way, she reached down and picked him up, cradling him to her body. Of course, now she had dog pee on her hands, shirt, jeans, and brand new shoes.

  They might not appreciate a visit, but she turned and headed back to Frisky’s Den. Her car wasn’t new, but she truly didn’t want it to smell like pee for the rest of its useful life.

  As she walked, she kept looking at her shoes, much angrier about them being ruined than any other part of the incident. She normally wore either white or black leather sneakers with a thick white sole, and she liked them to look like they’d just come out of the box. But she’d given in and bought white canvas ones for the first time in years, just to mix things up, and now she’d probably have to throw them away.

  When she arrived, the front door was locked, and it took a second for Haley to peer out and toss the door open after Piper rang the bell. “What’s…?” she said, then took a look at Delta, cowering into Piper’s chest. “How’d he get so wet?” Her nose twitched a few times. “That’s not water, is it.”

 
“Some massive dog tried to eat him, then had to settle for pissing all over him. This was after the owner called Delta an appetizer,” she said, realizing she was also shivering. But she didn’t have any question about why. She’d been scared half to death but was just now able to let the fear hit her. “He could have killed Delta in a second,” she said, her voice now quaking as well. “There’s no way I could have stopped him.”

  “Come in,” Haley said, guiding her by the small of the back. “Take a right at the reception area. That’s where we do grooming.”

  Piper’s nose was now running, but she wasn’t about to put her hand anywhere near her face. A few tears stung her eyes, and she let Haley guide her, compliantly heading toward the door. Piper let out a sigh of relief when they entered the empty room. Being alone and safe let her relax, and Piper found herself crying a little, not even caring that Haley was witnessing her meltdown.

  Water started to run in a nearby sink, then Delta was whisked from her hold. His collar fell to the floor, then he stood in the sink, shivering even more and looking like a drowning rat.

  Haley was talking to him as she squirted a little shampoo onto his back, soothing him with her confident, calm demeanor. She didn’t in any way seem upset or overly concerned, and Delta picked up on that. By the time Haley ran the rubber shower head over his little body, he was standing tall once again, shaking only when the water got near his head.

  “Sorry, buddy, but we’ve got to get your head,” Haley said, holding him firmly as she ran the water all over his little face. “When we’re done, we’re going to have to get your Aunt Piper in here. Think she’s going to fit?”

  “Everything I have on is ruined,” she complained. Her white jeans bore clear evidence of Diesel’s act of defiance, and her shoes were a mess. “I’ll have to walk home so my car doesn’t smell forever.”

  “Give me your shoes,” Haley said as she wrapped Delta in a big towel and handed him over.

  “Give you my shoes? My brand new pee-soaked shoes?”

  “I’ve dealt with worse,” she said, very matter-of-fact. “Come on. Hand ’em over.”

  Piper pried them off, then presented them, one at a time. “Feel free to charge me for this. I’m sure you weren’t planning on spending your evening cleaning my shoes.”

  Haley flashed her a smile. “Again, I’ve had worse evenings here.” She let her eyes slide down to gaze at Piper’s legs. “Would you rather have dog pee making your pants vaguely wet, or water making them very wet?”

  “I’m not going to take off my pants!”

  “You don’t have to,” Haley said, turning to scrub the shoes with a stiff brush and a lot of soap. “I’d rather have wet jeans than pissy ones, but that’s just my hang-up.”

  “I hate dog piss,” Piper moaned. “But I can’t stand here bare-assed while you wash my jeans. I’ve got a few shreds of dignity left.”

  “I’ll take Delta into my office while you do your laundry,” she said, unable to hide a playful smirk.

  “All right.” Piper started to unzip, grumbling to herself.

  Then Haley put the shoes on the floor and gathered Delta up in her arms. “Have you had dinner?” she asked.

  “Dinner? I haven’t had lunch. My day has sucked from first light to last.”

  “Make yourself presentable, and we’ll grab a bite. The fruit salad I had at ten o’clock this morning is long gone.”

  As she walked out, Piper found herself smiling, no longer aggravated by being pissed on. Just having dinner with someone she was starting to dig made all of the day’s petty annoyances disappear.

  Ten minutes later, with her jeans clean and soaking wet, the center of her cotton shirt equally wet, and her shoes squishing when she walked, Piper went into the reception area, where Delta, now mostly dry and only slightly rat-like, was lying on his side, with Haley leaning over his body.

  As Piper got close, Haley said, “Do you know how to trim his nails?”

  “Um, not really.”

  “Today’s the day you learn. Come stand next to me.”

  Haley’s upper body was pressing the dog against the counter, and she had her left arm behind his head, making him unable to lift it. “You won’t have to hold him this securely if you do this often, but I thought I’d show you the fool-proof way. His nails are sharp, and you really should do this every week, just to get him used to it. You’ll be able to take just a tiny bit off and never risk cutting into the quick.”

  “He seems fine,” Piper said, marveling at how compliant the little guy seemed.

  “He is. Want to do a few?”

  She handed over the clipper and Piper held it in her hand, squeezing the handle a few times. “Just a tiny bit?”

  “Yeah. Do it often enough, and you’ll be able to do it while he’s lying in your lap. He won’t even notice.”

  She nipped at the tip of the nail, barely removing anything. Then another cut took just a bit off.

  “You can file it if you want. Actually, they make a grinder that a lot of people like, but it takes a while for the dog to get used to the noise.”

  “The clipper is fine,” Piper said. “I’m sure I’m going to be doing his grooming, so I’d rather make it less of a production.” She ruffled the hair on his head, still a little damp. “Should we blow him dry?”

  “I think he’s fine.” She let him stand, and he shivered and shook his little body for a few seconds. “Are you going to groom him? Or do you stick to humans?”

  “I haven’t thought about it. Doesn’t dog fur just…fall out?”

  “He has hair, not fur. And I hate to ruin your fantasy of him being self-grooming, but you really should get him used to being brushed every day. As he gets older, his coat is going to have the consistency of cotton. It’ll be a nasty mess if you don’t keep on top of it.”

  “More good news,” Piper grumbled. “Anything else?”

  “Nothing I can think of.” She smiled warmly. “But he doesn’t shed. That’s a nice benefit.”

  “I’m not complaining. I’m clearly crazy about him.”

  “I’m pretty fond of him, too,” she said, gazing down at the pup. “It’s a nice night, or so I’ve heard. Wanna see for ourselves?”

  “Let’s go,” Piper said, clapping her hands together. “I’ve only spent about a minute outside today when I wasn’t covered in pee. Want to go back for po-kay?” she asked, pronouncing it dramatically.

  “How about a dive bar?” Haley asked, cocking her head. “Dogs aren’t technically allowed, but they won’t say anything if he’s in his carrier.”

  “Dive bar it is,” she said, pleased that Haley didn’t only eat at virtuous, nearly carb-free spots. “I’ll stop by my car and get his chariot.”

  ***

  Delta was secure in his carrier, resting on the fluffy blue baby blanket Haley bet Piper didn’t want her to see. The puppy was clearly wrung-out from his ordeal, lying down without a peep rather than maintaining his usual alert pose where he checked out everything as they walked.

  “Delta seems pretty good,” Haley said. “How about you?”

  “Mmm, I’m all right,” she said, rather unconvincingly. “But I’m worried about something like that happening again. I’m not kidding when I say that dog could’ve snapped Delta’s neck in a second.”

  They were at an intersection and Haley said, “Three choices. Pacific, Speedway, or the boardwalk. We’ve got about seven blocks to cover.”

  “Speedway?”

  “Yeah. An ugly little north/south road close to the beach. It’s more alley than road, but I like it. It’s Venice gritty.”

  “I’ve had my share of Venice gritty tonight. Maybe the boardwalk?”

  “If you don’t think the boardwalk’s gritty after dark, you and I have different definitions of gritty!”

  “Pacific,” Piper decided. “I’m looking for peaceful.”

  “Done.” They turned left and started to walk as Haley thought of the message she wanted to impart. “Want some advic
e?”

  “Sure. Always.”

  “Having a dog as small as Delta’s always going to be a little scary. A lot of people have dogs who could easily maim him. My best advice is to steer clear of them. Always keep an eye out and move away if you see a big dog coming. Most of them are fine, but sometimes you don’t know you’ve got trouble until you’re in it.”

  “That’s it?” Piper said, her brows rising in surprise. “No surefire ways of stopping a dog from eating my little guy?”

  “Mmm, I’ve got a few, but you can’t use them until you’re already in trouble. I’d carry pepper spray when I had him out for a walk, just in case, but the better strategy is to be alert and assume every dog you meet might be trouble.” She waited until Piper looked at her to add, “Dogs of all sizes can attack. Don’t assume the little ones are friendly. Sometimes small dogs are more aggressive than large ones.”

  “So…stay in the backyard?”

  “No,” she said, chuckling. “Don’t live in fear, Piper. Just be alert. I’ve got a video on how to defend yourself in case of a serious attack. It’s kind of terrifying, but you should watch it. I’ll bring it into the office tomorrow.”

  “You’ve been a lifesaver,” she said, finally loosening up to show her usual smile. “And you’ve saved me so much money! I would’ve had to get my car upholstery shampooed if you hadn’t been around.” She stuck her leg out, and cast a thoughtful glance at her shoe. “I might not even have to throw these out.”

  “Anyone at the shop would have helped,” Haley said, confident that was true. “If ever you get in trouble, it’s a safe place.”

  “I’m finally starting to relax. A beer’s going to help.”

  “And a burger,” Haley said. “Sometimes a cold beer and a burger can turn your whole day around.”

  Traffic was still heavy, as it always was in Haley’s estimation, but it wasn’t at the stopped-dead level of a summer afternoon. Haley took a breath of the particulate-laden, semi-fresh air and snuck another look at Piper. She’d really been stressed, but she’d bounced back very quickly, an excellent sign. The fact that she wasn’t still going over the incident in gory detail was also promising. Nothing worse than a woman who made a mountain out of every molehill.