by Debby Mayne
“Whoa.” Emily couldn’t believe how many treats were in the pack. “That’s a lot of dog biscuits.”
“That’s because he knows all about Hank and how big he is.”
“Did you tell him?”
Brice tightened his jaw for a moment and then slowly shook his head. “No, I didn’t have to say a word. He knew. In fact, he’s been hearing a lot through the Mooreville grapevine.”
“Like what?” Emily propped her elbow on the counter and studied Brice’s face. He looked annoyed.
“Like he’s heard that you and I are … well, that we’re an item.”
Emily couldn’t help but frown. She hated gossip. “Did he tell you exactly what he’d heard?”
Brice shook his head. “I’m afraid you might not like it.” He told her the entire conversation. “I wish people would quit jumping to conclusions when there’s not even an ounce of truth to any of it.”
Her heart sank. Although she hated people talking about her behind her back, she didn’t mind what they were saying since it was pretty much what she’d allowed herself to think about nonstop over the past couple of days.
“Ready for your first slice of pizza?”
“Sure.” As she got a couple of plates down from the shelf, she was happy to have a diversion so he wouldn’t notice the disappointment on her face. She hated the fact that his simple comment bothered her so much.
“Are you okay?” He took the plate as she handed it to him without looking him in the eyes.
“I’m fine.” She pulled a couple of glasses from another shelf and filled them with ice from the door of the refrigerator, continuing to avoid meeting his gaze. Then she handed him one.
He pointed to the lineup of bottles. “I wasn’t sure which one you like, so I got several.”
She smiled and pointed to the ginger ale. “I don’t drink much soda, but when I do, it’s usually ginger ale.”
He gave her an odd look. “Me too. This is really strange.”
“Strange?” She paused and met his gaze. “How?”
“We have so many similarities, it’s uncanny.”
“I’m sure we have as many differences as similarities.” Emily paused as she realized he’d just voiced her thoughts. “We just haven’t found them yet.”
He poured both of them some ginger ale, lifted his glass, and smiled. “Here’s to having fun figuring out what makes us different.”
Hank wedged himself between them and made one of his comical faces. Then he lifted his head to look at the pizza.
“Uh oh. He can reach that.” Brice pushed the box away from the edge of the counter. “We need to keep an eye on the pizza, or we might not get seconds.”
“Watch this.” Emily turned to Hank, snapped her fingers to get his attention away from the pizza, and spoke in a firm tone. “No.”
Hank took a step back from the counter and gave her a look that melted her heart. But she had to be strong, or she’d lose this battle and possibly more in the future since he’d see that she wasn’t serious.
She glanced at Brice, who gave her a thumbs-up, and then turned back to Hank. “Living room.”
Hank let out a sigh before slowly walking away from the kitchen. Emily smiled up at Brice.
His look showed that he was clearly impressed. “That was good.”
“I know.”
“Have y’all been to obedience training already?”
She shook her head. “I found some YouTube videos on how to train a dog.”
“That’s amazing.” He gestured toward their plates. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
Emily had practiced a few simple obedience words with Hank, but she was surprised that the dog had caught on so quickly. And now she was even more surprised that he remained in the living room. That worried her.
She pushed her chair back. “I think I’ll get another slice of pizza, but first I need to see what Hank’s up to.”
“Yeah, good idea.”
When she got to the entrance of the living room, she was relieved that nothing was ripped or shredded. However, all of Hank’s toys were scattered over the living room floor.
Brice came up from behind and laughed. “Looks like he had a hard time deciding which toy to play with.”
She grimaced. “I hate clutter.”
“I’m not surprised.” Brice looked around the room before locking gazes with her. “But it’s a whole lot better than it could have been.”
“I know. I still think I need to work on him a bit.”
“Work on him?” Brice leaned back. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t have this mess in my house. Hank has a few things to learn, but I’m sure it’ll come in time.” She paused. “I like everything in its place.”
The look on Brice’s face changed. “So everything has to be just right in your world?”
She slowly nodded. “Yes, pretty much.”
Now his expression clouded over. Emily was pretty sure that what she said bothered him, but it was the truth. She’d been on her own for so long that she liked everything done a certain way, or she wasn’t happy.
They ate their pizza in silence, until Brice finally stood up. “It’s time for me to do what I came here for, and that’s to give Hank some attention.” He started for the living room but stopped and glanced at her over his shoulder. “I’ll clean up his mess so you won’t have to deal with it after I leave.”
Emily remained seated at the table. On the one hand, she wanted to hop up and tell him he’d misunderstood. On the other hand, she was who she was, and she didn’t want to make excuses or lie.
She listened to Brice talk to Hank about being a good dog. When he stopped talking, she assumed he’d started straightening up the room—something she didn’t think he should feel responsible for. So she hopped up and joined them. She was right. Brice was on the floor, picking up all the toys and tossing them into the basket.
She cleared her throat. “You don’t need to do that.”
He glanced up. “I don’t want you getting mad at Hank for being a puppy.” He moved over to another area and started picking more toys.
“I’m not mad.” She crossed the room and stood next to him. “Please don’t do this. I’m sorry if I came across angry.”
Brice’s shoulders rose and fell as he took a deep breath. “Hank’s a good dog. I’d much rather see him dig out all his toys and scatter them around your house than tear up your furniture. He’s still a puppy, and you can’t expect—”
“I know,” she interrupted. “And I don’t expect anything from him.”
“But you said—” He cut himself off. “Never mind.”
She tilted her head and looked at him for a few seconds before Hank came up, sat next to her and leaned into her side. She patted his head.
Brice tossed the last of the squeaky toys into the basket and stood up. “I think it’s time for me to go now.”
Hank let out another, “Woof,” before standing up and walking over to Brice. He placed his paw on Brice’s thigh.
Brice gave Hank a scratch between the ears. “You’re a good dog, Hank.”
The mood had grown so dark, Emily thought it was time to lighten up. “I bet you wish you’d seen him before I did.”
Brice didn’t offer even a hint of a smile. Instead, he shook his head. “No, I think things worked out the way they were supposed to.”
Emily detected something deeper beyond the subject, but his tone of finality kept her from pressing. She followed him down the long hallway toward the front of the house.
He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. “Thanks for letting me see Hank. He’s really a good dog.”
“I know.” She forced a smile, in spite of the heaviness she felt in her chest. “I overreacted.”
He met her gaze but didn’t mention her reaction. Instead, he said, “Thank you for letting me see Hank.”
As she remained standing at the door watching him leave, she wanted to say something but had no idea
what. For the first time in her life, she was speechless … and she wanted a do-over.
The next morning, Emily woke up to a face staring down at her. Who needed an alarm when Hank was around?
“Hungry?”
He whimpered and headed to her bedroom door, glancing over his shoulder a couple of times. Then he let out his familiar, “Woof.”
“You need to go out, don’t you?” She tossed back the covers, sat up, and stretched. “Let me put some clothes on, and I’ll take you for a walk.”
She pulled on some sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt, stuffed her phone in her pants pocket, and grabbed a pair of her old gardening sneakers on her way to the door. Hank had already gotten his leash off the hook and stood in the foyer waiting for her. She couldn’t help but laugh.
It was a beautiful spring day, something Emily might not have noticed if it weren’t for Hank getting her up so early. Normally, she’d wake up about an hour later, grab a cup of coffee to go, and head out to her first appointment without even looking up at the sky. Now she had a few minutes to actually take a breath and enjoy the sunshine and buds that had begun to form on the trees.
She’d barely made it around the block when her cell phone rang. Since she didn’t recognize the number, she considered not answering it, but that went against her nature. So she clicked the ON button.
“Hi, Emily. How’s Hank doing?” It was Mr. Friedman. “Has he eaten you out of house and home yet?”
Emily laughed. “Not yet, but he’s only been with me a few days.”
“I hope you’re happy with him, but if you’re not, you can always bring him back.”
“Are you asking for him back?”
“No, of course not. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with him if things aren’t working out.”
She thought about how different things had been since she’d had him. Her life was a tad messier than it used to be, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.
“Everything’s working out just fine.” She paused for a second, and something dawned on her. “Did you think something was wrong?”
“Um … not really.” His hesitation let her know he wasn’t telling the whole truth.
“What’s going on, Mr. Friedman?”
Chapter 10
Brice had just left the shoe shop and got to the hardware store about five minutes ago, when he realized he’d forgotten his wallet on the counter. “Melba, I’ll be right back. I need to go get my wallet.”
She smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. “Take your time.”
As soon as he rounded the corner, he saw Mr. Friedman through the shop window, talking on the phone. Brice slowed down to give the man a little more time to finish his call.
The instant the bell on the door jangled, Mr. Friedman glanced up and started to welcome him, until he realized it was Brice. Then a guilty look overtook his smile.
“What can I do for you?” Mr. Friedman came around from behind the counter and stood with his hands on his hips.
Brice pointed. “I left my wallet.”
Mr. Friedman glanced at it. “So you did. I didn’t even notice.”
Brice studied the older man for a few seconds. “I suppose when you’re as busy as you are, and you get one call after another, it’s hard to notice little details.”
The cobbler closed his eyes shook his head. “Okay, so I called her after you left.”
“You called her?” Brice narrowed his eyes. “Who are you talking about?”
“Emily.”
“That’s fine. You don’t have to tell me who you called.”
Mr. Friedman pursed his lips as he ran his fingers through his sparse hair. “But I called her because of something you said. Now I’m embarrassed to admit something I said.”
“Why are you embarrassed?” Brice narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”
Brice watched as Mr. Friedman’s expression changed several times, until he finally let out a deep breath and allowed his shoulders to sag. “I was worried after you told me about Emily being upset that Hank strewed his toys all over her house, so I called her and said if she wasn’t happy with him, she could bring him back.”
“And what did she say?”
“She said everything is just fine.” He glanced down at his shoes before looking Brice in the eyes. “She asked me why I thought it might not be.”
Brice folded his arms and tilted his head toward Mr. Friedman. “And what did you tell her?”
The older man grimaced. “The truth.”
“Did you mention my name?”
Mr. Friedman slowly nodded. “Yes, and now I’m sorry I ever called her. I meant well, but I’m afraid I came across as a meddlesome old man.”
Brice was annoyed by the fact that Mr. Friedman had spoken to Emily, but it only reinforced the fact that he should never say anything to anyone that he didn’t want repeated. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Brice forced a smile. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Maybe not, but …” Mr. Friedman winced as he shrugged. “I still need to mind my own business.”
“You were just checking in on Hank. It’s understandable.”
“I have to admit I miss that dog. There’s something special about him.”
Brice agreed. “You’re right. He’s smart.”
“Smart, yes, but it’s more than that. He has a special sense that I’ve never seen in any of my other dogs.”
“I’m sure you have something to do with that.” Brice backed toward the door. He was angry but more at himself than Mr. Friedman. “I need to get back to the hardware store so Melba can go home.”
He’d barely taken a couple of steps when he spotted Emily and Hank walking on the other side of the street. She shifted the leash to her other hand, tucked her hair behind her ears, and kept walking. He knew he needed to say something, and even though he had no idea what, he decided to take a chance.
“Emily.”
She glanced directly at him and lifted her chin. “Hi, Brice.”
Hank’s ears perked up as he glanced at Emily and then at Brice. “Hey there, Hank.” He gave Emily an apologetic smile. “Can we talk?”
She lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Please?” He swallowed and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. “It’s important.”
Emily hesitated before tugging on the leash and changing her direction to cross the street toward Brice. Relief flooded him as it became obvious that she wouldn’t bolt. Seconds later, she stood a couple of feet away, looking him directly in the eyes. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I want to tell you how sorry I am about talking to Mr. Friedman.” He glanced down at his feet and then at her.
“Hey, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried.” The instant those words escaped his mouth he shook his head. “Okay, I lied. I am worried. Very worried.”
“It’s no big deal.” Her icy tone let him know how big of a deal it was. “Really.”
“It is a big deal. You’re upset with me, and you have every right to be.” He didn’t like this conversation any more than the fact that he’d messed up in the first place. “Can we start over?”
She shrugged. “Sure. Where do you want to start?”
He smiled and extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Brice Johnson.”
Emily glanced at his hand and chuckled. “I’ll have to hand it to you, Brice. You don’t give up.”
“That’s right.” He pulled back his hand and shoved it into his pocket. “And neither do you, which is something I really like about you.”
“Are you serious?” She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.
“Absolutely. You are at least as tenacious as I am, and that’s why you’re a success. I’m sure my tenacity is the only reason I’m not working for someone else.”
“Okay, that makes sense.”
“Would you like to hang out la
ter tonight?”
She shook her head. “No, not tonight. I’m taking Hank to a private obedience class.”
“Maybe some other time then?” He gave her a hopeful look.
She gave him a forced smile. “Maybe. See you around, Brice.”
He gave her a clipped nod as he realized he’d messed up so badly he might never break through her shell again. She started to leave, when he remembered the Pets on Parade segment of the town’s celebration.
“Hey Emily.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “What?”
“Don’t forget about the parade meeting.”
She spun around. “What parade meeting?”
“The one we’re having tomorrow night.”
A confused look came over Emily. “I don’t remember hearing anything about a parade meeting.”
That was because he’d just decided to have one. “It’s tomorrow night on the Town Square at 7:00 PM.” He nodded toward the dog. “Bring Hank.”
“Of course.” She pursed her lips. “Is that all?”
Brice nodded. “For now, anyway.”
After she disappeared around the corner with Hank, Brice leaned against the corner of the building and rubbed his face. He should have been able to come up with something that wasn’t quite as lame as a parade meeting. Now he had to go around and let everyone else know that there was a meeting he hadn’t planned. Hopefully, the short notice wouldn’t annoy too many people.
To his surprise, the majority of the business owners said they were excited about the meeting. All he had to do now was go home and call the schools and civic organizations to let them know.
The next morning, Brice got up and headed straight for the kitchen. He needed to call in and let his employees know he’d be in late so he could plan the meeting he didn’t even know he was having until yesterday afternoon. A couple of his most dedicated employees arrived extra early to accommodate the contractors who needed to get to their worksites.
Melba answered the phone as she always did, her voice laced with laughter. “Hey, boss, what’s up? I heard about your chat with Emily. Is that why you’ve decided to throw in an extra meeting?”
