Puppies on Parade

by Debby Mayne

  He started to argue, but this woman could read him too well. “You’ve got my number, Melba.”

  “I know I do. I’m about to head out to make a delivery. Mind if I stop by your house for a few minutes?”

  Brice really didn’t feel like seeing anyone now, but Melba was like a second mother to him. He couldn’t turn her down. “Sure, I’ll make sure I have a full pot of coffee ready when you get here.”

  After he hung up, he quickly got ready for the day and then sat down at the kitchen table to work on his plans. He’d barely started his list of what to discuss when he heard the knock at the door. After he let her in, she led the way to the kitchen.

  “I’ll get my own coffee. You have a seat and finish whatever you were doing.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He sat down and finished the sentence he’d started before looking up at the only woman besides his mother who could tell him what to do.

  “Let me give you a few tips on how to deal with things, now that you’ve gotten yourself into a pile of pickles.”

  “Super sour pickles at that.”

  She grinned. “You said it, I didn’t.”

  Once she joined him at the table, she asked if he was okay. He shrugged, so she leaned forward and began the lecture that he knew he had coming to him.

  After she finished, she sat back and looked him up and down. “You look nice today, boss.” Then she leaned forward gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t blow your chance with this girl. I sense something really special—something that only comes along once in a lifetime.” She lifted her coffee mug, took a sip, and stood up. “I need to get back to the store. What time do you think you’ll be in?”

  Brice glanced at his list. “I don’t know. Maybe in an hour or so?”

  “Take your time.” She tipped her head forward. “I know how you like every minute to count.” She glanced at the wall clock. “Speaking of time, I’d better hustle. I don’t want to keep anyone waiting.”

  “Thanks, Melba. I’ll see you later this morning.”

  He walked her to the door and then returned to his planning. It took a whole hour to come up with enough valuable information to justify the meeting.

  On the way to the hardware store, he stopped off at the office supply store to make copies of the safety rules for each group—one for the walkers, one for the floats, and another for the people with animals. The guy at the copy center offered to help out with the pets.

  “I used to work at the pet store, and I spent quite a bit of time with the trainers.”

  “Perfect.” Brice stacked the papers on the counter. “Can you come to the meeting tonight?”

  The man with the nametag that read Sam nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I can even walk with the pets if you want me to.”

  It hadn’t dawned on Brice that he’d need someone to walk with the pets, but now that Sam mentioned it, he thought it was a great idea. “Absolutely, yes. That’ll be a huge help.”

  Sam beamed. “I’ll be there tonight.”

  Brice left and went straight to the hardware store. Melba waved but continued talking to a customer. Ross and Andrew were in the back of the store, maneuvering a pallet jack to make room for more merchandise.

  The rest of the day was normal, with a steady flow of customers, from contractors and do-it-yourselfers to folks who were preparing their gardens. At the end of the day, Brice barely had time to close the store before going straight to the Town Square for the meeting.

  He’d brought some of the notes into the store with him so he could prepare for the meeting, but he’d been too busy to look at them. Before leaving the store, he glanced over the notes so he’d have them fresh on his mind.

  As soon as Brice rounded the corner to the Town Square, he saw the large crowd of people who’d arrived early. He looked around until his eyes settled on Emily and Hank. She glanced up but didn’t smile before turning back to Charlotte, the manager of the skating rink. The tiny bulldog puppy seemed mesmerized by Hank, while the two women were deep in conversation.

  He approached them with the biggest smile he could manage. “Good evening, ladies.”

  Charlotte looked over at him with the saddest eyes he’d ever seen. “I wish.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Her chin quivered, and she took a swipe at her nose with the back of her hand. “I have to find a home for Biscuit.”

  Chapter 11

  Emily didn’t know Charlotte well, but she felt for the woman who’d just found out she was being promoted and transferred to the West Coast. Charlotte admitted that until she’d moved to Mooreville, she was ambitious and welcomed every promotion she had. But now, she was settled and enjoyed small-town living.

  “I even got a dog.” She sniffled. “I don’t want to move, but I need my job.”

  Brice tilted his head. “Why can’t you bring Biscuit with you?”

  Emily stepped back and let Charlotte answer. “I’ll be a district manager, which means I’ll be traveling.” She sniffled. “A lot.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Brice’s forehead crinkled. “Maybe someone here would like to adopt him.”

  “It would have to be someone super nice …” Emily glanced down and saw that Hank and Biscuit had found comfortable spots on the grass to lie down next to each other.

  Charlotte nodded. “Someone I can trust to take great care of him.”

  Brice squatted down and scratched both dogs behind the ears. They both leaned into his hands. Everyone was quiet for about a minute, until Brice stood up.

  “I have an idea. I’ll take him.”

  Emily and Charlotte both turned to him and spoke in unison. “You will?”

  “Yeah.” Brice looked just as stunned as Emily was, but he was smiling. “He seems like a really good dog, and he’s pretty social. I might even let him hang out with me at the hardware store.”

  Charlotte’s face lit up. “You’re right. He’s super social, and I think he’d love being in the store.”

  “Then it’s settled.” Brice took a step toward the small platform. “When are you moving?”

  “The week after the celebration.”

  “Good. You’ll still be able to walk him in the parade. I need to start this meeting so everyone can go home. We’ll talk later.”

  As soon as he was out of hearing distance, Charlotte turned to Emily. “Are you okay with this?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, is it okay for your boyfriend to have a dog, since you have Hank?”

  Emily’s voice caught in her throat, so she cleared it. “First of all, he’s not my boyfriend, and second, Biscuit and Hank get along great.”

  “Wow. Could’ve fooled me. I thought the two of you were, like, engaged or something.”

  “They’re not yet, but you never know what the future holds.” The familiar masculine voice came from behind them.

  Emily turned around and made eye contact with Mr. Friedman. “I don’t think so. We’re, um … friends.”

  Mr. Friedman smiled at her before exchanging a look with Charlotte who gave him back a conspiratorial grin. Since they didn’t exchange words, there was nothing for Emily to deny without sounding guilty.

  Brice chose that moment to start the meeting. He began by discussing where everyone would gather, how he’d have a place for personal belongings if they didn’t have other arrangements, and where the parade would end. Then he went over the safety rules for everyone before dismissing the marching bands and walkers. Next, he discussed float and car safety and handed out the printouts that were pertinent only to them. After the people from the floats and cars left, he addressed the people who would take up the end of the parade with their dogs. He explained that the dog parents were responsible for picking up after their pets. “I’ll have plenty of bags you can carry with you, and there’ll be trash cans along the parade route.”

  After he finished his talk, Charlotte leaned over and whispered, “He’
s a really sharp guy.” She grinned. “And cute too. You might want to rethink this just-friends relationship. I think the two of you are really good together.”

  “I agree wholeheartedly,” Mr. Friedman said. “But what do I know? I’m just a little old man who has been around for decades. I’ve seen plenty of people get together who shouldn’t and others miss out on a good thing when it’s being served on a silver platter.” He shrugged. “But like I said. What do I know?”

  Charlotte gave Emily an apologetic smile but didn’t say anything else. Emily just stood there and waited for the crowd to dissipate before saying goodbye to her friend.

  Emily was on her way to her car when she heard her name. When she spun around, she saw Brice running toward her.

  “Good.” He stopped and caught his breath. “I’m glad you haven’t left yet.”

  “Did you need something?” Being around Brice again, after she’d had time to gather her thoughts, made her want to forget the disagreement had happened. The problem was that she knew it would happen again.

  “Can we talk?”

  “About what?” She saw his discomfort. “I don’t think we have much else to say, unless you need help with the parade.”

  “I do need help.” He reached out and touched her arm. “With the parade … and with my attitude. I think we need to work through a few things.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, Brice. You said it yourself. Everything in my world has to be just right.”

  “Maybe that’s because there’s something important missing from your life.”

  “What could that be?” She tightened her grip on the leash and planted her other fist on her hip as she gave him a challenging stare.

  “Me.”

  “You?”

  He nodded. “Just think about it, Emily. We get along great. We understand each other because we’re so similar, we both like dogs—”

  “I’m sorry, but that’s not enough.”

  “Wait. I’m not finished.” He paused, took a deep breath, and blurted, “There’s something special between us—something I can’t quite put my finger on.” He held her gaze long enough to take her breath away. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  Emily’s chin dropped, and she found herself speechless. No one had ever told her that before.

  “How about it? Can we at least try to work things out?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Please give me a chance.”

  She closed her eyes and imagined all that could go wrong and how painful that would be. But then what if they could work through the problems? Was she willing to risk the possibility of a broken heart for the opportunity to have something special with a man she couldn’t stop thinking about? She’d never been one to throw caution to the wind.

  “Let me think about it, okay?”

  He smiled. “That’s all I can ask. In the meantime, do you mind if I stop by and pick you up on my way to dinner tonight?” His smile faded as he looked down and kicked the ground. “What I mean is, can we go somewhere for dinner so we can talk?”

  One thing about him, he was persistent. She sighed. “That’s fine.”

  “This time, we’ll need to leave Hank at home. I don’t think dogs are welcome where we’re going.”

  Emily’s stomach churned, as she got ready for dinner with Brice. At first she couldn’t believe how easily she had given in, but after thinking about it, she realized this was exactly what she really wanted—another chance. However, she needed to make it clear that he couldn’t change her.

  Finally, after she finished putting on her earrings, she stepped back from the full-length mirror and took a long look at herself. She saw something different on her face. It wasn’t the confident expression she normally wore. It was more of a look of wonder bordering on confusion. Well, that’s how it is, take it or leave it.

  Brice arrived precisely when he told her he’d be there. She bent over, cupped Hank’s chin in her hands, and spoke softly but in the sternest voice she could. “Behave while I’m gone, and I’ll give you a treat when I get back.”

  He looked right back at her, and when she let go, he emitted his, “Woof.”

  She smiled, nodded, and straightened up. “Good boy. I think you understand.”

  As soon as she opened the front door, Brice handed her a bouquet of flowers. “From my garden,” he said.

  The last time she’d gotten flowers from a guy was back in high school, and they were in the form of a corsage. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She carried the flowers back to her kitchen, while Brice hung out at the front of the house with Hank. When she got back, she caught Brice speaking softly to the dog. He looked up at her with a guilty expression.

  “What are you telling him?”

  “It’s just guy talk. Nothing you need to know about.”

  She was surprised when he drove straight to the Mooreville Diner. “We’re eating here?”

  “I figured you didn’t want to be away from Hank too long, and this was the closest place.”

  “Okay.” It made sense. “I’ll just ask my cousin for a doggie bag before we leave. He always has a soup bone in the fridge.”

  “Perfect. I’m sure Hank will love that.”

  As they found a booth in the very back corner, Emily thought about how it didn’t matter where they were. For the first time in her adult life, she had a sense that anyplace would be special when she was with Brice.

  “Let’s slay the elephant in the room before we discuss anything else,” he said as soon as they ordered. “Because I have a feeling we won’t be able to move forward unless we do.”

  “You really think we need to talk about that now?”

  “C’mon, Emily, you know we do. Both of us are no-nonsense people who can run our own businesses with one hand tied behind our back. Let’s get this cleared up and then resume getting to know other things about each other.

  She nodded. He was right. She liked him, and he obviously liked her. Unfortunately, they both liked having their way because they’d never had to give in. That was the only thing that could prevent them from having a decent relationship.

  As they talked, she discovered some things about him that she recognized in herself. They’d both been dreamers as children, as most kids were. The only difference between them and others was that no one could convince either of them that their dreams weren’t attainable.

  “People tried to warn me how big and bad the world was,” she admitted, “but I wouldn’t listen.”

  “I know. Same here.” He told her about some of the things his aunts and uncles had said. “But my grandparents encouraged me and even gave me the starting capital for my first business.”

  “They did?”

  “Yep. They handed me a twenty dollar bill and said it was their investment in my future.”

  Emily laughed. “You made it sound like they gave you a fortune.”

  “It was a fortune for an up-and-coming lemonade stand operator. With the twenty bucks from them and the free cups and lemonade mix from my parents, I could do anything.”

  After they finished their dinner, Brice looked at his watch. “Let’s get on back before Hank decides we’ve been gone too long. I think if we take this in small strides and gradually increase the time we’re away, we won’t have a problem with him getting bored and doing bad stuff.”

  “We?”

  He nodded. “That’s what I said.”

  When he pulled into her driveway, they both noticed Hank watching for them from the front window. His comical expression was lit by the streetlights.

  As soon as he realized it was them, he jumped down from the sofa and ran toward the door. Right when she unlocked the door, he started jumping around and running in circles.

  She held up the bag. “Ready for your treat?”

  Hank gestured toward the back of the house. “Let’s check and make sure he didn’t wreck the place first.”

  “Oh, that’s
right.”

  As they walked through the house, the only thing they noticed was that he’d pulled out a few of his toys. When they got back toward the front, Brice pointed to the sofa. Hank had pulled his blanket and a stuffed monkey up there.

  “That is so sweet.” Emily sighed. “Okay, Hank, you were a very good boy.”

  She pulled out the soup bone and held it out to him. He took one sniff, gently took it from her, and carried it to the kitchen.

  Brice tilted his head. “How did he know to go in there?”

  “I told you, I’ve been working with him.” She smiled back. “He’s a fast learner.”

  “So am I.” Brice grinned as he pulled her closer, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, and let go. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Three weeks later, Emily stood in the crowd, holding tight to Hank’s leash. She’d taken him into the pet store and picked out a cool bandana that showed off his handsome face. Charlotte stood beside her with Biscuit.

  “I was starting to fall in love with this place,” Charlotte said. “It’s hard to believe I’ll be living in Seattle in less than two weeks.”

  “That’s what you get for doing such a good job.”

  “The skating rink challenge wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, thanks to the town council for supporting it.”

  A wave of sadness washed over Emily. She still didn’t know Charlotte very well, but she had a feeling they would have become very good friends if given the time. “You can stay with me when you come back to visit.”

  “Thanks.” Something behind Emily caught Charlotte’s attention.

  Emily spun around to see Brice taking long strides toward them, making her heart race even faster than the first time she realized she was attracted to him. She and Brice had done something practically every single day since that night at her cousin’s diner. Sometimes they took Hank, and other times they went without him. They always rewarded him for good behavior, which had become the norm.

  “When are you bringing Biscuit over?” Hank asked.

  “Whenever you want me to. I have to pack my place and get it ready for the movers, so it’s probably a good idea to do it soon.”