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She cut him off. “I don’t care what you meant. Don’t say that around me. Ever.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said sheepishly. “Very sorry. I should have thought.”
“No,” Sally began, “You were not thinking. You were eating. Men don’t think when they eat,” she continued. “But that’s a forgivable offense, in my world.”
Their meal was also accompanied by Coppola and Bone Frog Vineyards wines from Healdsburg. Bone Frog Vineyards was also run by former teammates, Lydia explained to the audience who already knew this.
“I apologize if I am sharp about Harper and his safety. With all this stuff going on, I’m having a hard time coping—” She stopped as tears flashed down her cheeks.
“Never mind, Lydia,” said Sally, with her arm around her shoulder. “You cry all you want. Nobody thinks anything will happen to Harper. You’re not used to him being gone and then back a day and then gone again. Right, boys?” she asked them.
“We talked about it earlier. It’s the hardest part of being the support person. The not knowing is hardest. Making decisions at the home front without having both parties to consult. It’s tough.”
“It’s why we always say the whole family serves,” added Greg.
Lydia made coffee, and over pie, Sally told some of her stories working in the court system, dealing with families in crisis.
“You going to retire someday, Sally?” Lydia asked.
“Well, as you can see, I don’t have much of a life outside you guys and my work. It’s what I do. No, they’ll have to shove me off a cliff to get me to quit.”
“Mr. Right hasn’t appeared yet?” Danny asked.
Everyone called foul. Lydia was the first to speak.
“Danny, for a handsome, savvy guy with mad killer skills and unbelievable strength, you sure have a lack of common sense,” she shouted at him, pointing to him with her fork.
“Don’t,” Sally continued. “I’m not—”
“Well, I am.”
“What did I say?” asked Danny.
“If you haven’t figured it out yet, Danny, and I don’t know for sure, but just based on her conversation, you think she’d want a man around the house? Come on. Have a brain.”
Sally was embarrassed.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want a man around. I don’t understand them. And, based on what I see every day, I’m not sure I would. No, Harper’s the closest thing to a man friend I want. And Venom.”
Venom perked his ears and came over to her. “Yes, we understand each other, don’t we?” she said as she nuzzled his ears and petted his head.
The dog sat and worshiped Sally with his stare.
“Can I feed him a little bit of steak?” she asked.
“Sure. He’s not allowed to eat away from his bowl, but I can see he’d appreciate it.”
Sally was full of more stories, and then she talked about the intruder they had the night before and her decision to find a dog to adopt.
“I’ve done some calling around, and there are some no-kill shelters I’d like to support. I’ve got an appointment to go down and see a couple of them tomorrow. What do you think about getting a rescue Doberman?” she asked Lydia and the group.
“Depends on how they’ve been raised,” said Danny. “I think they’re very reliable, like any dog, but if they’ve been abused, they’re gonna have issues. I’ve never known anybody to rescue a Doberman who wasn’t happy, though. They adjust. And they want to please so badly that they’ll usually retrain easily. Only thing you have to understand is, if they’ve been beaten, they’re going to need a lot of care so you’ve got to ask yourself if you can commit to that.”
“And they want me to sign something that says I’ll take a disabled dog,” Sally said.
“If it’s just medication, that shouldn’t be too bad,” added Lydia.
Greg popped up. “Depends on the medication. Some of it can be pretty expensive. But I hear you, and it’s a shame a good dog might not get adopted because of that. I think the main factor is you just have to see if you bond with the dog. That’s the most important. All the rest, just comes along with the dog. And they’ll love you for it.”
