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It didn't take Chiefy long to surface with a paper cup in her mouth, she dropped it on the beach and dove in for more. Grace picked it up and put it in the garbage bag, always with an eye on the water where Chiefy went in. She surfaced again with a piece of floor mat from a car. She dropped it and repeated. This would go on for the next half hour until she got tired of diving in.
She looked so happy when she surfaced. She always got a "good girl" and then took off again.
Chiefy surfaced with a glass bottle which looked like it had been for orange juice or something. Grace grimaced that glass was in the water, but Chiefy dropped it in front of her. "Good girl, Chiefy."
This time instead of jumping in the water, Chiefy took off running down the beach. Grace called, "Chiefy, here." Which normally brought her well-behaved girl right back. Except for this time.
Grace looked ahead to where Chiefy was running and saw Sid walking on the beach toward a bungalow. She remembered he'd said he lived in one. Sid, for his part, dropped to his knees and waited for Chiefy to come to him. Grace hurried toward Chiefy and Sid.
When she neared, she heard Sid laughing and Chiefy was licking his face. She stopped in her tracks as she watched them together. Her heart swelled so much it hurt. Sid pet her fur, and laughed as he was completely slobbered on. Then Chiefy laid down and rolled onto her back to get a belly rub. Sid complied, the smile on his face completely spellbinding.
Grace slowly approached, unsure if she should interrupt this moment. Sid looked up at her, the smile on his face intoxicating. "She's sure a friendly girl."
Grace smiled. "Usually not like this. Normally she listens so well. But, she beat a path to you like I've never seen before."
Sid's cheeks turned pink. He glanced at Chiefy, still enjoying a belly rub. "So you like damaged people, Chiefy?"
Grace felt heat climb up her chest. "You're not damaged."
Sid's eyes met hers. He stared for a while, then nodded, but said nothing.
5
Sid stared for a long time at Grace. Emotion clogged his throat, and he wasn't sure if sound would come out if he said anything in response to her. He felt damaged. He came home from the Army damaged. His ex-wife couldn't deal with him and left. He'd kicked around trying to 'find' himself as the younger generation said. He'd made money over that time. He was absolutely kick-ass when it came to fixing things. But the garages in the larger cities were all about time and money. 'We billed this job out as two-hours. Don't go over.' Meaning, he had to do a half-assed job on it because the garage wanted another car in that spot in two hours. He hated it.
Then, he'd move to another place. It always seemed to be more of the same.
Grace's lips parted in a soft smile, and she cocked her head. "You're not damaged, Sid. You're dealing with something many don't have to deal with or even understand. That doesn't make you damaged."
He swallowed. "What does it make me then?"
"Unique. Different in how you handle things and do things. But, then again, aren't we all different?"
Sid chuckled. "I suppose we are."
Chiefy stood up and shook. Sand and water flew through the air. Sid jumped up and laughed. Grace backed away laughing.
"I'm sorry she got you all dirty." Grace chuckled.
He looked at her clothing and saw she'd been working today. "She got you too."
Grace shook her head. "I was already dirty. Today was a tiling day."
"Tiling. What are you tiling?"
"One of the bathrooms. I only have one wall finished. I'll finish one of the other two tonight and the other one tomorrow. Then, on to another task."
"Are you doing all the work on your own?"
She nodded. "As much as I can do. Of course, plumbing and electrical will need to be done by professionals."
"Do you have a lot of that work to do?"
"Not too much. Mostly, I'm hoping to only have to do cosmetic stuff. Painting, flooring, tiling the walls in the bathroom and back splash in the kitchen. Stuff like that. I can hang new light fixtures and so far, I haven't had to have wiring or plumbing work done. Fingers crossed it stays that way."
Sid watched Grace as she explained her work. Her cheeks turned pink and her hands moved faster. She was worried or embarrassed.
"What's your story, Grace Murphy?"
