Lucy nods. “And she’s so tiny and sweet that I’m afraid our dogs might hurt her. They haven’t taken too kindly to having their space invaded. Noah and Emily love her. We’d ask Ben if he wasn’t?—”
“Allergic,” I finish for her, the big ask clicking into place. “So, you want to keep the puppy here until this Mr. Phillips gets back.”
“Can we, Mom?” Lindsey’s eyes are pleading, and it reminds me of all the times she presented her case to me and Henry when she was growing up, begging to adopt whatever homeless, or in some cases, wounded animal she’d found. “Just for a few days. It would be such a big help. We can’t really give her the attention she needs while we’re at work during the day.”
“Of course,” I say as Ben comes bounding into the room to place a couple of empty mugs in the sink. “I’d be happy to. I’ll work from home for a few days so I can look after her. A puppy would be good company for me.”
Lucy smiles. “Oh, she will.”
“You’re getting a dog?” Ben asks.
“No,” Lindsey answers. “Mom has kindly agreed to help me by keeping June Bug until Mr. Phillips gets back.”
“Huh?” Ben blinks. “The baby dragon?”
“I, uh, put her in a dragon costume the other day,” Lindsey explains quickly. “And she was the cutest little dragon, wasn’t she, Ben?” She shares an inscrutable glance with her brother, who tilts his head like a confused Saint Bernard.
“Um, yeah,” he says finally. “One might even sayaggressivelycute.”
I have to admit, I’m excited. I considered adopting a pet after Henry died, but I knew it’d be yet another loss I’d have to endure one day, so I ultimately decided against it.
“You’ll love her,” Lindsey adds, squeezing my arm.
“It’s a puppy,” I say, thrilled that even though my kids are grown, they still look to me for help. “What’s not to love?”
11
LINDSEY
“I can’t believeMom still hasn’t texted you,” Lucy says as she and Kayla file into my office Monday after lunch. “She’s bound to have figured out by now that we left her with a puppy grenade.”
“Not a word,” I say with a shrug as they plop into the chairs across from my desk. “Maybe she got the rowdiness out of her system already.”
Lucy shakes her head. “Ain’t no way. She’s probably holding Mom and Aunt Rose hostage in the garage with their hands and feet bound with tinsel.”
Kayla opens a bag of cheese puffs and offers some to Lucy and me. “Forget Rosemary’s Fur Baby. I want to know where Oliver’s taking you tonight.”
I reach my hand across the desk and into the bag of chips, plucking out a handful.
“First of all, he isn’t taking me anywhere,” I say. “I’m meeting him. Second, I don’t know where we’re going. I told him I’d show him more of the city. I was thinking I’d take him to a few of the stores in town for some Christmas shopping. We’ll probably grab a burger or something low-key. This is so not a big deal.”
Lucy scrunches her nose. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure Oliver thinks it is.” She turns to Kayla. “You should have seen him yesterday. It was adorable.”
Kayla blows a wisp of her honey-colored hair from her eyes. “I don’t get it, Linds. Why are you being so stubborn about this? This guy is awesome and clearly into you. What’s the deal?”
“Seriously,” Lucy adds. “It’s not like you’renotinto Oliver. You get all giggly-wiggly with him. It’s cute. A little nauseating, but cute.”
I take my time chewing a cheese puff, brushing the orange dust off my hands. They’re not wrong. Idolike Oliver. But I also like the sense of stability I have in my life without any romantic connections. You can’t get left at the party if you never show up.
“He’s great,” I admit. “But y’all, he’s a firefighter. I’m not saying he’s not extremely brave, but his job is also dangerous. I can appreciate what he does without wanting to be a part of that life.”
“What do you mean?” Kayla asks. “It’s not like you have to join the department too.”
“No,” I reply, “but let’s say we get together. I would never have a moment’s peace while he’s working. Part of me would always be waiting for that other shoe to drop, for that phone call telling me something horrible has happened.”
“That could happen with anyone, though,” Lucy says.
“Don’t you think I know that?” I snap and immediately wince. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. “I’m sorry. All I’m saying is, I don’t want to take any more risks than I have to. Oliver is lovely, and I’m sure he’ll make a great friend.”
