Page 86 of Life on the Leash

Back to normal? Is that all he wants?

“Yeah, definitely. Me, too. Back to normal.” She smiled as she said it to force the feeling into the words.

They walked along silently. The only sound was the impatient jangling of Fritz’s dog tags.

“Eli, stop being stupid,” he muttered to himself. He took a deep breath, stopped walking, and turned to face Cora. “I’m lying. I don’t want to go back to normal. Our normal was torture for me.Thisis the normal I want.”

He gazed at Cora for a moment, placed a hand to her cheek like he was asking for permission, and then swept her into a kiss unlike any she’d ever experienced. He wrapped his arms around her, and the feel of him, the smell of him, and the familiarity of his body against hers mixed with his unexpected passion made Cora dizzy. They kissed for a long time, neither one wanting to pull away. He finally loosened his grip on her, looked into her eyes, and sighed.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that? And do you know how long I want tokeepdoing it? I mean, that was worth th—”

Cora kissed him on the mouth midsentence, reveling in the way his lips felt on hers. This was exactly where she was supposed to be.

A cyclist sped by and whistled at them, and they laughed at the spectacle they had created. Fritz danced next to them, wagging his tail and grinning, as if he approved of what was happening right above him.

“So this is our new normal?” Cora asked.

“I hope so. Does Fritz like little space alien dogs?”

“Fritz likes every dog. No, scratch that. Fritzlovesevery dog.”

“Then let’s go to my place and grab Nell and see what happens.”

“Yes,” Cora replied and reached up to kiss him again. “Let’s see what happens.”

FOUR MONTHS LATER

“Ican’t believe it’s finally here,” Cora said, looking around the patio at the group of beloved people and dogs. “I’m still in shock.”

“I’m in shock that Josie won’t stop counter-surfing the appetizer table.” Maggie dashed over to stop Josie from grabbing an entire tray of stuffed mushrooms, then cupped her hands around her mouth. “Anyone know a dog trainer I can call?”

Cora took a sip of champagne and surveyed the crowd. Fran was sitting next to the glass-walled fire pit, gesturing emphatically at Wade and Rachel with an overfull glass of red wine. Sydney was on leash near her, taking playful nips at Daisy’s heels every time she turned away from him. Cora had Fran to thank for the gorgeous venue for the first-episode viewing party ofEveryday Dogs. Fran had called in a favor with a swanky DC property that was getting ready to close their outdoor dining area for the season, and begged them to allow dogs for the event. The result was a magazine spread–worthy cobblestoned space lit by hundreds of café lights and punctuated with a dozen dogs of all sizes trying to be on their best behavior.

“We did it,” a voice said behind her.

Cora turned and smiled at Brooke, who was holding out her champagne glass in a toast.

“Indeed we did,” Cora said, clinking her glass. “Thank you for helping me figure out how to be on a show.”

The costars had reached a quick truce by the end of the first episode taping, aware that they could either make life easy for one another or make the experience a nightmare. Once the initial posturing and assessing was over, the women became strong allies. They were really different, of course, but working with Brooke was more seamless than Cora could’ve imagined.

“I’ve gotta go find Sasha,” Brooke said. “I’m sure she’s taunting the big dogs and making me look bad.” Her Yorkie was incorrigible, but she didn’t seem to care.

Cora saw Vanessa beckon from across the patio and point to her feet. There was Sasha, crouched and barking at Vanessa’s yellow Lab, Samson. Winnie stood nearby, nursing her beer and watching the dogs with a detached look, making it clear that she was officially off dog training duty and that it wasn’t her first drink of the evening.

Cora heard an unmistakable canine snort behind her.

“There you are!” she exclaimed as Eli walked Fritz and Nell to her. Fritz looked dapper in a preppy blue-and-red bow tie that matched Eli’s, and Nell was sporting a leather collar with a cowboy boot–inspired thistle motif, shipped all the way from Beth Ann in Texas. “Was it a successful potty run?”

“You know it,” Eli said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Two pees, and Nell did a nice solid poop.”

“Aw, honey, you really know how to sweet-talk a girl.”

“So when does this thing get rolling? I’ve been nervous-drinking all night and I’m feeling it.”

“You’re nervous? I’m the one who’s supposed to be nervous,” Cora said.

“Nervousis the wrong word. I’m excited. I’m super stoked. We all are.” He looked down at Fritz and Nell, and his voice went up a pitch. “Right, puppy-faces? Right?” Fritz danced in place and Nell turned in her happy-dog circles.

As if on cue, the big-screen TV in the middle of the space sprang to life, and the show’s cheerful theme song came over the loudspeakers. People clapped and hooted and a few dogs barked along. Cora and Eli settled into a love seat off to the side. Like always, they arranged themselves so they were touching from shoulder to hip. Fritz hopped up beside her uninvited, and Nell stood on her back legs and danced in front of them, her adorable way of asking for help.

Eli leaned over and kissed Cora’s neck. “I’m so proud of you, love.”

Cora’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker as scenes of frolicking dogs played out on-screen.

“This season onEveryday Dogs, you’ll learn exactly what it takes to build a relationship with your dog that’s based on love, compassion, and a little bit of science. You’ll understand how to bring out the best in your best friend, and have fun while doing it. We’ve got tons of laughter, a few tears, and tools thateverypet parent can use. Are you ready to get started? Let’s train some dogs!”