Finally, her alarm went off, saving her from the back and forth… but well-rested, she was not.
“Not your fault, though,” she said, petting Hope as she sat up in bed and yawned. “You were a good girl. A great girl.”
Hope rolled over to show her belly, and Yasmine rewarded her with a good belly rub. It was so cute, she grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture of Hope on her back, legs akimbo, tongue hanging out of her mouth as she curved her body into a large C and stared up at the phone. Perfect.
Despite everything, Yasmine couldn’t help smiling.
“How could anyone stay sad with you around? And I’m going to make sure you’re around for a very long time,” she crooned. “Sarah’s not going to lose you. No, she’s not. No, she’s not. And I’m going to visit you as much as possible.”
And also offer to be a pet sitter anytime Sarah needed one.
“We have a call with your mommy this morning,” she told Hope. In fact, she needed to get up now and get ready so she could be presentable for it.
Taking Hope to the backyard so the dog could relieve herself, Yasmine’s gaze darted around the fenced-in area. There was no reason to think the jerk from last night would be back, yet the feeling of not being safe was sticking with her. She gave herself a little shake and opened the door to go back inside as Hope came trotting back, done with her business.
Quickly, Yasmine got dressed, hair brushed out, and face washed before deciding to give the police station a quick call while she was making breakfast to find out what had happened to the man. After hearing who she was, she was told that Mr. Pete James had been released on his own recognizance, although he had been charged with disturbing the peace, and that she should be receiving a notice in the mail when it was time for his hearing.
That was it.
Because he hadn’t really ‘done’ anything.
Nothing but terrify her and make it impossible for her to sleep soundly. Nothing but make her jumpy and afraid in her own home. Nothing but make her wonder if, and when, he might come back… and do far worse than ‘nothing’.
She knew that was how it should be because sometimes the cops got the wrong person, but at the same time, it felt as if there should be something different for someone caught in the literal act. It sucked that she had to wait to see if asshole Pete actually hurt her before she could do anything about him.
And yes, she acknowledged that she’d basically broken into Sarah’s house and sort of stolen her dog…
Argh.
None of this was easy.
Yasmine just didn’t want to be afraid that Pete James would return and hurt her. She only had Hope with her for this weekend if Sarah came home on Monday. What was she going to do after that?
Getting her own dog really was sounding better and better.
Her phone rang. Sarah with a video chat.
Pushing a smile onto her face, Yasmine answered.
“Good morning, Sarah. At least, I hope it’s a good morning.”
“So far, so good. I’m hurting, but I’m alive, so that’s good,” Sarah said cheerfully, with a little chuckle. “How are you two doing?”
“Good,” Yasmine said automatically, even if it wasn’t the real answer. “Hope’s been amazing. Want to say hello?”
“Yes, please!”
Yasmine crouched down next to Hope, who cocked her head. She was wagging her tail and had been from the moment she’d heard Sarah’s voice, but she didn’t seem to connect it to the small rectangle in Yasmine’s hand. It was more like she couldn’t figure out where Sarah’s voice was coming from.
“Oh, there’s my pretty girl,” Sarah crooned as soon as she saw Hope on the screen. “There’s my good, pretty girl.”
Hope’s tail wagged harder, but she kept looking everywhere but at the screen.
“She seems happy to hear you, but I’m not sure she can see you,” Yasmine said apologetically.
“That’s okay, I’m just happy to see her.” Sarah sounded a little breathless, maybe a little tearful. “Is she eating okay?”
“She is. Zeus and I are going to get her in for surgery next week. So, she’ll be recovering along with you. And both of us can help you out with anything she needs while both of you recover.”
