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“Thank you.” I smiled.

“I’ll leave you to study the menu.” She smiled back at me.

“You don’t have to leave. The sign outside decided me. I’ll take a bacon cheeseburger, rare, with American cheese and grilled onions, strawberry shake, and fries. Apparently, I’m supposed to order pie for dessert.”

Nash spoke up. “That’s mandatory.”

The guy to my left stopped shoveling his food for a moment. “You can never go wrong with pie.”

“I’m sold.”

“Your food will be right up,” Pearl promised.

3

“Well, Chaos are you going to be at home here? I know the yard isn’t as big as the one in West Virginia, but it was all I could find to rent on such short notice.” Not to mention within my budget. My savings had already taken enough of a hit, so a manageable rent was a major factor when finding a place here in Jasper Creek.

Chaos looked up at me and tilted her head.

“Exactly. The red front porch swing makes up for everything. I agree.”

My big Bernese Mountain dog followed me out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, which was still a mess. I had boxes everywhere. I so should have unpacked the kitchen before I unpacked the bedroom.

“No cooked food for you tonight, sweetie. It’s Alpo and kibble for din-din.”

She whined. My baby totally understood me.

“I know, I know, I’m not too happy either. The store’s closed and all I get is another protein bar and Gatorade.”

This time, she really whined.

I bent down and gave her a deep rub, concentrating on her neck and shoulders. Her tail wagged.

“And I hate to tell you, I’m too tired to take you for a walk. You’re going to have to take a spin around the backyard by yourself.”

She whined again.

No question about it. Chaos understood what I was saying. Of course, being named after such a complex theory like the Chaos Theory, of course she would understand. I liked the idea that she represented the process that nothing could ever be predicted, and considering how my life was turning out, that sure as hell was the truth. Plus, she often stirred up chaos in my life, and I loved her for that.

I rubbed on her some more.

“You like that, don’t you?”

Chaos pressed her cold nose against my neck.

“Don’t worry, girl, the grocery store is top of the list tomorrow morning, and I’ll be well rested so we can explore the neighborhood. I’ll get us fed right now, then we can unpack the kitchen and hit the sack. What do you think about that?”

She yawned.

“Hey, don’t get me started. We still have a couple of hours left to go.”

I dug her food and bowls out of the duffle bag that I’d made up for her before we’d left this morning from the house Granny had left me in Madison. I’d snagged a can opener and soon had her dinner ready.

I hated leaving Granny’s house. But at least I didn’t have to sell it. Maybe one day I could go back home to Madison, but for now, my job was here in Jasper Creek. Who knew, maybe Sue’s husband would actually get a bite and my old house would actually get rented, and I’d have a little bit of extra money in my pocket.

Yay me.

Chaos came over to the bowl, sniffed, and walked away. I shrugged. She’d eventually eat when she got hungry enough. I grabbed the protein bar and warm Gatorade out of my oversized purse and forced it down, then got to work unpacking boxes. Every so often, I would run another load of laundry that I hadn’t finished before I’d left West Virginia.