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She walked to the office once more, used her elbow to power on the Bluetooth speaker. “Hey, Siri,” she said, watching her phone come to life once more. “Play ‘Getting Busy’ playlist.”
Seconds later, the first song began, filling the air with upbeat music. She boogied her way back to the counter.Nowshe was ready to work. Ready to enjoy every minute of her near-perfect life.
* * *
LEIGH
“Mommy, we’re home.”
Leigh sprang from the couch at the sound of Lennox’s voice, startling the sleeping cat and sending him scrambling. “Get used to doing that, Smokey, because they brought company.”
As if cued, a little black bundle of energy whizzed into the room.
Lennox followed, leaping into Leigh’s outstretched arms. “Look at Ladybug,” she said, disentangling from the too-brief embrace. She caught the zoomy puppy, hugging it tighter than she’d hugged Leigh. “Isn’t she cute?”
“Very cute.”
Lennox squeezed the dog tightly enough to make its brown eyes bug out from its face. Since the puppy didn’t seem to mind, maybe that was just its natural expression. Lennox peppered the puppy’s head with a dozen animated kisses, then held her forward, toward Leigh. “Do you love her?”
“I just met her.”
“But you love her, right?”
“Love isn’t instant, sweetie. Not for me, anyway.”
“How long did it take you to love me?” The child had straight-faced snappy comebacks mastered, and she wasn’t even trying.
Across the room, Tim coughed to cover his laugh.
“It’s different when you have a child.” Memories of a newborn Lennox flooded Leigh’s mind. The love had been more than instant, it had consumed her. She stroked her daughter’s hair. Then stroked the puppy’s head to please the person she loved more than anything in the world. “Hello, Ladybug. You’re very cute. I’m sure I will love you soon. Even sooner if you don’t destroy my house while you’re here.”
Another cough left Tim’s mouth, this one more of an attention getter than an attention deflector.
“I’ll be in my bedroom with Ladybug. Don’t worry, Mommy, I won’t let her get into any trouble.” Daughter and father shared a look as she exited the living room.
“What’s going on with you two? You’re clearly in cahoots about something.” She followed Tim’s glance at a shopping bag he’d set on the floor. A pet supply store bag. “Already? Can’t you put off whatever business trip you have planned for a week, let the puppy settle in at your place first?”
“About that.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“You haven’t even heard me out.”
“I don’t need to. ‘About that’ means an unauthorized, irreversible change has been made. One that won’t please the recipient of the following statement. You’re leaving the dog here.”
“I’m sorry.”
She brushed off his apology as if shooing a fly.
“I messaged the condo manager for clarification about whether I could install a dog tie-out from the patio, and what length would be acceptable. He informed me that I’m not allowed to have a dog. When I disputed by pointing out that several other residents in the development have dogs, I was informed that the condo board amended the bylaws regarding dogs a year ago. Grandfathered dogs may stay, but no new ones are permitted.”
“They can’t expect you to get rid of a puppy because they secretly changed the rules.”
Tim rarely looked sheepish. Now was one of those times. “Nothing’s a secret in a condo community. Everybody’s in everybody’s business, all the time. They send out fresh copies of the bylaws any time there’s a change, which happens frequently. I don’t read them because they’re never relevant.”
“Funny, this seems incredibly relevant. Especially since it’s one hundred percent relevantto me.”
Tim crossed the room to stand close to her. “I can apologize until I’m out of breath, but it won’t change the fact that I handled this wrong.” He cast a glance toward the front hall before meeting her gaze again. “What do you want me to do? Tell our daughter to say goodbye to the puppy and get rid of it because Mommy doesn’t want it?”
