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“We’ve come this far, might as well.” I wanted to see Mac’s house. I had a feeling it might give me more insight into him.
He drove out of town to a newer neighborhood, where the homes were spread out. Each one seemingly had a few acres, and the entire neighborhood backed to woods and the mountains.
His house was a large colonial but not exactly what I pictured for a bachelor. When he pulled into the driveway, he said, “Home sweet home.”
“This is nice,” I observed as we stepped inside. The space was large and open with wood floors, an office, a dining room, a large kitchen, and a sunken family room.
“It seems empty when I’m here alone,” Mac said, his footsteps echoing through the house.
Maybe that’s why he wanted a puppy.
Delaney was chasing the puppy through the house, his mouth on a squeaky tennis ball she’d wanted him to have.
“Let’s take him outside,” Mac said to Delaney.
He opened the French doors, and the puppy ran through them. “It’s good the yard is fenced. He’ll have plenty of room to play.”
We followed him out onto a large deck, with steps going down to the yard. The puppy raced around the deck before skidding to a stop by the steps as if he’d never seen them before. Delaney began coaxing him down with a treat she must have grabbed from one of the many bags we’d bought.
“You really want Delaney to come to training?” I asked Mac, wondering why he wanted to ingrain us more into his life when he didn’t want anything long-term.
“I know she’ll love it, and it’s a good idea if she’s going to be around. He needs to listen to the smallest member of the family.”
“Is that what we are?” I asked him, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.
“I’d like to think it’s the start of one,” Mac said hesitantly.
I liked the sound of that.
When Mac lifted his arm, I instinctively cuddled into his side to watch Delaney with the puppy.
She threw him a ball and begged him to bring it back.
“The dog’s good for her. We always had one growing up. We were in charge of training and walking it. It taught us responsibility,” Mac said.
“I almost wish we could get one.”
“You can come see him as much as you want. Now, what do you say about ordering pizza for dinner?”
My stomach rumbled at the mention of food.
“Pizza it is. I’ll call it in. Just keep an eye on them. I trust Delaney, but the dog is new. We don’t know if he’ll nip at her.”
“I’m on it.” I descended the stairs to the yard. Each time the puppy returned the ball to Delaney, he jumped around and nipped her hands until she threw it again. I told him no, but it didn’t seem to faze him.
Mac returned shortly after he placed the order and observed the interaction, then handed Delaney a toy. “When he nips, hand him a chew toy. Always keep one in your pocket so you can do that. If he jumps, knee him in the chest. You can’t hurt him. He’s a sturdy guy.”
“You know a lot about dogs,” I said.
“When we were kids, Mom claimed we kept the dog exercised and entertained with all of our energy.”
“That’s probably true.” I could imagine a younger Mac tasked with playing with a dog, taking him for walks, and feeding him meals. I bet he was a responsible kid.
We played with the puppy in the backyard until the pizza arrived, and then we ate on the deck.
“I almost never eat out here. It doesn’t make sense when it’s just me.”
It hit me then as I took a large bite of the greasy pizza. Mac was lonely. He wanted to fill his house with energy and laughter but hadn’t found someone who fit into his life. Did we?
