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“Ugh, tall people. Am I right?” Leah giggled. “The worst.”
“You two always gang up on me.” Keaton slung an arm around his mother’s neck, and they all headed toward the kitchen and dining area. “Where’s Harv?”
“Working.” His mother sighed. “He really wanted to come but they were short tonight.”
Harvey was his mother’s second husband—after a failed engagement to Keaton’s father and a disastrous first marriage to a bad man when Keaton was a teen. They’d only been married a year, but Keaton liked him a lot. He’d been a great influence on Jackie, helping her to find more confidence in herself and even encouraging her to go to art school. The woman his mother was now—someone who always smiled and was present—was worlds away from the emotionally withdrawn anger-fueled shadow of his youth. As far as Keaton was concerned, Harv was a great addition to the family.
And above anything else in the world—above sales targets and M&As and bonus checks and all—family was what drove Keaton.
The group walked into the open-plan kitchen and dining area, where the island was covered in Leah’s favorite meal. The make-it-yourself pizza. There were premade bases with red sauce and herbs, and all the ingredients laid out in separate bowls. Leah and their mom had prepped all manner of things—greens, peppers, three different types of meat, eggplant, mozzarella, apples, walnuts and pineapple. She’d even infused her own oil with chili for drizzling over the top.
Molly walked in behind them, her toenails clicking on the floorboards. She threw Keaton a derisive look before pushing past him—leaving a fine dusting of hairs on his suit pants—and taking a slurp from her water bowl.
“Did Leah tell you the good news?” his mother asked as she started loading her pizza base up with spinach and thin slices of prosciutto.
“Good news?” Keaton looked at his sister.
“I’m putting Molly into a talent quest!”
Keaton burst out laughing, which made the dog look up from her bowl. Oh man, if looks couldkill. “Sorry, I just...what talents does she have? Turning grown men to stone? Overreacting whenever you tell her to stop doing something? Pretending that a bath is a death sentence?”
He knewexactlyhow much Molly hated having a bath, since he’d attempted to bathe the dog a few times. Twice he’d ended up soaking himself more than the dog, and the third time she’d knocked him over so hard that he’d sprained his wrist when he fell back on the tiled floor.
After that, Keaton suggested it might be best if they have a professional take care of it. Thankfully, Leah’s best friend was a dog groomer and had a knack for subduing even the most misbehaving pooch.
“I’ve trained her to do a bunch of things. Look.” Leah held out a hand to Molly. “Shake.”
The dog obediently placed one paw right into her owner’s hand, her eyes never leaving Keaton.
“Drop.” Leah pointed to the floor and the dog dropped down onto her belly. “Oh no, Molly! It’s a full moon!”
The dog leaped back to her feet and howled at the top of her lungs like a wolf. Okay, so that was pretty funny.
“A talent quest, huh? Is there a big prize up for grabs?” Keaton grabbed a pizza base and started placing pepperoni slices on top, arranging them methodically so that every part of the pizza was equally covered.
“The winning animal will be signed with a pet social media agency called Paws in the City.” Leah patted Molly on the head and cooed about what a good girl she was. The dog basked in the praise. Show off. “They’re based in Manhattan, too.”
“I’ve heard of them.”
He’d read something in theNew York Timesabout how the woman who owned the company had built it from scratch after being fired from her old job. He liked stories like that—where the little guy triumphed in a world designed to favor those who already had a head start.
“I think Molly could be a star,” Leah said. “She’s so beautiful and smart.”
“She’ssomething,” Keaton muttered, and his mother elbowed him in the ribs. “Well, I know you’ll kick butt at whatever you do. And if anyone can turn that devil hound into a well-behaved Instapooch, it’s you.”
Molly made a snorting sound to show exactly what she thought of being an “Instapooch.” But Keaton’s sister smiled, and it made the whole world seem brighter. Frankly, he would never understand what she saw in that dog, but he also knew that Molly had helped his sister out of a very dark place while she’d struggled with her MS diagnosis.
And for that, he was grateful. But he would nevereverbe a dog person himself.
Who are you kidding, you’ll never be a relationship ofany kindperson.
Because being married once had almost broken him, and Keaton would never put himself through that kind of pain ever again.
3
Are dating apps ruining our chances of finding love?
(by Peta McKinnis,
