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I whistle to get everyone’s attention.
“All right everyone. It’s finally Friday, which means there’s a party tonight.” I pause as cheers erupt throughout the room. “So, come on up and grab supper.”
Once the guys all crowd forward, the ladies and I start removing the aluminum foil when they all of a sudden stop moving. You could hear a pin drop.
They are all staring at the overdone steaks. Their gazes bounce back and forth between the steaks and me.
“Am I correct in assuming that you’ve all learned your lesson?”
Instantly I’m bombarded with damn near yells of agreement, and I can’t hold it in anymore. I bust out laughing, which triggers the rest of the ladies’ laughter as well.
“Spitfire, why are all you ladies laughing so hard?”
Damn, some of them look downright pissed right now. Maybe I pushed a little too far tonight.
“Because,” I say and wipe a tear from my eye. “These are steaks we bought off a butcher to cook for Carter for him to give to his animals at the vet clinic. It’s going to be chopped up and mixed in with their gravy and some other cooked veggies. Come on into the kitchen for yourrealdinner.”
Carter is looking around, extremely confused, I might add, and I wave him back. “Come on Carter, there’s enough for you, too. We’ll get this packaged up for you, and if you want to stick around for a while, we’ll put the steaks in the fridge for you.”
He gives me a hesitant nod, and I make a point to seek him out later and fill him in.
The guys damn near stampede into the kitchen and I’m glad the other girls moved our make-shift PVC pipe curtain dividers that we used.
“Oh, wait. If I’m going to stay for a bit, I need to get Bastion out of the car.”
“Bastion?”
“Yeah. I got a call from a friend that works in a vet’s clinic a few towns over. He had a retired police-trained pitbull that had been surrendered when his owner passed away. Bastion won’t listen to anyone else’s commands and is refusing to eat. My friend called me to see if I might be able to help him.”
“Oh, my God! By all means, yes, go get him and I’ll dig out a can of food that we got for a donation as well for him in case he changes his mind. Meet me around back. I’m sure Bastion would like to sniff around where he’ll be for a while.”
Carter smiles and heads back outside. Damn, if I didn’t already have my guys, I’m sure that smile would have melted me.
Turning to walk down the hallway, the guys are practically blocking the way.
“Excuse me gents, I need to get something quick for Carter.”
They step to the side and I’m able to slip through. Quickly, I head straight to the pantry, ripping the plastic surrounding the dog food, and dig out two bowls. Turning, I jump when I notice Dragon watching me.
“What’s with the dog food? I thought it was for donation?”
“Carter actually just came from his friend’s clinic. They had a retired-police force pitbull whose owner recently passed away. He’s been refusing to eat. They were hoping that Carter would be able to help Bastion to the point where he was at least able to eat again. I figured we’d try some of the food to see if he’d change his mind and eat.”
“Well, damn, Spitfire. I hope Carter’s able to help the poor guy.”
Nodding in agreement, I grab a water bottle out of the fridge and head out back.
Carter just rounded the corner and I damn near fall in love with Bastion. His coat is a beautiful brindle coloring with white socks on each paw. I’m relieved to see that his ears aren’t cropped. I hate when people do that to their dogs.
Seeing me, Carter leads Bastion over to me and I’m surprised that he’s able to keep the leash fully relaxed. Then again, Bastion is a very well-trained dog, so I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. When they reach me, Carter stops, and Bastion sits next to him, even though Carter didn’t say a command.
“Hello, Bastion.” I hold my hand out for him to sniff, which he does before he licks my hand. I can’t help the giggle that escapes from the feel of his tongue.
Bastion gets up, leaves Carter’s side, and sits next to me. I look up at Carter, confused.
“What just happened?”
He smiles and hands me Bastion’s lead. “I think I know, but let’s try it out first. How about we go over by the firepit, and you try feeding him?”
