AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wanted to reply with a big warning sign, but then I realized she must’ve thought he was a cheeseball, or she wouldn’t have had the laughing face. Objectively, I didn’t know him that well. My suspicions told me he didn’t have much going on in his personal life either. He seemed to go for any woman that would look in his direction.
Oh really! I don’t know him that well. Can’t form an opinion either way.
I knew that was a lame cop-out, but I didn’t want to becomplicitin whatever happened between them. You need to be so careful these days, at least, that’s what my mother had told me from the day I was born. I certainly didn’t want torecommendanyone go on a date together. For all I knew, either of them could be a serial killer; or worse—the type of person who stands the moment the airplane lands.
Katie’s Words of Law
Accessory
Ak-ses′?-re
Noun
Telling someone they look good before they leave the house when in fact, they do not.
CHAPTER 5
A DOG’S NEED FOR SEASONAL SPORTSWEAR
Ihurried home to check on Dolly, and when I raced up the steps, I peered into the small window next to my door. She was sitting up in her bed, alert. Did she hear me coming? I opened the door and greeted her. Her energy levels had gone up tremendously since yesterday, and she raced over to me, wagging her tail. I felt a twinge in my heart to be greeted so enthusiastically. I took her out to her grass pad once again while I heated up my soup in the microwave. She quickly did her thing and then wanted to come back inside, where she retrieved a toy from the collection we purchased and shoved it as far as it would go in her mouth. I laughed and reached for it, but she ran off, not wanting me to take it. “I was going to give it back!” I hollered over to her, where she was now tearing into it under the futon.
Every time I peeked over at her while I ate my soup, she started wagging her tail, but her focus did not leave the toy. It was a toy shaped like a birthday present, with a little bow on top, all made of a plush material. Inside it was a squeaker that she loved to activate. I found the noise to be pleasant andcute.She was cute.Everything she’d done was cute.I looked at her in wonder. “How hard could this really be?” She looks back at me, not feeling my sense of overwhelming anxiety, wagging away.
When I returned to work, the rest of the staff reappeared, all smiles and looking exhausted. I knew the feeling well. It was how Dolly and I both felt yesterday. Jenna, one of our accountants, came by my desk not a moment after I sat down. “How is Dolly settling in? Is she experiencing any anxiety or acting standoffish?”
I never considered she might be, but now thinking about it, why wouldn’t she? A major change in surroundings like that would be jolting to anyoneor anything, for that matter.
I considered a set of house plants I’d had for years. They got adequate sun, water, and nutrients from a regular schedule of fertilizer. But I took a temp job right out of college and was thrust into a very negative work environment and absolutely hated the work. That first week of my being there, all my plants died. Once I was able to manage a change of scenery, some of the plants recovered but it took years for them to bloom again.
“So far, we are meshing well. She was a tad low on energy yesterday, but we also had a lot of errands to do after I adopted her.”
Jenna nodded. She explained how her husband was an animal behaviorist, mostly contracted by zoos and specialized facilities. “That’s perfectly normal. Give her time. Don’t be surprised if she becomes much more loving and active as the weeks go by. She needs plenty of time and patience to adjust to her new mom.” Jenna smiled and gave my shoulder a squeeze, starting to walk away.
Hearing the title made me throw my hands up and laugh in defeat. “That’s me. I’m a dog mom!”
Talking with Jenna felt sincere, and instead of going back to her workstation as the conversation came to its natural close, I felt Jenna linger.
“So, you mentioned something about church?” Jenna’s eyes were hard on me.
“Yeah, that’s where I heard about the pets.” I didn’t know what she was asking about, yet now I found myself automatically using theDolly shield of protectionto provide an emergency exit from the conversation.
“What kind of church do you go to?”
Ahh.No matter how I felt about my own insecurities, every night I prayed that if the Lord needed to use me as a vessel, He could do so. I might not always be as effective as I hoped, but I’d never stop trying. Here it goes. “A non-denominational Christian church. Do you go to church?” I swatted the ball back in her court.
“No, but I, well, I feel drawn to theidea.”Jenna whispered now, and for once I felt my voice grow louder with each breath. “Do you have any questions about it?” I’d never felt so bold.
“Well, I’m not sure if it’s a question,” she sheepishly laughed, but there was no mirth in her eyes. I’m no therapist, but I could see she was troubled. “I’ve got this…heaviness, you know? From my past. I’ve read that God will forgive me. But I can’t believe it because of thethings I’ve done.”
She was talking with her hands and really emphasizedpoints.I nodded in complete understanding. I wondered what I should say. I prayed for the right words to come to me at that very moment. Jenna’s eyes were stuck on me, waiting, and I didn’t want to disappoint her.
“We all fall short of the glory of God. No one is worthy as we are. We are a product of a fallen, lost world. But,” I was now offering words of hope, “We can be born again.” I reached out and held her hand. She was looking down now and I saw tears well in her eyes.
“I’ve done some terrible,unspeakablethings.” She spoke like she was cursing under her breath.
“We all have. And Jesus’ gift is free. You just need to accept it.”
Jenna seemed to ponder that idea momentarily. “But don’t I have to straighten up my life first? Honestly, I’m struggling with inner demons.”
