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“He sounds like a pervert.” She was upset that he hadanyof my personal information. “What exactly does his office have on you? Your home address!?”
“Calm down. I’m sure he’s not looking to be on Dateline. He’s just bought the practice from his father, who was very well loved in the community.” I realized that fact would do little to quench this fire.
“Oh great, so we knownothingabout this guy! What’s his name? I’ll ask my people.”
“Your people?Who on earth—okay you know what? Never mind. If he shows up here—which he won’t—I’ll file a report with the Better Business Bureau!”
“Fine. Whatever.” She sighed. Though she was a raging mother bear, she also knew my limits. “What are you and Dolly doing today?”
“We are going to the Bark Park and then she has a grooming appointment this evening.”
“How are you wanting her to be styled?” I didn’t even know what she meant.
“What do you mean, how? They are going to bathe her, trim nails, those kinds of things. Right?”
“Yes, but you can choosehowyou want her hair. Do you want her to look like a little lioness? Or a little bear cub? All one length? How about pigtails? Have you considered bow colors to match her collar?
“Whoa whoa whoa!” I hadn’t had enough coffee for these kinds of decisions yet. I looked over at Dolly as she investigated the coffee table with the bowl of stale popcorn sitting on top. I fell asleep before I could eat it.
“I think bows sound cute. I’ll let them decide.”
My mother paused. “Letthemdecide what she looks like? Do that and regret it!” Her tone told me she was feeling very protective over Dolly already.
“Okay, fine. Send me some ideas that you approve of. I better get my day started now.”
“I’ve already added several options for her to her Pinterest board. I’ll send you the link.”
We hung up and I took my time brushing my hair out. The curls had flattened in all the wrong places, but I managed to style it with a few clips and finished with an anti-humidity spray since I knew I couldn’t trust the weather here.
I lathered up my face with a brightening scrub, then liberally applied sunscreen, and a swipe of light blush to each of my cheeks once it dried. I threw on a tinted lip balm, putting the tube in my pocket for later. Studying my face in the mirror, I looked bright and well-rested.
Grabbing the muck boots from the tiled floor in my laundry closet, I placed them by the door to slip on before we left.
“Dolly, what would you like to wear today?” I went through the clothing my mother had sent and found every outfit had a loop for her harness. “It’s not raining, how about something cute?”
I pulled out the school uniform dupe and laughed again. It was the same plaid pattern that I had to wear every Chapel Day for the years I attended. Not a hideous green, but not that great either. This outfit had a tiny tie sewed on and a white collared shirt, but the whole thing went on as one piece.
Once on her, I couldn’t take it off.She was a mini-me now.
“This is what you’ll wear once you're old enough to attend private school.” By the look on her face, she didn’t find it nearly as funny as I did. But once I slipped on my boots, she knew we were going somewhere, and that little curly tail startedto wag.
We stepped outside and breathed in the humid air. It was sunny today, which felt amazing after so many consecutive days ofdread.But it must have rained early this morning because the concrete was wet, and I could feel my hair starting to rise.
Once past the wall of hedges, I glanced toward Eli’s apartment, expecting him to be there. He wasn’t, but Iwished he was.He’s not available, Katie. My mind swatted any further notions, and I reminded myself of the Lord’s timing.“There is nothing to worry about. Gods got this,”Judy told me once, about nine months ago when I was fretting over another birthday and still being single.
Loading Dolly into the car reminded me too, I was no longeralone.
CHAPTER 11
PROFESSIONAL DOG FOOD TASTER
We arrived at the Bark Park, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Eli’s hatchback in the parking lot. I felt nervous, glancing at my reflection in the car mirror, horrified at my overgrown eyebrows and large pores. Why was the car reflection so much harsher than any other? I had plenty of natural light in my bathroom, but I was still shocked whenever I caught a glimpse in the visor mirror.
He might think I was following him. I recalled he had a mind for crime shows, and if it were my mother that I kept running into, she too would feel that she was being stalked.
I shook the ideas out of my mind. This was a public place, and I had the day off. It wasn’t my fault that we showed up at the same time. I unloaded Dolly, and we made our way up the path.
It was both a relief and a disappointment when I didn’t see Eli on the benches when we arrived. There were two dogs in the pen, smaller than Dolly but rambunctious as could be, and they pounced when they saw her enter. She playfully barked, and a woman called out from the bench. “Mickey, you better behave!” I nodded at her as I sat down on the other side of the bench.
