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"You didn't have to do all this," I said, my voice croaking.
"I wanted to."
And fuck if it didn't get a little tighter in my pants.
I needed a safer topic and fast. "How's the painting?"
She smiled. "Not great."
But that didn't seem right. Why would she smile if it wasn't going well?
My stomach grumbled again.
"Eat first. Talk later."
I lifted my fork and dug in. The first bite was incredible, and I told her as much.
"I'm glad you like it." She bit into her own food, surveying me as I continued to eat.
I groaned as an explosion of flavors hit my taste buds, ricotta melting on my tongue.
Willow perked her head up from where she laid a few feet away then trotted over, curiously looking at our plates. "Not for you."
My dog only wagged her tail harder.
"She's been following me all evening," Faith said, affection clear in her voice.
I reached over and rubbed Willow behind her ears. It only encouraged her more. My dog was as safe a topic as any. "Was she a good sous chef?"
Faith chuckled. "The best. Even helped me when some of the food dropped. She's a fan of pumpkin."
"I bet." I gave Willow a final pat on the head and returned to my food.
"She's also a big fan of grapes. She pounced on them and tossed them around with her nose. It was like a fun ball to play with," Faith's hair moved as she relayed the story.
But the only thing I could think about is that dogs aren't supposed to have grapes. They could kill them. I felt my chest getting tight. "Did she eat any of the grapes?"
Faith tilted her head. "Uh, yeah, she ate them."
Oh, fuck.
I pushed out of the chair so quickly it fell to the ground.
Faith frowned. "What's wrong?"
"We're going to the vet." With a few swipes, I found the contact on my phone and gave them a call. They answered right away, and I barked at them, letting them know I was on my way. "Grapes can be poisonous for dogs. We need to go." I patted my thigh. "Come, Willow."
We all ran to the front door. I swiped my keys from the hanger on the wall and slid my wallet in my back pocket.
I drove quickly with Faith and Willow in the back seat. Faith was fully crying now, holding Willow as I took the curves quickly. The one downside of where I lived was that it felt a million miles away from services when I needed them. For the first time I questioned my decision to live in such a rural area.
When we arrived at the twenty-four-hour animal hospital, I threw my car into park and opened the door next to Willow. She jumped out of the car with Faith close behind her. I hadn't bothered with a leash and luckily the staff had the door open for us.
They took Willow back right away and asked us to sit in the waiting room.
Faith took a jagged breath as they ushered Willow to the back. "Sebastian. Sebastian, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
She placed a hand on my shoulder, and I felt my body tense. I turned and pulled her toward me. Her palms were flat on my back, clutching me tight as she sobbed in my chest. "If anything happens to her..."
