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Chapter Nine
Athena
The early hours of the sun’s rays are just stretching over the world when I slip out of our bed. Quietly, I pad into our bathroom, shower, and apply some makeup to conceal the shadows under my eyes. When I’m done, I scrutinize myself in the mirror. Even with my tan, I appear a little pale, so I add some blush and pink lipstick. This time, when I look in the mirror, I at least look like I’ve had a good night's sleep. As I’ll be spending today with Kris at the studio, I put on jeans and a black T-shirt, then pull my hair up into a ponytail. Even my hair seems to be depressed, so I pull out my curling iron and try to give the length a little bit of body.
Kris is still fast asleep when I’m done, and I know he doesn’t need to be up for another hour, so I leave him to sleep and make my way to the kitchen.My body will run on caffeine today to keep me awake, so I turn on the machine.
I’m in my own little world, pulling out the largest sealed coffee mugs we have from the cupboard, when I feel two little paws on my legs. Lulu is jumping up and down, and I swoop to pick her up and hold her in my arms.
“Did you miss mommy?”
Her wet kisses on my face tell me all I need to know. Looking up, I see Todd shaking his head at us.
“You didn’t greet me like that,” he says accusingly.
“Me or Lulu?”
“Both. I’m not feeling the love.”
Laughing, I walk toward him and put one arm around his waist as Lulu squirms. “Better?”
“Yeah.”
Putting Lulu down, I ask, “Why are you up so early?”
“I went for a jog. When I got back to the guesthouse, Lulu was pitching a fit, and Shannon told me to take care of her. I thought she wanted to go for a potty break, but as soon as I let her out, she ran up here.”
Lulu jumps up at me, and in a motherly voice, I say, “You missed your momma, didn’t you, Lulu?”
Todd scoffs. “You mean she missed the woman who gives in to her and gives her bad treats?”
“Oh, hush! I don’t need to buy Lulu’s love.”
The little minx runs to the pantry and comes back with a packet of her dog treats.
Todd bursts out laughing. “Nooo, she loves you for you.”
It’s hard to argue with him when she drops them at my feet. Bending, I pick them up, and she barks at me, then does a twirl and barks again.
Laughing, I open the packet and say, “Sit.” Lulu immediately does as she’s told, her eyes never leaving the treat in my hand. Holding it out to her, she takes it, and I ruffle the fur on her head. “Good girl.”
“Seems like the dog has you trained pretty well,” teases Todd.
In response, I stick out my tongue. “Pfft!”
Todd laughs harder at me. “You want to go for a walk?”
“Yes.”
Lulu trails after us as we walk down the driveway, through the gate, and onto the road outside our home. No one is around as we walk in silence. It’s not until we get to a clearing and can see down the valley that Todd says anything.
“Are you okay?”
There’s a wild daisy in the grass. Bending over, I pluck it from the plant. “I’m fine. Why?”
“You didn’t do such a good job with your concealer.”
Holding out the daisy, Todd looks at it but doesn’t take it from my fingertips. “I didn’t sleep well. Don’t you want it?”
