Handy for you, p.24
Handy for You, page 24
She gave him a sarcastic look. “No. These are from me to me.”
“Celebrating something?”
“A bit. I managed to solve the problem I was telling you about yesterday.”
“That’s excellent. And—I wanted to talk about yesterday.”
She tensed. “Yes?”
“Liz called last night.”
“Your ex.” Kari’s expression shuttered.
“Yes. She was upset about Mia moving to New York. We ended up talking. Really talking about something other than Mia’s upbringing, for the first time since before everything went bad.”
Kari was looking at him with widened eyes. “Are you…and she…”
Rob realized what she was asking. “What? Oh, God no. Liz lives in Missouri now. With her husband. We still don’t like each other. But she said something that stopped me in my tracks.”
“What was that?”
“She said she had been jealous of me. Of how close I am to Mia, and also, well. She made it clear that you were right about who gets credit for nurturing and who gets taken for granted.”
“She did?”
“She did. And I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I also want to thank you for opening my eyes, as little as they wanted to be pried open.”
“Oh.” Kari threaded the last stem into the vase and stood back to assess her handiwork. She shot him a quick glance. “Thank you for that.”
Rob paused, realizing what he had to say now was going to sound like a quid pro quo—not something he wanted. “So, I have something to ask of you. And I don’t know where we are.”
She looked at him, her expression blank. “Where we are?”
“You and me. Are we okay?”
She nodded, her eyebrows drawing together. “I think we are. Do you?”
“Yes. I’d like us to be, at least.”
“So what do you need to ask me about?”
“The situation at work. I need to go out of town for a few days. Which would normally not be a problem at all. But now I have Hugo. He’s never been in a kennel. He’s already stressed. I—” He cringed at the way this sounded. Transactional. Like he was using her.
Kari held up a hand. “I told you I would take him.”
“I know you said you would before. But I also know you’re not exactly a pet person.”
“You’ll tell me what to do, right? How to take care of him?” Kari adjusted a flower.
“Of course. I found a dog walker who will come in and take him for a walk in the middle of the day.”
Kari frowned. “You want some stranger to come to my house? To get a key to my house?”
Rob blinked. “Oh.” He hadn’t considered that.
Kari shook her head. “No. This is my first house. It may sound silly, but I’m not ready to have some stranger coming in here.”
Rob scrubbed his face with his hands. “Okay…I guess I can…”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. I just won’t do it that way. Let me see if Sam can stop in and walk him. How many days?” Kari picked up her phone and tapped at it, looking at him expectantly.
“Oh.” He should have known she would come up with a plan. Warmth bloomed in his chest. He moved closer to her. Close enough to reach out and touch her. His fingers practically vibrated with the desire to do so. “Three days. Tomorrow through Friday.”
“Tomorrow?” Her eyes widened, but she tapped out a brisk message on her phone’s screen.
“I had to rearrange my schedule. It’s pretty urgent.” He finally let his fingertips graze her upper arm, the barest touch. “If Hugo needs to go to a kennel, he can go to a kennel.”
She shook her head, looking at her phone. “I got this. And Sam says her schedule is open in the middle of the day. She can come by and walk him.”
“Kari.” She went still. “Stop. Don’t just do something because someone asked it of you.”
Kari’s head snapped up. “What? No.” Not today of all days. Not after what she had accomplished today. She wasn’t that person anymore.
“Do you really want to take Hugo for three whole days?”
“Want to? No. I’ve never been responsible for a pet before. But Sam’s really good with them. She’ll help. I’ll muddle through. We’ll muddle through.”
“Okay. I really appreciate it.”
“Maybe you should bring him over this evening, get him used to my place a little.”
“Good idea. How about I go get us something for dinner and bring him with me?”
“I can make us something.”
Rob put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. “No. Let me take care of you for once.”
Her hands slid around his waist and her head came to rest on his shoulder as she remembered her wish to be taken care of. “That sounds nice, actually.”
“Excellent. What do you want?”
Kari considered. “I want to not have to choose.” Somehow, the idea of not having to make a decision was the most luxurious thing she could think of.
He squeezed her tighter and said, “You got it.”
She straightened and leaned back in his arms. “Why don’t you bring Hugo over here before you go get the food? That way he and I can get acquainted.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “Does he need anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like…food or something?”
“He’s been fed for the evening. I’ll bring him over with some of his other stuff.”
“Dogs have stuff?”
“Toys. Food and water bowls. You know. Stuff.”
“Okay, then.” She lifted the vase of flowers and put it in the center of the dining room table as Rob left. She moved into the living room to tidy a stack of books on the coffee table.
“Silly. You act like you’re having a human guest over,” she chided herself. “As if the dog is going to notice clutter.”
Her front door opened and Rob came in, Hugo on his heels, tags jingling on the dog’s collar. Hugo’s furry face swung around as he took in these new surroundings and something in Kari melted a little. The poor guy had been passed from person to person lately, his doggy life turned all upside-down. She bent down and extended a hand. Hugo sniffed it, then moved closer to her. She ran her fingertips over the top of his head. The fur there was velvety soft, his ears stiff and springy. “Hey there, guy.”
Rob dropped a thick piece of rope knotted at both ends and a hard rubber bone on the floor. “I’ll just take this into the kitchen and fill it with water,” he said, holding up a red plastic bowl.
“Thanks.” Kari didn’t look away from the dog, who was regarding her with dark, soulful eyes. She ran her hands down into the coarse, shaggy fur of his shoulders, digging her fingers in, massaging a little. Hugo groaned and slid all the way to the floor, rolling over onto his back. “Does he want me to rub his belly?” Kari called out.
“He loves that.” Rob’s voice from the kitchen sounded amused.
She crouched down and rubbed the dog’s belly while he twisted his long nose this way and that, apparently enjoying the attention, his front paws flopping with abandon. A bubble of pure joy twisted up behind Kari’s sternum.
“You have a friend for life.” Rob appeared in the doorway, drying his hands on a dish towel and the bubble expanded, threatening to stop her breath. His eyes creased with humor and affection and Kari wanted to cry from the pure perfection of it. His love for his daughter, her dog, all of it.
She scratched the softer fur under Hugo’s chin. “We’re going to be good friends, aren’t we, boy?”
The dog looked at her with eyes half-lidded with pleasure and his tongue lolled out of his mouth.
Rob laughed softly. “I think that’s a yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rob let himself back into Kari’s house a half hour later, the smell from the bags he was carrying making his stomach rumble and the sound of her singing making him grin.
For a moment he hadn’t quite realized he wasn’t listening to music on her stereo. But no, it was her voice, unaccompanied, singing away to the tune of a Boz Scaggs pop song from the seventies. He laughed outright when he realized she was singing to the dog, modifying the lyrics.
Hugo, who-oh-oh.
He’s for the kibble
He’s for the toy,
He’s just the best boy-yo, boyo…
He let the door thump closed behind him, figuring she might appreciate the warning. But no, she kept singing, apparently unselfconscious, as he walked into the kitchen. Her voice was beautiful, rich and soaring. She was rinsing a glass as she sang, Hugo sitting next to her on the kitchen floor, his brown eyes rapt and pink tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“I see you’ve made a conquest of the fuzzball,” Rob said, putting the takeout bags on the counter.
She inhaled deeply, her eyes fluttering closed. “And you’ve made a conquest of me with whatever smells that good.”
“Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Fried yuca. Black beans and rice. Plantains. Corn. Plenty of sauce at a variety of heat levels.”
Kari clutched her belly. “Oh, man. I haven’t had that in years. It smells heavenly.” She opened an upper cabinet and pulled out a pair of dinner plates, pulling drawers open to get utensils and napkins and setting them out.
“Efficiency. I like it.” Rob pulled the takeout containers out of the bags and ferried them to the table, his mouth watering as the rich, savory smells.
Hugo followed them, plopping his haunches on the floor, eyes following the movement of the chicken and side dishes to the plates as Rob and Kari served themselves. “No chicken for you, boy,” Rob said.
“Not even a bone?” Kari asked.
Rob blinked. “Absolutely not. Chicken bones are bad for dogs.”
Kari’s eyes widened. “They are? I mean…dogs. Bones. Isn’t that a whole thing?”
“Beef bones. Not chicken. Chicken bones splinter. Bad news for the dog in question. Can even kill a dog if it gets them just right.”
She darted a look at Hugo, distress tightening the skin around her eyes. “Are you sure you want to leave him with me? Now I’m afraid I’m going to break your daughter’s dog.”
“Just only feed him his dog food and you both will be fine.”
“If you say so.” Kari pulled a morsel of chicken off the bone and dipped it in the sauce, glancing at Hugo. “None of this for you, Mr. Dog.” She popped the bite in her mouth, eyes sinking closed in rapture. “Thank you for this. It’s delicious” He felt a little pride at that, silly as it was. He’d only gone to the Peruvian chicken place and bought dinner. But it made her happy.
“You’re very welcome.” He dipped a yuca fry in sauce and took a bite. “Why didn’t you want to choose what we ate?”
She sucked at her fingers. “You’ve never gotten tired of making decisions?”
“I guess I haven’t thought about it.”
“Well, take it from me. Sometimes the most exhausting thing you can do is make yet one more decision.”
“I’m sorry you’re so exhausted.” Great. And here he was, loading another thing on her plate. Taking care of Hugo when she’d never owned a pet in her life. “Maybe I can do something for you when I get back from my trip.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure yet. But I’ll think of something.” Something bigger than chicken.
The next morning, Rob dropped Hugo off at Kari’s house with a quick kiss before heading to the airport. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“…And what are you going to be able to do from the other side of the country?”
“Good point. I’ll get home as fast as I can.”
“Just take care of what you need to take care of,” she said.
“Will do.” He handed Hugo’s leash off to her and she and the dog watched him lope out to his car and drive away.
“Just you and me now, Mr. Dog.” Kari closed the door and unclipped the leash. She half expected him to wander off and flop down, but instead, he followed her to her bedroom where she got her shoes. “I’m off to work. Be good,” she said, feeling ridiculous, but also somehow unable to not talk to the dog. “Sam will come and take you out in a few hours.”
Kari reviewed the long and detailed list of Hugo’s schedule, habits, and any other details Rob could think of that might help her spend three days with the dog with as little stress as possible. She had laughed at him as he composed it, trying to impose order on his scattered thoughts. “You’re learning, aren’t you?”
He had tapped her nose with the butt of his pen. “Always be learning. And if you can, learn from the best. That would be you, in case I wasn’t being crystal clear.”
Her cheeks warmed now at the remembered compliment. She picked up her handbag and keys and gave Hugo one last pat on the head. “Be a good boy.” She wasn’t sure if the dog whined as she closed the front door or if the hinges needed oiling. Either way, a flicker of guilt licked through her as she headed for her car. Before she started it, she dug her cell phone out and composed a quick text to Sam:
Let me know how Hugo is after you walk him today, please?
She turned on the car, setting her jaw. She could do this. Millions of people had pets. Her neurotic worrying was silly. Moreover, she wanted to do this. Rob could say what he would about her not owing him, but she did. He was in a jam and she could help him.
Sam’s reply came just as she was pulling into the parking lot at work.
Sure thing, dog-mommy.
God help her, she was a dog-mommy now. Maybe even a dog-grandmommy.
“Flight sixteen-thirty-five to Los Angeles is now ready for boarding.” The gate agent’s voice cut through Rob’s review of an email from Sandra. So far, none of the rest of the D.C. staff was throwing red flags for potentially harassing behavior and the offender had been fired and escorted off the premises without incident. Investigations were proceeding in the Los Angeles and Austin offices to make sure they weren’t harboring any other troublemakers.
Rob rolled his shoulders and rocked his head, standing and picking up his carry-on. Not for the first time he wondered what he’d done to get saddled with everything at once. Mia moving, Hugo, this clusterfuck at work, Kari…
At least Kari was a positive in his life. He rubbed his lips as they curved into a little smile and he joined his boarding group. They had had time for a brief cuddle on the sofa after dinner the evening before, then he dragged himself and Hugo next door, him to pack and prepare for the training session in L.A., Hugo to look soulful and sad, the poor dog all too accustomed to humans putting things in containers and leaving him lately.
Rob would be able to fix that after he got home from this trip. His travel for work was normally minimal—a few visits a year to the other two corporate locations, the occasional conference or training seminar in another state. Maybe when he got home he could take a few days off. Even better, if he could convince Kari to take a few days too—a little staycation to continue exploring what they were starting to have between them…maybe that could fulfill the promise he had made of making it up to her when he got back.
The gate agent scanned the boarding pass on his phone and Rob proceeded to the plane, finding his seat and settling in. His knees nearly touched the seat-back in front of him and he frowned. He knew he wasn’t getting taller, so airline seats had to be getting smaller. Yay.
His phone chimed. A text from Mia, a selfie in front of a rental van. Heading North. Thanks for everything, Dad.
Rob tried to swallow the enormous lump that had taken residence in his throat and blinked, typing slowly. Knock ‘em dead, kiddo. Let me know if you need anything from your old man.
Dots pulsed on the screen. Will do. I’m nervous, but I have the world’s best dad in my corner, so I can do anything.
Rob’s eyes squeezed closed and he rubbed his chest over his heart.
He might not be the world’s best dad, but he was pretty sure he had the world’s best kid.
Kari hurried from her car to her front door. All seems okay on the doggo front had been Sam’s message around noon, but Kari had been preoccupied and aware that there was a living creature in her house the entire day. Kari opened the door, finding Hugo right behind it.
“Poor Mr. Dog. You want your dinner. And your dad. I want him back too.” Kari gave him a distracted pat and strode to the kitchen, putting his food in a bowl and setting it on the floor. He looked at her as if he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, and Kari remembered Rob telling her that not eating was a sign of stress. She crouched down and tapped the edge of the bowl with her fingertip. “It’s okay, Mr. Dog. Eat the food.”
Hugo sniffed the mixture and looked at her again. Had she done it wrong? The incorrect combination of kibble and canned food? He took a tentative bite, then another, then steadily ate. Kari sighed and stood, her tense shoulders relaxing as Hugo chomped in earnest.
“You finish all that and I’ll go get changed. Then walk.”
Hugo’s head came up and he looked at her.
“You understand words? Like walk?” Kari felt ridiculous, but also felt like she was having an actual conversation of some kind. Hugo looked from her face to the bowl. “Keep eating. We’ll…w-a-l-k after,” she said, spelling the word that seemed to distract him so easily.
She left Hugo wolfing his dinner to change into shorts and a tee shirt. The dog came clicking and jingling into her room as she was tying her sneakers, blowing dog-food-breath into her face. Kari screwed up her eyes and twisted her head away. “Ugh. Thanks for that.”
Hugo merely sat and thudded his tail against the floor in a steady rhythm.
“Okay. Fine. Walk.” Was it her imagination or were his eyes brighter at the sound of that word? The dog followed her to the front door where she collected his leash, clipping it to his collar and looping the handle around her wrist. Sam had told a story at the dinner party about losing Graham’s dog Honey when she was jumped by another dog. Kari didn’t think another dog would be stupid enough to attack Hugo, but then again, what did she know about dogs?
