Page 19 of Puppy Love

Her attractiveness isn’t news to me. How do you think we ended up in the bathroom together? But this dimple? This dimple is news. It’s small and deep and placed at just the right spot to have me recounting the events that led to her disappearance, wondering what exactly I did to make her leave.

Of course, now we know it was for the best. But trying to look at someone you’ve kissed like you haven’t kissed them feels impossible.

“It’s great,” she says. Her gentle voice doesn’t stutter. For the first time, I think, her tone matches her warm appearance. I wonder if the Ice Princess is still somewhere inside. “I really love it here, and Eddie’s being a pretty good boy.”

That dimple consumes me. I can’t help but smile back. Not a forced Sunny smile, but a real one. The kind that makes my cheeks burn.

“Great! I’m glad you’re liking it. Everyone’s being nice to you?”

I try to think of the questions I’ve asked other employees, making it a point to prove to myself that this one is no different. I think part of me is buying it, but most of me isn’t.

“Everyone is great,” she responds. Tufts of fur stick to her messy, dirty-blonde ponytail, and her eyes are a deep, dark gradient, like a brown agate. I’ll have to research later on what brown agate is supposed to do. I nod, looking down at Reese, then remember my reason for coming in here in the first place.

“Are you super busy?” I ask. Cam lets out a short laugh, gesturing to the dog on her table. I smile. “I mean your schedule. Is it super full?”

“Not really,” she shrugs, gliding a metal comb through the poodle’s thick hair. I gesture toward Reese, grinning sheepishly.

“Want one more?”

Cam nods, and that stupid contagious dimple returns. “Sure.”

I lean down and unclip Reese’s collar to let him loose into the salon. He stays attached to my ankle.

“He’s not a fan of people, especially people he doesn’t know. But he won’t bite or anything. He’ll just stand all stiff and uncomfortable.”

“Same,” Cam mutters. She looks embarrassed when she realizes I heard her say it, but it entices a hearty laugh out of me.

The Ice Princess is definitely still there.

seven

Citrus Soap

Cam

“Has there been any movement on this… Violet scenario?”4

Dr. Burton’s cheery face fills the screen of my laptop. In my not-so-humble opinion, it’s too cheery for this particular topic of conversation.

“No,” I shrug, an uneasy tension settling in the pit of my stomach, “I think there’s a mutual understanding that we’ll just pretend it never happened.”

Dr. Burton nods, scratching his chin. “Have you given more thought to quitting then?”

The most subtle smile creeps across his face, and it irritates me knowing that, when he said I should wait a bit longer before resigning during our last session, he was completely right. I hate it when he’s right. My teeth sink into my lower lip irately as I suck in a steady stream of air.

“I’m not going to quit,” I say, watching as that subtle smile turns broad.

“And you’re content with that decision?”

I don’t even have to think about my response. I am completely and utterly in love with the salon.

“Very.”

“Good, good. And what about operation… What was it? ADHD? Is that still going?”

My cheeks grow pink as I stifle my laugh, holding up a finger to correct him.

“A.D.D., and no. I don’t think we’re going back to that for a very long time.”

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