Page 26 of Mia Amata

“He does look happy,” Jacob said, not making any move to get up.

“I always wanted a dog but never got around to getting one. He seems like a sweet little guy.” I was so nervous at being left alone with Jacob, I hoped that Josh and Randy wouldn’t be gone too long.

Jacob laughed, “Well, if you didn’t agree to take him, Josh or Randy would be here every half an hour or so picking him up to take him home.”

I laughed, asking, “What about Lady? Won’t she miss him?”

“I don’t think so, besides, they live close enough that you should be able to get them together often for play dates. She will get more attention at home this way,” Jacob said.

We chatted a little bit about the puppies, while Lucky slept in my lap. I finally got my nerve up to glance at Jacob.

Jacob looked back at me, those blue eyes locking with mine.

“Would you like a glass of iced tea?” I asked.

“No,” Jacob said, “I’m good, thanks.”

I blushed, looking away. I found it difficult to make small conversations with him.

Jacob leaned closer, “They say that a dog is the best judge of character in humans. Lucky seems to love you already.”

Nervously I stroked Lucky’s head. “I have to admit, he has captured my heart too.”

Jacob laughed. “Well, he is very smart, look at how often he escaped.” We both laughed at that.

I sat silently for a couple of minutes, looking down at Lucky sleeping in my lap. I didn’t know what to say to Jacob.

“Mattie?” Jacob asked. “Is that short for something? Matilda? Madeline?”

I looked up at him. Our eyes met and again, I felt the intensity of his blue eyes on mine. “No, I’m just Mattie.”

“You don’t seem like a Mattie. What’s your full name?”

I hesitated. “Mattie Irene Austin.” I kept my middle name, just to make remembering it easy.

“You don’t seem like an Irene either,” he said thoughtfully.

“Who exactly do I seem like?” I didn’t know where this was going. Could he have picked up on the fact that Mattie is not my real name? Socializing and small talk were not things I knew how to do very well.

“I think you are a… Mia Amata. That’s what I’m going to call you. Mia Amata.” He asked me a few more questions, changing the subject before I could ask him why he was calling me Mia Amata.

Thankfully it wasn’t long until Randy and Josh came around the side of the house. They had driven back over, parking out front, so they walked around the side of the house.

“We drove over. Turns out with the dog bed, dishes, and food, there was a lot more to carry than I thought.” Josh said as they came up the steps to the deck and sat down. They brought Lady with them, so Lucky woke up and the two of them ran down in the yard, playing and chasing bugs. Jacob and Josh got up, walking down the steps to keep an eye on the puppies as they played.

Randy and I stayed on the deck, watching as the guys played with the puppies. Randy commented on the lovely house I had, and I thanked her. “Is it just you here?” she asked.

“Yes, just me.” I didn’t offer more information than that.

“Well, it’s a good thing you have Lucky then! He will be a great companion and guard dog. They are very loyal dogs. Do you work around here?” Randy asked.

I shook my head, “I start a new job a week from tomorrow. I’ll be working at home.”

“Oh, that’s nice! I envy you that. What kind of job is it?”

“I’ll be transcribing legal documents, court cases, and things like that.”

“Sounds very interesting.”

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