Page 11 of Family Bonds- Kelsey & Van

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Yep. Yogurt or a piece of fruit for a snack later on if you’re hungry and then a salad or crackers and cheese for dinner. You eat like a college kid half the time.”

“That’s how I keep this smoking body,” she said, smirking.

Her mother snorted and they continued to eat for a minute. “No Frankie today?”

“He’s in my office sleeping. He got a bite of bacon and a tiny pancake at Duke’s.”

“Your brother fed a dog in his restaurant?” her mother asked almost looking appalled.

“No,” she said. “Duke gave it to him outside. I held onto Frankie the whole time and didn’t let him drop one strand of hair on the floor. He’s probably cleaner than some of Duke’s chefs at the end of the night after they’ve sweated through their clothes. I’m not sure what the big deal is.”

“Did you bathe him again?” his mother asked.

“I did on Tuesday night. I had to make sure there wasn’t any hidden dirt on him. Then I blow-dried his fur. He loves it when his ears and his tail fly in the wind. Want to see?”

“Sure,” her mother said, reaching her hand out for Kelsey’s phone.

She found the video she’d taken while she’d groomed her puppy.

She knew the dog might be high maintenance, but some said she could be too.

Why not have a dog that was as pretty as her? At least her father had joked about that when he’d found the litter.

She’d only been kidding about getting a dog and said she’d want something small she could cuddle with since she didn’t have a man and couldn’t find one.

Her father always called her a princess as a child, then a queen as an adult. He thought the breed was both fitting and hilarious.

She agreed and shocked him and had gone to pick one out a month ago.

Since then her life had resulted in less sleep, more stress, but a lot of laughter and some serious cuddles at the end of the day.

Not a bad tradeoff in the scheme of things.

“Kelsey,” her mother said softly watching the video. “That is just adorable.”

“Isn’t it?” she asked. “Just like I told Dad. This is better than a man. I’ve got a drawer full of toys to take care of other needs.”

“Kelsey!” her mother said, laughing. “You share that with your girlfriends, not your parents.”

“Come on, Mom. You’re far from a virgin. I’m an adult.”

Her mother smirked at her like she always did but didn’t say another word while they ate their breakfast in silence.

4

AMUSING AND AROUSING

Van was circling back home from his run on Friday morning around seven thirty.

He’d slept in an hour extra since he didn’t have to work, but he wasn’t giving up his exercise.

Five days a week he got his run in outside and then he’d lift weights another three times a week.

He was stronger and healthier than he’d been in years, even if he was much smaller.

Months of bed rest would do that to a body.

When he turned the corner, he heard a shout and a clicking noise, then saw a small dog running as fast as it could toward him, almost turning its head to see if it was being chased.

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