Page 101 of Misfortune and Mr. Right

“Noisy!” the macaw squawks. “Bark. Bark. Bark.”

I chuckle. The door swings open and Cassidy is standing there looking up at me. Then Olivia appears just behind her.

“Oh, here. Let me.” Olivia reaches out for the grocery bag.

Cassidy reaches out for Rhett’s leash, looks up at me, and says, “Here. Let me.”

I chuckle and hand my dog over to her.

I follow Olivia into the kitchen, resisting the urge to pull her into my arms for a proper greeting. She surprises me by turning and standing on tiptoes to place a kiss on my cheek after she sets the grocery bag on the counter.

“Is that yourboyyyyyfriend?” Cassidy asks.

“He is, actually,” Olivia says plainly.

“When I’m older, I’m getting a boyfriend with a cute dog too.”

“Much older,” Olivia says. “But the dog is a perk.”

“A perk?” Cassidy’s face scrunches up.

“He’s like icing on a cupcake.”

“The kind you don’t lick,” Cassidy says.

“Definitely the kind you don’t lick.”

“Let’s take his leash off,” I suggest. “I brought treats so you can train him after dinner.”

“Like, real tricks?” Cassidy asks.

“Yep. Real ones.”

Olivia and I set out the toppings and spread the dough onto pizza pans while Cassidy and Rhett play in the living room. Then Cassidy washes her hands and sits on a stool at the island to help assemble her pizza.

“When is Rhett’s birthday?” Cassidy asks when we’re putting the pizzas into the preheated oven.

She’s got the most random and delightful brain. She seems to say every thought that comes into her mind. The unfiltered thoughts of a child are something I don’t experience very often in my life. Maybe that will change now that Olivia and I are officially together.

“I don’t really know Rhett’s birthday,” I tell Cassidy. “I got him from a shelter.”

“What’s a shelter?”

“It’s a place where dogs without homes go to wait for someone to adopt them.”

“So he doesn’t have a birthday?” Cassidy’s face falls.

“Not one I know of.”

I wish I had a better answer.

“That’s almost as sad as a butterfly.”

Olivia steps behind Cassidy and rests her hands on Cassidy’s shoulders.

She looks into my eyes. “I’ll explain later.”

“We should give Rhett a birthday. Like … today!” Cassidy exclaims, looking instantly relieved. “Today could be his birthday. But we need cake and hats and decorations.”

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