Page 3 of Home Between Homes

How did he go from pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine to… whatever aHome Services Expertdoes?

“Check out the Mountain View Cafe. They sell some pretty dope bagels, and the coffee is hot and strong.”

I refrained from replying,‘Just the way I like my men,’because‘what’s going on, brain?’ and instead smiled foolishly as if this was the first conversation I ever had with an attractive man.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you from getting togloriousSeastone.” He waved, gave me one last smile, and walked into the gas station shop.

What the hell just happened?All I wanted was gas, and instead, I got dirty images in my head and some guy’s phone number.

Was this a sign? And if so, how should I interpret it? To fuck my past?

By the timeI arrived in the valley, I had already forgotten about Jack.

The McCormacs owned a rustic two-story house near the center of town, though‘near the center of town’sounded fancier than it was. In a place as small as Seastone, everything was close.

The trunk of a brand-new gray Lexus in the driveway was open, with two suitcases stacked inside. A hunchbacked woman paced in the front yard.

I rolled down my window. “Mrs. McCormac?”

Her eyes twitched at first, then opened to a broad smile. “I’m so glad you could make it, Mr. Atchley.”

Knowing that I had found the right place, I parked in the street, zipped up my jacket, and made my way over. I held out my open hand to her, and she took it with both hands.

“They announced a blizzard this morning, and I was afraid you might get stuck, Mr. Atchley,” she called out as if I was still twenty feet away.

“Please, call me Noah.”

The main door opened behind her, and a lanky man with stooped shoulders appeared, smiling at me as well. Between his legs peeked a Labrador with shiny golden hair that had turned white around the edges.

“How was your ride?” Mrs. McCormac asked as she showed me the way to her porch.

“Long, but thankfully uneventful.”

“Good. Then come in. Let us show you around quickly. We want to get going before it snows again.” She ushered me inside.

As I walked up the steps, the Lab stuck her nose further out between Mr. McCormac’s legs. Her tail wagged, clearly wantingto say hello to who would be her partner in crime for the next few days, but she didn’t leap forward.

“This is Maggie,” Mr. McCormac said as he greeted me.

“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” I replied, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Maggie.

She pushed her nose closer and closer to me, her paws scratching the floor.

“She’s always excited to meet new people,” Mr. McCormac chuckled, carefully stepping back so I wouldn’t have to greet the dog by reaching through his legs.

I squatted down and held my hand up to her nose. She sniffed at it, then pushed her head under my palm for a pat. Her soft fur lifted my spirits tenfold.

One reason I wanted to be a veterinarian until four months ago was that I grew up with dogs, and it was hard for me to contain myself when I saw one. It was a shock to me when my parents decided not to adopt any more dogs when I went to college. They said they wanted to travel, which made no sense because you can travel with a dog as well. The hardest part for me, as I finished my internship and waited for my lease to end in an almost unfurnished apartment, was not having a dog to pet for four months. So, it was a welcome surprise that Maggie was also eager to meet me.

“Looks like we’re going to get along,” I said.

“She’s very easy to please,” Mr. McCormac laughed, leaning close to me with a cheeky expression and lowering his voice. “Unlike my wife.”

“I heard that,” Mrs. McCormac yelled from behind him.

“It was only a joke, my dear.” He ran to her as fast as a man his age could and kissed her on the cheek. “You know I love you.”

The blush on Mrs. McCormac’s face that followed made it clear that she wasn’t one to hold a grudge over a poor joke.

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