Page 34 of August
“None taken. But I don’t think that’s it. I’ve never seen someone shake like that, Mel. And I don’t think it was because she doesn’t like me. Besides, I wasn’t exactly planning on meeting someone.”
“So what?” Melinda asked like Myra’s last point didn’t matter at all.
“So, things are busy right now at work, and I lost someone before because I spent too much time working and–”
“You’re still making excuses, and they’re the lame ones, too.” Melinda rolled her eyes at her. “You’re better than that, Myra. Stop trying to come up with reasons not to at least talk to the woman. If she says no, it’s no, and you’ll know then. You’ll just finish the work on her house and maybe see her around the neighborhood or be friends if that’s what you both want. If she says she wants to go out, you can take her out to a decent restaurant and get to know her more. You can take the physical stuff as slowly as she needs.”
“She’s beautiful, Mel,” she said as she smiled. “In a cute dress or a pair of sweats. Just beautiful.”
“Then, talk to her and stop being annoying.” Melinda laughed. “Do you think it was easy to just give myself to Ky? I first saw her one night at a bar and thought she was just…” Melinda faded out as she looked over at her fiancée. “Then, she’s on one of my tours, so she didn’t even live here. She had a ton of family drama to deal with, and I had no clue we would ever get here, but we’re planning a wedding together now. I’m not sayingthat’sin the cards for you and Elisa, but maybe it is. Who knows? You just have to take a chance first to see if there’s something really here or not. You’ve gone on a few dates since I’ve known you, but I’ve never heard you talk about any of those women how you talk about Elisa, and you haven’t even gone out with her yet.”
“I just like her,” Myra said. “She’s…”
“Beautiful?” Melinda teased her and laughed. “Yeah, I got that part.”
CHAPTER 12
“She almost kissed you?” Gwen asked her.
“Not exactly,” Elisa replied. “She asked me if I felt it, too, and I froze.”
“Oh, no…” Gwen said as they walked. “Marvin, chill!” she commanded the terrier, who was attempting to run ahead of all the dogs despite being on the leash. “Why is it always the smallest dogs who think they’re the biggest?” Gwen asked.
“He’s cute,” Elisa noted.
“He’s a pain, but yeah, he’s cute. He really is the kind of dog who thinks he’s over a hundred pounds, though, when he’s only about eleven. He’s also the loudest barker of all of them, and it’s that yappy kind of bark. If you ever get a dog, please don’t get a yapper.”
“Your brother is allergic,” she replied.
“Yeah, and you and my brother aredivorced. You have your own house now, and as far as I know, the twins aren’t allergic.”
“They’re not, luckily.”
“Can I tell you that one of my favorite things to do is to hug my brother after I get off work and watch him sneeze and sniffle repeatedly? It’s not like his allergies are severe enough to kill him. He just doesn’t like showing any weakness, and to him, allergies are a weakness, so I love making him sneeze.” Gwen laughed.
“Gwen!” Elisa said, laughing, too.
“What? He’s looked down on me my entire life. On top of that, he hates my job, and it’smyjob, not his. Outside of the yappers who think they’re badasses on leashes, I love my job. I love animals, and I get paid to spend time with them. Plus, I don’t have a ton of student loans that likely would’ve come with being a vet because my parents wouldn’t have paid for vet school. I wouldn’t have been considered a real doctor to them. Annabelle always told me to at least be a vet – like,if I was going to do something with animals, I might as well be a veterinarian, but even if I wanted that, I couldn’t handle it. I don’t even know how vets handle it. I get too attached to these little guys. Marvin, quiet,” Gwen added that last part to the terrier, who had started yapping at one of the four dogs she was walking.
There was him, the golden retriever named Flash, the gray mutt who was about thirty pounds named Wolf, and the poodle named Snookie, which was definitely a name choice.
“I haven’t thought about getting a dog. It’s too late now, though, right? The kids are leaving soon. What’s the point?”
“Elisa, the dog wouldn’t be for the kids. It would be foryou. The point is to do things for yourself for once. I know this is a new concept for you, but I can help you find a great dog to be a fun companion when you’re alone in that house that’s all yours. Unless you’re no longer in need of a companion because Myra is moving in tomorrow,” Gwen teased.
“I can’t afford a dog right now,” she said, ignoring the comment about Myra because if she acknowledged it, Gwen would only continue to mock her.
“We’d get you one from the shelter. Then, it’s just food and toys, really.”
“And vet bills,” Elisa pointed out.
“They would be fixed and have their shots at the shelter already, and they go through basic exams there, too. So, yeah, you’d have vet bills for yearly shots and if they get sick, but that shouldn’t happen right away, depending on the dog you pick out.” When Gwen paused and stopped walking abruptly, the dogs, who had been minding their own business, stopped as well and turned in unison to see what was going on before they began sniffing the sidewalk. “Aren’t you still on Archie’s benefits?”
“Until I get my own, yes.”
“Well, I bet his are good enough to offer pet insurance, right?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never thought to ask.”
