Page 76 of August
“Babe, I still have a lot to do. Youdowant things fixed around here, right?” Myra asked as she sat down next to her.
“Yes, but we’re dating, so I’d like to see you in that context, too,” Elisa said.
“At what point do your services become free since you two are dating? Elisa is paying for this, but if something else is wrong later, is that a free thing because you’re together?” Gwen asked.
“Gwen!” Elisa glared at her.
“Just asking. When she started working, you didn’t know each other. Now, you’re calling one another ‘babe’ and acting like you’ve been together for years.”
“We are not,” Elisa told her, laughing because she didn’t want to scare Myra.
“When Myra sat, she instantly put her arm around you and turned a little. You leaned into her, and your hand went on her knee. That’s a couple move,” Gwen noted. “And you’ve been on two dates as far as I know.”
“Gwendolyn, enough,” Elisa said.
“I got the full name treatment. I’m in trouble.”
“You’re in trouble when you get the middle name. The Gwendolyn was a warning.”
Myra laughed and took a sip of her beer.
“So, Gwen, what is it you do?”
“Oh, I’m a dog walker and a pet sitter. Although, I’ll walk other animals if asked, too. So far, I’ve walked an iguana, a duck, and a couple of ferrets.”
“You’ve walked a duck?” Myra asked.
“Theduckis what you took from that?” Gwen laughed.
“I’ve never walked a duck.”
“So, you’ve walked an iguana?” Gwen teased.
“No. I think I’ve only ever walked a dog.” Myra turned to look at Buster, who was still asleep. “He’s out like a light.”
“I ran it out of him for now, but he’ll be up and back at it soon. You really got an energetic one,” Gwen said.
“He was so sweet,” Elisa explained. “And didn’t seem high-energy when we got him. They didn’t even say anything about that.”
“He probably didn’t show much of that at the shelter,” Gwen offered.
“I’m just glad that the small yard is fenced-in. He can run out there all day.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Myra began, placing her beer on the table. “When I got here, Gwen told me you were on the phone with a company about your application.”
“Yeah, they want to interview me,” she said, burrowing back into Myra when she sat back.
Elisa met Gwen’s eyes as she did, and Gwen smiled at her, likely seeing how content Elisa felt right now. She loved Myra’s strong body being attached to her in as many places as possible. She loved having Myra next to her, touching her in any way she could get it. Myra made her feel safe, but she also made her feel wanted, and she had never truly felt either of those things with Archie.
“That’s great,” Myra replied. “What’s the job? Are you excited about it?”
“Sort of. It’s just a temporary thing, a short-term contract. They have someone out on an extended leave, so I’d be covering for them for a few months. It’s a full-time job and is mostly filing and organizing. Tedious and boring, I’m sure, but I don’t mind that. It’s money and something to do.” She looked over at Buster. “I’m worried about him, though. If I get it, he would be alone all day for a few months. I probably should’ve thought about that, but I hadn’t heard back fromanyone so far other than the receptionist job that went nowhere, so I figured it would be a while.”
“Hi. My name is Gwen. I’m a professional dog walker.” Gwen held up her hand. “I can stop by during the day and walk him for you. I’ll even play with him for a few until I have to go. If you can walk him in the mornings before you go, I can take the midday, and then, he should be good until you get home.”
“Really? That would be great. We’ll do it through the app, though, Gwen. I’m paying you.”
Gwen laughed and said, “Yeah, right.”
