Page 10 of Love in Training
The woman stops and smiles at Lydia’s pink maternity shirt, which reads,Shh... we haven’t told the dog yet.I take the opportunity to step aside and check my email. As promised, the assignment desk has kept me on my toes this week. I’m putting the finishing touches on at least two more staff stories for next week’s issue in addition to the PetExpo feature. But to Randall’s annoyance, I have not followed up on the Unmatched lead. Nor do I intend to.
“Oh! You have got to check him out!” The woman with the Akitas is exclaiming to Lydia. “He’s over in the next building. The obedience was amazing, but his agility trial was the best I’ve seen in years.”
“Totally. We’ll have to go see.” Lydia’s voice recaptures my attention. Her tone is no longer like a kid being given a puppy, but more like one being force-fed broccoli. She meets my gaze with such a pained expression, my senses sharpen immediately.
“You’re not like, having contractions, are you?” I say under my breath.
“What? No.” She shakes her head, but also takes my hand, tugging me in the opposite direction from where the woman is pointing. “Thanks for letting me pet Khaleesi and Drogo.”
ButGame of Throneslady is not done yet. “You should go catch the end before he finishes. It’s the best thing at the entire expo.”
This piques my interest. I’ve already planned to turn this feel-good pet story into a promo piece for Lydia’s doggie daycare, but I wouldn’t mind adding some other highlights, just to make it look like I tried. “What should we see?”
“The agility demonstration!” the woman replies with fervor. “It’s over in the next building. Drew Forbes is the best in the state. You should see him work a border collie. He’ll be taking homeallthe ribbons this weekend.”
The name hits my brain like a dusty book falling off a shelf. Sort of startling at first, and I find myself waiting for the air to clear before I can speak.
“Drew Forbes?” I look at Lydia. “She doesn’t mean?—”
“You know, I think you’re right and I’ve been on my feet way too long.” Lydia rubs her hand over her belly. “Let’s go back to the booth so I can sit.”
I follow her without protest, trying to kick my brain out of its sudden fog. It was bad enough trying to understand Theo bringing me something that supposedly belonged to my late ex. Finding myself at an event with his brother on the same day feels too much like the universe trying to screw with me. And I don’t even believe in that kind of stuff.
It couldn’t bethatDrew Forbes. Kyle was legitimately obsessed with dogs, to the point that he became a military dog handler. But his brother had gone to medical school to be adoctor, like their parents. There was no way he was here today as a dog trainer.
Lydia plops into a folding chair once we get back to her booth, and her business partner, Henry, hands her a bottle of water, trying to mask his concern. “Feeling all right?” he asks.
“I’m fine. We just needed a break. How’s it going here?”
The expression on Henry’s face is priceless. He must be the only person attending the Denver PetExpo in a Ralph Lauren suit. With his perfectly coiffed hair and hint of British accent, he strikes me as a character fromDownton Abbeywho’s been dropped into thePuppy Bowl. Not that I fit in any better—but at least I had the sense to wear jeans. I don’t know what drove Henry Hill to invest in Lydia’s grooming and doggie daycare businesses other than money, but it’s been almost a year, and he’s still rolling dog hair off his twill trousers like the most committed fish out of water. I admire his stuffy dedication.
“So far, no one is interested in my franchise projections,” he complains. “They just want to know whether we have swimming pools and tennis balls.”
Lydia laughs. “Why don’t you walk around and scope out some of the competition? I can sit here and speak dog for a while.”
Henry walks off, clearly relieved, and I take the seat next to Lydia.
“Hey, don’t let me stop you if you want to go see the agility thing.”
She pulls her blonde hair over one shoulder and turns to me. “Why would I do that?”
“The lady from Westeros made it sound like the main event.” I shrug. “I wouldn’t want you to miss out.”
Her lip curls. “In my experience, Drew Forbes has the personality of a snapping turtle. He’s been making a name for himself as some kind of dog-whispering guru. And thanks to afew recent viral videos, he’s kind of having a moment. But I think it’s mostly hype.”
I press my mouth into a line. “Is it—is he really?—”
“Kyle’s brother?” Her forehead wrinkles in sympathy. “I’m afraid so.”
I look down to find myself worrying my ring finger. It’s been bare much longer than Kyle's been gone, but if there’s anything I’ve learned about grief, it’s that it always finds new ways to surprise you.
“Well, if you want to see what all the hype’s about, I’ll stay here and hand out your flyers,” I say quietly.
“No, thanks,” she says. “I tried to network with him last year. He called doggie daycares ‘a useless fad to make people feel good about neglecting their pets.’”
I raise my brows. “You didn’t tell me that.”
Her face softens and she squeezes my hand. “At the time, there was no need to.”
