Page 44 of Swept for Forever
Mr. Gunn stood near the front, taping up a photo of a beagle mix with one bold word across it:Adopted.
“Mr. Gunn,” I greeted, trying for polite.
He grunted. Not a word. Just a sound.
Yeah, this was gonna be a joy.
“Hi. I’m Dom, and this is Lulu,” I said, shifting slightly so Lulu was front and center. This was harder than cross-examining a hostile witness.
“Yeah?” He squinted.
Lulu tilted her head, appraising him right back.
“I was wondering if you could take her in?—”
“You waltz up here thinking you can just offload this beautiful dog like she’s some unwanted luggage? What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Despite his tone, his eyes gave it away. He wanted to reach out to Lulu, but held back as if the connection was some line he wasn’t ready to cross.
“Mr. Gunn?—”
“A dog ain’t a problem to pass along when it’s inconvenient.”
“No, you’ve got it wrong.”
He harrumphed.
Mistake number one: Coming here at all. Mistake number two: Telling a man like him he was wrong.
“Just for a couple of days,” I backpedaled. “Her owner’s in the hospital, and I’m stuck at a motel.”
“This ain’t no damn doggy hotel,” he barked.
“She’s house-trained,” I said, mustering my most convincing face. She hadn’t gone inside my tent. That had to count for something, right?
“Yeah? So was my ex-wife, and she still ruined my damn carpet.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. It was probably best to let that one go.
Lulu, meanwhile, had taken a different approach. She walked straight into Mr. Gunn’s personal space, sat down, and wagged her tail, all big blue eyes and impossible charm.
“She’s a good dog,” I said, because the old man already looked halfway to caving.
“Lulu, that her name, you said?”
“Yes.”
“Lulu,” he repeated, as if testing it.
She wagged her tail harder.
“Well,” he muttered, rubbing his beard. “Truth is, the shelter’s real full. And my home is even fuller. I can’t take her, I’m sorry.”
I exhaled as I led Lulu outside, empty-handed, aside from the dog currently filling both my hands.
“Hey.” Mr. Gunn’s voice stopped me. He held out a collar and leash. “Take these. A dog shouldn’t be wandering around unleashed.”
“Thanks.” I took them and buckled the pink collar around Lulu’s neck, then hooked her up. She didn’t fuss. Clearly, she was used to this.
