“Wonderful, dear. How’s work?” she replies before taking a bite of half a ham panini sandwich.
“Busy. Our awards night and fundraiser is Saturday,” my brother’s fiancée replies.
With a mouthful of food, I ask, “Do you need a date? I’m free Saturday night.” I barely get the offer out before I’m kicked in the shin under the table. “Ouch, fuck!” I grunt, dropping my food to rub my leg.
“Serves you right, dick,” Rueben replies casually, as if he didn’t just use his fucking boots to try to break my shin.
Giving Cricket a pointed look, I ask, “Do you see how mean he is?”
She smiles wide and giggles. “I believe you had that coming, Royce.”
“My boys have always had a knack for pushing each other’s buttons,” Mom murmurs.
“Oh, Jackie, my mom and sister are coming down next weekend to go dress shopping. Can you go too?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Mom offers her a wide smile. “I’d love to go with you, dear. Thank you for inviting me,” she replies, reaching over and squeezing Cricket’s hand. She glances back at me. “Big plans for the afternoon?”
“Actually, I thought about adopting a dog,” I tell my family between bites of my slaw.
“Really?” my brother and his fiancée both ask at the same time. Rueben’s is more skeptical, while Cricket’s is definitely excited.
“That’ll be fun,” Mom agrees.
“I’ve been wanting one for a while now, and I figured now is a good time, since the weather is still decent. Training a dog in the winter would suck,” I state.
“And Rueben can help you when you’re at work and the puppy needs to be taken outside,” Cricket chimes in, causing her fiancé to gape at her in surprise.
“What?” my brother asks, sounding offended.
She shrugs and turns her eyes on me. “He can practice now for when we get a puppy.”
“Say what?” he barks without a touch of bite. “Since when are we getting a puppy?” Cricket just smiles sweetly and bats her long eyelashes. I watch as she leans over and whispers something in his ear. His eyes widen and his cheeks turn pink as a wolfish grin spreads across his lips. “Apparently, I’m getting a dog too,” he says eagerly, making me laugh.
“What kind are you looking for?” Mom asks.
“I’m not exactly sure. There’s a few on the county’s Humane Society page I’d like to look at.”
“Well, bring it by when you decide.”
“Us too!” Cricket adds between bites of her sandwich.
We finish eating just as Mom is summoned back to work by the growing lunch crowd. I clean up our mess on the table and slip up to the counter to tell her goodbye. I place a kiss on her cheek as she hands me a small white bag. “What’s this?” I ask, my mouth already watering for whatever treat is inside.
“Must you ask?” she deadpans.
“Strawberry cream cheese bars?” I ask, like a kid who just received permission to go into a candy store.
She nods in reply. “One strawberry and one peach,” she says with a wink.
“I knew I was your favorite!” I bellow, just loud enough for my brother to hear.
He steps up and reaches for the second bag in her other hand. “Oh, look at that. A bag for her real favorite son,” Rueben says, as he leans over and kisses Mom’s other cheek.
“You two.” Mom glances behind us. “Cricket, this one’s for you,” she says, reaching behind the counter and grabbing a small platter of treats.
My mouth drops open. “What the hell?”
Cricket just giggles and steps forward. “At least now we know who the real favorite is. Thank you, Jackie. I’m sure everyone will love these back at work.”
“Good.” Mom looks over to me and my brother and adds, “Now, go. I have to get back to work. Be good, boys.”
“Bye, Mom. Love ya,” I reply as I head for the door, my brother and Cricket hot on my heels.
I find my brother’s vehicle parked beside mine when we get outside, Cricket’s SUV on the opposite side of that. He takes her dessert tray and places it on the passenger seat before pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly. For a second time, something clenches in my chest, almost choking the air out of my throat. I have to look away.
“Make sure you send me that puppy pic, Royce,” Cricket demands with a playful grin.
I return her smile, but not for the reason she’s probably thinking. My very first text exchange with my new friend comes to mind, the dick pics she apparently received. Our exchanges are playful and fun, something I’m not used to having with the opposite sex outside of the bedroom.
“Will do,” I reply with a wave, climbing into my truck.
Pulling out of the lot, I contemplate my next move. I have a few loads of laundry to do at home, but for some reason, my truck doesn’t head in that direction. Instead, I find myself off toward the address I saw online. It takes a little longer to get there, considering it’s the tail end of the noon hour, but when I finally do, I’m a mixture of nerves and excitement.
I shut off my truck and just sit there, staring at the large brick building with images of cats and dogs on the windows. Is this really what I want? A dog is a big commitment, one I can’t take lightly. Not only could there be extra time with training, but my daily schedule would be altered to accommodate a dog. Plus, I don’t have anything. I’d need food, bowls, a bed, and crate. I’d need to register him with the city, possibly deal with groomers, and keep up with his vet needs. Hell, I don’t even go to the doctor myself. Am I ready for this responsibility?
The answer is yes.
I’ve been thinking about it a long time now, and always tell myself “someday soon.” Well, as I open the door and climb out, “someday soon” is today.
The moment I pull open the front door, I can hear barking coming from the back. The front room is pet-friendly with bright yellow walls and old brown chairs. There are photos covering the walls of happy families with their new dogs or cats as they prepare to take them to their forever homes. A young man sits at the counter, a grin on his face as he places the phone on its cradle and turns to me. “Can I help you?”
“I was wanting to check out some dogs today.” My heart is pounding in my chest like a jackhammer.
“Awesome,” he sings, spinning in his chair and coming around to meet me with his hand extended. “We’d be happy to help. I’m Landon, the manager. Come have a seat.” He grabs a clipboard and pen and leads me over to the old chairs.
We go through a few questions about what I’m looking for, Landon smiling the entire time we talk. “Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. We have a handful of larger breed dogs that would be perfect for you. Would you like to go back and see them?”
“Absolutely,” I reply, standing up and wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans.
Why am I so damn nervous?
Seriously, I wasn’t even this anxious when I went to pick up my junior year prom date, who just so happened to be a senior with well-known oral skills. She proved it about halfway through the dance in the parking lot too.
Landon leads me through a door and the barking becomes louder. We pass a large room with a handful of cats inside. Some are sleeping, one is eating, and a few play with toys. I instantly think back to my conversation with Bestie and the cat she said she had as a child. She would probably get a kick out of seeing them all.