“Coming,” she says without another word and hangs up.
I stare at the phone before heading back over to Niko. I sit by the cave entrance and chat with him because what else can I do.
“So, how’s it going, Niko?” Niko whines. “Right, probably not great today, huh? I was just remembering when I was first with Brit. Do you remember that? You were just a puppy. You were pretty fucking cute and also a giant pain in the ass.” Niko barks. “Sorry, not sorry. You were. You’ve changed, and so has Brit. But deep down, I think she hasn’t changed that much. What do you think? You think she still likes me. Maybe I have a chance?”
I sit silently for a few moments.
“I hope I still have a chance,” I admit out loud.
“A chance for what? Where exactly are you? Wave the flashlight?” I hear Brit’s voice, and I grimace. I hope she didn’t hear anything else I was bantering on about like an idiot.
A moment later she’s in front of me, leaning over my lap to look down into the cave. I get a whiff of her perfume, and I close my eyes as I try to suppress memories of the first time we made out and how that smell has permanently permeated my brain.
“Niko,” she says softly. Niko whines. “I’m right here, buddy. It’s OK.” Turning to me she takes off her coat.
“It’s too cold. Leave that on,” I warn her. She shakes her head.
“The opening is so small, I won’t fit.”
“That’s what he said,” I say with a smirk, because I’m a guy and my mind is already in the gutter.
She glares at me. “I don’t have time for that game right now. Hoist me down.”
I hold out my hand, and she grabs it as she starts to shimmy into the crevice. She gets inside and lets go of my hand as she scales down the wall, jumping off it about two feet up and landing next to Niko, who has taken whining to a whole new level.
“I’m here,” she says to Niko and throws her arms around the dog. She gently examines his back paw before looking up at me. “I can’t tell if it’s broken, so just be careful when I lift him, OK. Oh, and I called my dad, he should be here soon to help you.”
As if on cue, I hear someone approaching. I turn to see Jim, who bends over and looks down at his dog and daughter.
“You OK down there?” he asks her.
“I’m fine. I just need you two to help me get him out of here.” I realize now that there’s a rock she can stand on, but it’s only going get her about three feet off the ground. That’s another seven feet we need to clear, and she’s only about five and a half feet. I turn to Jim.
“I need you to hold my legs so I can lean down and get Niko from her. Then pull us out, OK?”
“Wait! Throw me my coat!” Brit yells. I toss it down, thinking she’s cold, but instead she ties it into a swing around Niko. “Use that to lift him.” She motions to the arms she’s tied in a knot. I nod and lean down. Once Jim has my legs, I slowly lean down into the cave as Brit picks up Niko and gets on the rock. She takes a deep breath and then with a grunt and all her might, she lifts Niko above her head. I reach and grab the arms of the coat.
“Pull!” I yell to Jim who hoists us out of the cave. Niko only barks sharply in pain once as I get him settled on the ground. I turn to see Brit’s hand on the edge of the opening, and I take it and help her out of the cave. With one strong tug, she’s kneeling in my arms. Her arms are wrapped around me, holding on for dear life.
“I got you,” I whisper in her ear.
She stills for a long moment as she gazes into my eyes until Niko whines, and she pulls away to tend to him.
“I got him,” Jim says picking Niko up. “Call Patricia.” Patricia McNeely is the town vet and a friend of theirs. She picks up on the first ring, and Brit explains what has happened as we make our way back to the cars.
Eight
Brittany
“Seven hundred dollars?” I ask the lady at the front desk of the emergency vet clinic.
“Yep, 687 dollars,” she repeats the astronomical number.
“But it’s not broken,” I say as I stare at the bill.
“We could do a payment plan,” she suggests.
I sigh. I know dad will cover it, but I feel bad. I need to find a job. I decide to look for one in the morning. Oh yeah, it is the morning. I sigh again. It’s now 2:30, and I’m exhausted.
“Yeah, the emergency vet appointments are expensive. Plus, the x-rays.”
I start to hand over my credit card, praying to the bank gods that I have enough credit to cover the bill, but my dad walks out of the exam room with Niko.
“I got this,” he says as he pulls his wallet out of his pocket and tosses a credit card on the counter.
“Thanks,” I whisper as I step back and take Niko’s leash.
I walk Niko to the car. My phone buzzes as I help him into the back seat, and I glance down.
Ty: How’s Niko?
Me: Good. Thanks again.
Ty: No problem. Go get some sleep, Superstar.
I can’t fight the grin that forms on my face. He used to call me “Superstar” when we were kids because he was sure I’d become one.
“Come on, buddy. Let’s go home.” Niko huffs and lies down on the back seat as my dad gets in the car.
“Well, that was an interesting night,” he says as he starts the car.
“Yeah, that’s one way to put it,” I reply as I settle myself next to Niko, letting him lay his head on my leg as I stroke the fur on his head.
“Sorry about ruining your night.”
“It’s all right, Dad. I’m just glad Niko is gonna be all right.”
“It was nice to see Tyson. I didn’t realize he was working at the lodge,” Dad says as he makes his way back up the mountain.
“Yeah, me either.”
“He looks good.”
I roll my eyes. Dad always loved Tyson. He kept telling me we’d get back together eventually, but after two years, he’d stopped talking about him.
“I’m surprised you didn’t know he was here,” I say with a raised eyebrow.
Dad looks back at me in the rearview mirror.
“I may have heard a rumor, but I hadn’t seen him.”
I glare back at him.
“Maybe next time you hear a rumor about my ex being in town, you can give me a heads up.”
“Sorry, kiddo. That’s on me.”
I sigh. “Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter.” I lie because it fucking does matter. How am I supposed to concentrate with Ty lurking around and doing things like rescuing my dog?
I help Niko get out of the car after Dad parks. I need sleep, and then I need to find a job.
Tyson
I can’t sleep. Getting up, I stroll down to the kitchen and make myself tea. I haven’t done that in years. Something about tea reminds me of my mom. I miss my parents. They moved to Florida when they retired last year. It is strange to be here without them. They are my biggest supporters. But when they started visiting my sister, Dawn in Key West, they fell in love with the island and decided that’s where they wanted to retire. I shoot them a quick text as I pour hot water into a mug.