Love at First Bark Read online

  Lynn headed to the cabinet next to the stove with the pots and pans. She pulled out a medium-size pot, grabbed a long wooden spoon, and set them and Brody on the island counter. “When I leave, you’ll have to scale back your cooking on nights you babysit. I suspect this one’s going to be high maintenance. And pooh to retirement funds. Most everyone back home works until their bodies won’t allow them to, then they’re cared for by their families.”

  Mia paused midpeel. “You aren’t ever coming back, are you? For good, I mean.”

  Lynn handed Brody the long spoon a second time. He was more interested in the brightly colored stones in her necklace. “No, not for good.” After a pause, she added, “Though it doesn’t mean I don’t love you ferociously. Ollie too. And honestly, you’d send me packing if I stayed. Without African soil under my feet to ground me, I’d be a mess.”

  Mia turned back to the potatoes, disappointment slipping down to her toes. “Why?”

  Lynn laughed a small, painful laugh. “That’s an answer I can’t give you, Mia. But that’s the world for you. It’s full of things that have no answer. Even in this age of information at our fingertips, there are still more questions than there will ever be answers. What I do know is over there I’m whole in a way I can’t seem to be here. And as much as I hate not being a bigger part of your life than I am, you don’t need me. Sometimes you think you do, but you don’t. You’re strong and solid.”

  Mia was still finding her voice when Ollie jogged around the corner, his eyes lighting when they landed on the baby atop the counter. “Ben and Taye are taking the dogs out to pee.” He pressed in next to Lynn and tugged gently at the tip of Brody’s socked foot. “Are you cooking, Brody?”

  Mia noted how her son’s tone changed when he talked to the baby, how he formed syllables slowly and deliberately. Brody pumped his fists and grunted, as fascinated by Ollie as he’d been all afternoon, reminding her of the natural connection between babies and kids.

  Ollie lifted the pot to his mouth and pretended to eat. “Yum, yum. You’re a good cook, little guy.”

  For the first time that Mia had heard, Brody broke into a wild giggle, which made Ollie laugh just as hard. Mia joined her son at the counter as Brody pumped his fists in excitement. Ollie draped an arm over her hip and pressed his head against her side. “I’m glad we get to babysit him, Mom. When he smiles, it makes me think of Dad.”

  Mia scooped her son into her arms and buried her face in his neck, drawing in his familiar scent. “You know what? When he smiles, it makes me think of you.”

  Ollie laughed, and the sound reverberated through her chest. Maybe her mom couldn’t stay, but it didn’t mean Lynn wouldn’t still be part of her life. And maybe Mia didn’t need her so much now.

  And no matter how topsy-turvy she felt at times, so much love had snuck in all around her.

  Chapter 27

  Ben had never been much for crowds or being in the spotlight, but the hopeful look in Mia’s eyes when she’d asked if he wanted to be one of the Puppy Bowl referees had left him unable to turn her down. So here he was, dressed in black pants and a black-and-white vertical-striped polo, making calls over the antics of a group of playful dogs in the middle of a crowd of four hundred attendees.

  Considering that this event was live and being held in a high school gymnasium, there were several modifications from the popular show on Animal Planet. Attendees watched the dogs pummel about on the sixty-foot-long artificial turf made to look like a football field, roped off in the center of the gym from the bleachers on either side. They could also wander around the various booths at the edges of the gym or head to the adjoining concession area where food was being served and a few other booths were set up.

  The dogs that had been chosen to participate in the faux football game were two years and under, and the most playful and easygoing of the shelter’s bunch. They were allowed on the field in two teams of two each. The four dogs on the field at any one quarter had all had several opportunities to play together in the shelter’s new play yard and had done so without contention.

  This event was a first, and a few kinks needed to be worked out on the spot, but the first half hour after the doors opened had gone smoothly. To combat the smells of the food that was being served outside in the concession area, all participating dogs had been fed dinner before being crated to come here, but not all had gone to the bathroom while being walked outside the building. Every time one of the dogs relieved itself on the artificial turf, the audience went into either an uproar of laughter or sharply pronounced groans.

  Thankfully, the Event Committee had a plan in place for such occasions. They sent in one of three volunteers dressed as elite cleaning-crew members and wearing T-shirts that read “Got Pooh?” on the front and “We’ve Got Your Bottom Covered” on the back.

  Ben’s friend Mason was emceeing the event and had a funny line for just about everything. Ben figured Mason was half the reason the event had sold out as fast as it did. His St. Louis fans hadn’t been able to get enough of him this year. And even though Mason was supposed to be commenting on the dog’s antics as football-related plays, he threw in just enough baseball comments to keep the crowd laughing and clapping for more. On top of that, he’d been given free rein to award the dogs for nonsensical things like extreme cuteness and go-getter attitudes.

  Ben and Patrick, the two referees, were supposed to have the more serious job of calling fouls as the dogs loped around the field in supposed teams of two, tackling their teammates as often as they pounced on the opposing team. Even worse, the dogs kept stealing footballs from their teammates and running off in the wrong direction. To encourage the dogs to play with the balls more than one another, the dog team coaches, Fidel and Kurt, tossed the footballs into the air every so often. The dogs were much more interested in the balls when one of the four balls was in play—in the air or in another dog’s mouth—than lying abandoned on the ground.

  For the most part, the dogs stayed in the roped-off Astroturf field, though a long-legged Lab mix hopped out and trotted straight to the bleachers and one of the attendees who’d snuck food inside the gym. The eager dog promptly sat on her haunches and started to beg, and the crowd went into peals of laughter and clapping until she was cajoled back onto the field, and the man headed off with his hot dog to the cafeteria.

  Fortunately, everyone was having too much fun to care about the fact that the dogs weren’t natural football stars. Each set of dogs was on the field for ten minutes of play before being led off for a water break, then taken to the concession hall for some time in the press zone. There, they hung out with shelter staff and volunteers like Kelsey and Mia while being petted and posing for pictures with the guests.

  In between the four quarters of play, three entertainment breaks were scheduled. The first one featured a six-year-old Australian shepherd mix who was becoming quite good at agility. Tess, who’d been training him, ran him twice through a mobile agility course that had been temporarily set up on the turf around the field. He sailed through it, oblivious to the crowds and applause, and afterward was challenged to catch a series of Tess’s Frisbee throws. He dashed across the turf and jumped into the air to catch them in his mouth. He’d caught three of the four. When the fifth Frisbee was thrown and he caught it, he plopped down on the field, locked it between his front paws, and began to devour it while letting the rest of Frisbees sail past him. From the roaring applause he earned, everyone was still impressed.

  Before a new group of four dogs were brought in to play the second quarter of the game, a short break was announced, and Ben headed off to find Ollie. The last he’d seen, Ollie was working the craft table with Lynn.

  After not finding him there, Ben eventually spotted his godson at a table in the corner of the concession area, dipping the broken-off bend of a pretzel into a small cheese cup. Mia and Lynn were at the table with him, laughing at something Ollie was saying.
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  Ben froze in place a split second, debating whether to approach them. He knew Mia wasn’t ready to make it public that they were together, and he didn’t blame her. Their connection was a complicated one, and it had only been a little over two months since she’d become a widow who’d been on the cusp of applying for divorce. And she had Ollie to think about.

  Before his feet unfroze, someone grabbed his arm. “Hey, aren’t you Ben Thomas?” A guy at the table Ben had paused next to had gotten up. The group was eating and drinking beer, and from a glance, the guy holding his arm was the closest to being drunk. “The dude who climbed Everest?”

  “Ah, yeah, that’s me.”

  He extracted his arm from the man’s grip politely but firmly as the man unleashed a string of self-congratulatory curses, then pointed at a guy on the opposite side of the table.

  “Dude, you owe me twenty bucks. I told you it was him!” He turned back to Ben and clapped his shoulder. “My cousin’s a climber. He tried Everest in 2015 but had to stop at Camp 3 because he got sick.”

  It wasn’t the first time he’d been recognized since coming home in late July, though it had been happening less and less lately, and Ben would be fine if it never happened again. He stood for a couple pictures and fielded half a dozen questions ranging from “Wasn’t it cold?” to “Did you see anyone fall?” before stepping away.

  He finally turned to find Ollie headed his way. The gangly kid had a giant grin and some nacho cheese stuck to the left corner of his mouth. “Mom says I can help you referee for the next quarter if it’s okay with you.”

  Ben made eye contact with Mia for a moment. She offered a small smile but was quick to drop her gaze. Two or three other volunteers were at the table with her, and Ben understood. He was here as Ollie’s godfather, not her lover. Someday, when enough time had passed, she’d find the confidence to let the world know he was both those things. Until then, he had no complaints.

  “Yeah, but come here first.” He led Ollie to the concession window and grabbed a napkin to wipe off the cheese.

  “Cheeeeese,” Ollie said, grinning wildly as Ben dabbed the cheese from his face. “Get it? Say cheese. Only it’s on my face so I don’t have to say it.”

  Ben chuckled and draped an arm over Ollie’s shoulder. “Come on, silly. Let’s call some fouls on those dogs.”

  * * *

  Mia did her best to keep focused as she waited for the cue to head inside the roped-off area in the center of the gymnasium. Inside it, seven husky-mix puppies were tousling about during halftime, oblivious to the crowd. She kicked herself for not getting up and going over to Ben earlier. She’d wanted to and badly. So much so, her feet had been itching inside her shoes.

  But she was afraid the crazy-wild love inside her would show, so fear kept her glued to her seat. If she could do it again, she’d do it differently. He was here for her, dressed in a stiff-looking referee shirt, balancing out Patrick’s very literal calls with a touch of lightheartedness that enabled Mason to keep the crowd in almost constant laughter.

  The comment her mom made as Ollie headed off with him still rang in her ears. “He should be entitled to sainthood, the way he’s waited for you. The way he’s still waiting for you.”

  “Ben?” Mia had asked, confused.

  Lynn had dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “No, Mia. God. Yes, Ben. Who else?”

  Like a thousand other things her mom had said over the years, it made no sense. When tonight was over and she and her mom had a moment alone, Mia intended to pursue it.

  Spotting her cue, Mia crossed over the rope and headed into the middle of the turf field. She’d never been to anything like tonight’s event. Even by halftime, she was willing to bet it would top the list of the shelter’s most successful ideas. From the constant din of the crowd, it was clear everyone was having a blast.

  John Ronald, the former city-roaming stray who’d fathered the puppies and who’d been instrumental in their rescue, wasn’t here. He wasn’t fond of crowds, but his story was remarkable. So the halftime show opened with a short video on the big-screen monitors flanking the corners of the field, telling his story and showing a video clip of him being introduced to the puppies when they were out of quarantine. It was a moving clip, and based on the murmurs of appreciation that spread across the audience in a wave, many eyes were no longer dry.

  For this halftime event, Mia was assigned to the gangly black-and-white husky-mix male puppy that most closely resembled his father. This puppy was going to the family in Idaho who had experience with purebred huskies and acclimating working sled dogs to become household pets.

  At ten weeks old, he was spunky and rambunctious, and while he didn’t run from Mia, he happily pounced on her hands, growling and play biting and forcing her to make quick work of securing him in her arms. Her job was to hold him up while a highlight of his new family’s essay was being read and his name, Juneo, was being announced by Mason. As playful a mood as the pup was in, it was easier said than done. He wiggled and whipped around, trying to get a grip on her hands again. After the family’s photo was shown, Mia put him down so he could rejoin his siblings. He dashed off toward them, returned to attack her shoe, then dashed off again while the crowd applauded.

  After all seven puppies’ names and new owners had been announced, the puppies were enticed off the field by a team of volunteers dragging large stuffed animals on leashes behind them. The puppies chased after the fluffy animals, grabbing on and tugging while being led away.

  After the puppies were back in their playpen in the off-limits women’s locker room, Mia headed back to babysitting the dogs in the press zone. Whenever she had a minute of downtime, she kept trying to decipher her mom’s comment. It didn’t make sense. But it did remind her of another, much more intimate comment she’d heard. “I loved you before. So much so, there’s hardly anything left of me but you.”

  And even more confusing was what did Lynn think she knew about anything? She lived in Africa, of all places.

  Before Mia knew it, the fourth quarter was starting, and the bulk of the crowd had returned to the gym to see the finale. With two other staff and volunteers left to cover the press zone, Mia excused herself and headed over to the craft table where Lynn was helping a couple of kids make paw-print pencil rubbings on colored paper.

  “What are you not telling me?”

  Lynn held the paper down, her fingers splayed on opposite ends as the kid rubbed vigorously back and forth and the paw print began to take form. She didn’t even look up. But Mia knew she understood her.

  “Only what you haven’t been ready to hear.”

  Mia pulled out an empty chair and sank onto it. She kept her voice low but pointed. “Who falls in love with their best friend’s wife? And how would you know anyway? You were hardly ever here to see it.”

  Lynn gave her a sharp look. “When the world doesn’t make sense, sometimes it’s best to turn it on its head.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Neither does an honorable man falling for his best friend’s wife.”

  Mia groaned and dropped her voice. “So then you aren’t saying he was in love with me? Before?”

  “Before what, Mia? That’s the question you should be asking.” The boy finished his rub, and Lynn told him to write his name on it before he ran back to the table where his parents were eating hot dogs and chips.

  “Mom. Please. Things are complicated enough without you talking in riddles.”

  Lynn sat back in her chair and swept her long hair to one side. “I promised I wouldn’t tell you. But you’re on the cusp of figuring it out on your own. Tell me this. How long did you know Brad before you began dating?”

  Mia shrugged. “He asked me out near the end of our senior year. We had the same major and were in a class or two together every year, so just over three and a half years, I guess.”

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sp; “You were art majors and in the same classes, and you never hooked up until…what happened?”

  “I gave a speech about my dad not being in my life. You too, I guess. As soon as it was over, I could barely remember what I’d said.” Her shoulders lifted in a defensive shrug. “Brad was in the class. He’d been moved enough by it that he asked me out a couple days afterward.”

  “Was he? And here I thought the only things that ever moved that man were his reflection and maybe your son. Open yourself to the truth, Mia. It’s right in front of you. Turn your world on its head.”

  Anger flared up along with confusion. Mia was opening her mouth to demand a clearer answer when she felt Ollie tugging on her sleeve.

  “Mom, it’s the last quarter, and there are only a couple minutes left. Can you come watch? Ben let me blow the whistle twice already.”

  Swallowing down her frustration, Mia let Ollie take her hand and tug her into the gymnasium where the final group of dogs—two Lab mixes, one hound, and a Staffordshire terrier mix—were chasing each other around in circles, ignoring the footballs entirely, in what Mason announced was the biggest pandemonium of the night. Points and penalties were assigned as frivolously as ever, and Mia let Ollie pull her toward the center edge of the game field where Ben was refereeing.

  She didn’t like being in the center of so much commotion, and somehow this tension, along with her mom’s words, stirred up fresh memories of the day she gave the speech that changed her life, leading the way for Ollie, even though she could never have guessed as much at the time. What had her mom meant by bringing her attention back to that day?

  Whether it was the presence of so many people or her fresh anger or her mom’s words, she didn’t know. But suddenly Mia could recall those five minutes with more clarity than just minutes afterward as the haze of adrenaline that had led her up there waned.

  She’d mostly talked about how her father not being there for any of the momentous events in her life—like prom or learning to drive or going on a first date—had defined her life more than anything else.