Rachel giggled. “You really wanna know?”
I sighed. “No.”
I’d adopted Hunter a few months back, after mistakenly stopping—just to look—at the puppies available at a charity pet foundation’s Doggy Beach Day event in Newport Beach, where I’d been visiting Rachel. He was the cutest ball of puppy chub I’d ever seen, and he’d stolen my heart when he put his tiny little paw in mine as soon as I’d stooped down to say hello to him and his litter mates. One thing had quickly led to another, and within a couple of hours, I’d signed adoption paperwork, paid a fee, and was off to the pet store to get all the supplies needed to keep my new little pal.
I didn’t realize that puppy proofing my house and belongings was a full time job.
In the chaos of tax time, I’d worked increasingly long hours and had asked Rachel to take care of the little guy until my schedule freed up a little more. She lived in a beach house along the coast, and worked as a dental hygienist a few blocks away, so it had been more practical for her to handle puppy duty.
“He’s getting better,” Rachel assured me when I stepped back into the living room. I handed her a bottle of fresh pressed juice that I’d picked up at the juice bar inside the grocery store next door to my condo building. I’d stopped to get a few essentials for my trip, and decided a green smoothie was the right way to kick things off.
Hunter stirred when Rachel moved to open her juice, and one of his blue eyes opened just enough to see me. He struggled to right himself, his roly-poly puppy tummy getting in his way, and started barking at me, his tail wagging in double speed.
I giggled and scooped him off the couch. “Hey there sleepy.” He licked at my cheek and nose as I snuggled him against my chest. “I missed you too, trouble.”
I sat down on the couch next to Rachel and released Hunter. He scampered clumsily on the couch cushions between us, pinging back and forth as we laughed and took turns petting his head and scratching his ears. “Thanks for taking care of him. How’s the training going?” Rachel wrinkled her nose and I sighed. “Well, I guess I know what I’ll be doing over my vacation. He can’t go around chewing up the cottage I rented.” I cringed at the thought. The rental website had stamped the beach house as “pet friendly” but I had a feeling the owner might object if they knew that meant a six-month old puppy would be taking up temporary residence.
Luckily, they hadn’t asked too many questions when I mentioned I was bringing my dog.
“Don’t worry about it, Holly. He’ll be fine.” Rachel took a slow sip from her juice and absently pat Hunter’s belly as he rolled over onto his back. “So, tell me about this place?
In celebration of finishing tax time strong, with a full client roster, I’d decided to treat myself and go on a two-week vacation to the beach. I was heading to a small, beach town, a few hours up the California coast. It was called Holiday Cove, and when I’d found it on a local travel website, I’d immediately decided that it was perfect. In all my years of working, I’d never had a job that allowed two weeks off, and now that I was the boss lady, I was taking full advantage of being the one calling the shots.
“It looks pretty amazing. The house is more of a cottage, just one bedroom, but there’s a sleeper sofa in the living room. It has a little kitchen and dining area of course, but the best part is the back deck. It’s right there on the sand, with a clear view of the ocean. It looks like heaven. I can’t wait to wake up to the sound of the ocean and the salty air coming in the window.” I sighed deeply, becoming more impatient to get there by the second.
“Sounds like perfection! I can’t believe I couldn’t get both weeks off,” Rachel said, making a pouty face. “You sure you’re gonna be all right by yourself for the first week?”
I waved off her concern. “Of course I’ll be! Trust me, the past few weeks, I’ve had enough noise and chaos to last a lifetime. Or, at least, until next year at tax time. Some peace and quiet is just what I need.”
Rachel looked down at Hunter as he jumped overboard off the couch and made a sudden beeline down the hallway. “I hate to break it to you, but with that little guy around, you’re not likely to get much of either.”
I laughed and got off the couch to chase him down before he found my work shoes. It didn’t seem to matter how many toys I purchased for him, there was something about my high heels that he was drawn to more strongly than any kind of proper dog toy. Unfortunately, he also had some kind of built in radar and knew exactly which pairs were the most expensive.