When there’s a knock on the door, he gets up to answer it. I expect it to be the food he ordered, but when I hear him ask, “Can I help you?” I turn to find Tom standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Tom.” I get up and head around the couch. I look up at Cobi when it seems he’s blocking me from the door, and explain quietly, “Tom’s my landlord.” Jerking up his chin, he lets me by and I shake my head.
“Got the note you left in my mailbox,” Tom says shortly when I reach the door. “The answer is yes, just as long as you clean up any and all shit and pay the three hundred dollar deposit.”
“Thank you,” I say softly, and he grunts in response.
He turns and walks away without another word, I watch him go wondering exactly what he did for the Mob, then I smile.
“What was that about?” Cobi asks, seeing the smile on my face.
“I’m getting a dog, or maybe a cat. Either way, I’m getting an animal.” I look up at him while he closes the door.
“You want a dog?”
“Well I’ve never owned a dog before, but I have a fenced in backyard. I owned a cat once; I miss her.” His face softens. “I haven’t decided what kind of animal I want. I just know I want another soul in the house so it’s not so quiet when I’m home alone.”
“Are you afraid of dogs?” he asks as we both go back to the couch and sit down.
“No.”
“Big dogs?” he pushes.
“No, or not that I know of.” My brows pull together. “Why?”
“My bullmastiff Maxim has been staying with my parents, since I’ve been working so much. He’s housebroken and protective. You’d love him. You could keep him here with you while you decide if you want a dog or another cat.”
“You have a dog?” I don’t know why I’m stunned by this piece of information.
“Yeah, had him for six years now. Got him as a pup when I was still in the military.”
“He’s staying with your parents?”
“I haven’t been home much the last few days,” he says, not saying out loud that he hasn’t been home much because he’s been basically taking care of me since I was released from the hospital. “As good as Maxim is being on his own, I don’t like him to be alone, not for long periods of time. He does better when he’s around people who don’t mind giving him attention.”
“He can stay with me,” I say immediately, and he grins. “The small yard in the back of the house is fenced in, so he has a place to roam, and I can come home during the day to let him out if I need to.”
“He’s housebroken; he can hold it.” His eyes smile. “I will warn you—he sleeps in my bed when he’s with me, and from what my mom and dad have said, he sleeps with them too. He’s not a small dog. He hogs the covers and he snores.”
“I don’t mind. I sleep with light and a sound machine, so his snoring will be like a new form of white noise.”
“All right, I’ll get him from my parents tomorrow and bring him over so you two can meet. If things work out, he can stay with you for the time being. I’ll also give your landlord the deposit, since you’ll actually be helping me out.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I deny with a shake of my head. “I would end up paying the deposit anyway, and plus, having him around will give me an idea of if I’m cut out to be a dog owner.”
“Now that Maxim is an adult, he’s easy. When he was a pup it was a different story. He was into everything and had no idea of his size or the damage he could do. I can’t even tell you the number of times I came home when he was a puppy to find that he somehow escaped from his kennel and mauled the garbage, dragging it all over the house.”
“Maybe I’m not cut out for owning a dog,” I murmur, and he grins.
“He doesn’t do that kind of thing anymore, but still, if you do decide to get a puppy, that kind of thing is unavoidable until they are older and trained.”
“Good to know,” I say, and he tugs me over then kisses me softly with a smile on his lips. Just as the kiss is starting to get heated, the doorbell rings, announcing our food has arrived.
We eat watching TV in comfortable silence, and when we’ve both finished, we clean up then head for my room without a word of where he’s sleeping. Like we have been doing it for years, we work in sync, each of us using the bathroom to change and brush our teeth before getting into bed.