Dad
I continued to stare at my phone, wondering how long it had taken my father to type that all out in text message. Then I laughed so hard I got a cramp in my side. Maggie Maye jumped up on me, barking, before she ran to the back door.
“Good girl!” I said, still chuckling. “That’s a smart girl. You’re going to get a treat for that!”
I made a mental note to ask Sydney what the best treats would be to buy for Maggie Maye. Then I sent my mother a text.
Me: You’re tracking Dad, aren’t you?
She replied back almost instantly with a winky-face emoji followed by a laughing one.
Me: He’s going to be upset when he finds out, you know.
Mom: That is what makes it so much fun! Karen tracks him, too! He won’t find out for months!
With a smile, I just shook my head. My poor father. I could have only imagined what trouble he would get himself into next.
I watched as Maggie Maye ran around the yard chasing a butterfly. Deep inside, I hoped like hell Sydney didn’t find anyone missing the pup. I’d already fallen head over heels for her, and I knew I would be screwed if Sydney found her owners.
Maggie Maye stopped and looked at me as if she knew I was thinking about her. She started running full speed toward me and then tumbled over her paws, rolling a few times before landing on her side.
“Mags! Are you okay?” I asked with a chuckle.
She stood, shook it off, and made her way over to me. I couldn’t help but think of Sydney.
“Mags, I hope you didn’t love your previous owners because if we find them, there might be a legal battle.”
The pup barked and jumped up at my face. Then she fell back, doing an impressive somersault.
“I think you took lessons from Syd, didn’t ya, girl?”
Maggie Maye barked again and then licked my face. Grinning, I made a mental note to get Sydney’s phone number.
Sydney
After an early morning at the clinic, I went to the house to meet the movers. Thank goodness I had Marie. Even though I’d had my degree for three years, running a business on your own was more daunting than I’d imagined. Thankfully, Grandpa had kept me involved for years, so I understood most of the ins and outs.
Marie suggested we pack up everything of Grandpa’s for now as opposed to waiting. I agreed it would be easier to not see everything exactly as he’d left it. Later, I could go through it to determine
what to keep when his loss wasn’t so fresh. That made sense.
I glanced out the window and stopped short when I saw a man who looked like Mike. When he turned, my shoulders sagged. It wasn’t him.
Mike Murphy.
Talk about a hormone booster. Seriously, the man was good looking, nice, and short-circuited my brain. If I kept this up, I’d have broken bones soon and not an ounce of pride left. The ridiculousness of my thoughts and actions went beyond normal, even for me.
Maybe I need to see someone about this. My subconscious answered back. No, let Officer McHotty give you a good plunging with his night stick.