Tempting Perfection
“From what I’ve heard, seems like you give it back to him.”
Wait. Kurt talks about me to Waldo?
That gave me pause. But I’d have to process this information later.
Giving George a pat, Waldo shook his head before getting out of the car.
“Okay, George, you have to go potty really quick. Then we should get on the bus before meanie head comes on. He’s kind of grouchy, but he’ll grow on you.”
He licked me in response. It felt like my heart was beating double time. I mean, what in the world had come over me that I’d bought a dog? A dog? I’d always wanted one as a kid, but there had never been any time. This lap poodle was going to depend on me to keep him alive. My eyes widened at the realization.
Later. I will process this later.
I opened the car door and rushed George over to the grassy area off to the side of the private parking lot where the buses were parked. Since Kurt had filed a lawsuit against his current label, he’d decided to open his own record company. They had a temporary office in LA until it was decided what to do.
George squirmed. “Okay, George, go pee. Don’t leave the area.”
I set the puppy down and raced to the back of the car to grab all his stuff. Who would have thought a dog required so many things? George sniffed the nearby grass. “Go pee-pee, George. I need you to be a good boy and go on the grass.”
“Kurt said I should be expecting you.”
With a scream, I jumped, and George began to bark.
A man stepped around me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Wade. I’m Frank, your driver for this first leg. Thomas and I will alternate for the duration of the tour.”
Holding my hand to my heart, I tried to calm myself. Thank goodness, I remembered him being on the itinerary. The older gentleman stuck out his hand. I shook it and said, “Oh, geez. Hey, Frank. You scared me to death.”
It was then Frank must have noticed there was a dog with me. His eyebrow quirked. Glancing back nervously toward the building where Kurt was still in his meeting, I knew I had to get Frank on my team fast.
“Listen. I’m going to come clean with you. I got a dog today. A lap poodle. And Kurt has no idea. I need help hauling all George’s sh—I mean, stuff into my room before Kurt gets done. It’s a code red.”
“Lap poodle? Code red?”
“Yes. A dog. We need to be fast. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. If you help me, we’ll be the bestest of friends.”
George gave another yap and then lunged forward to pee. “Oh my gosh! You’re such a good dog! Good boy, George! Good boy!”
Frank looked to the left and to the right. “Umm…has Mr. Hendrix approved?”
Oh man, I had another loyal Kurt lover on my hands. I needed to sweet-talk this man and fast. “Look at that cute face. Can you seriously say no to him? Where would he go? He can’t be abandoned after being adopted only two hours ago. Think how you would feel.”
Silence.
Frank appeared to be at a total loss, judging from the blank look on his face. Finally, he recovered. “If Mr. Hendrix gets mad—”
I grinned, knowing I’d convinced him. “You had nothing to do with it. In fact, when I got on the bus, you were using the restroom.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
It was a race against the clock, and we made several trips. George thought it was a game, so he tried to nip at my heels. “Don’t be naughty, George. We have to hurry.”
I heaved out a breath. Maybe I should start working out some. At least all the stuff was on the bus in the living area. “Which room is mine?”
Frank leaned against the wall, worn out. “I think the first on the right.”
The interior of the bus had been customized. The size of Kurt’s room had been reduced so that I could have my own room. In addition, the living and kitchen areas were smaller. It was boringly plain with the gray walls and black couches. Color was a must if we were going to be on this thing for three months. A narrow hallway on the left of the bus had three doors on it. I tried the first one. It was a bathroom. The second one made me pause, horrified.
“Oh, he did not!”