Chapter 12

I hung halfway upside down on my couch wondering if it would make the TV more interesting. It didn’t, instead making it hard to figure out what was going on and giving me a headache. I sat back upright and sighed before spotting Bauer staring at me strangely from the end of the couch. I was bored. I’d already been for a run and gone to the gym and it wasn’t even noon.

“Wanna go for a walk?” I asked. He immediately jumped up from his spot and began to wag his tail as he ran over to the closet where I kept his leash.

I strapped him to the leash, grabbed my phone, and headed out. I let him guide me wherever he wanted to go. It was a nice day so there were plenty of people out walking their dogs. It gave Bauer a nice opportunity to make some friends while I had something to do. We came to a street corner and I paused while waiting for a car to drive by before crossing.

That was when I noticed the flyer stapled to the telephone pole. It advertised a crafts fair in the park for that day and the next. While I wasn’t necessarily a crafts kind of person I was desperate for something to do and Bauer was beginning to get tired. I directed him back towards the house where I dropped him off before walking back into town.

I debated calling Sidney to see what he was doing but decided against it. While I was confident I could talk him into almost anything, I thought a crafts fair crossed the line. I walked from stand to stand checking out the different items for purchase. While most of it wasn’t my cup of tea, I could still appreciate the effort that was put into creating them.

I grabbed a burger and a soda from a stand and sat listening to the live band playing as I ate. This was exactly the kind of thing my mother would try to drag me to while I was home. I put up a fight every summer and I usually lost. Now I was at one voluntarily. What had my life come to?

An older couple joined me at the picnic table I was at and I chatted with them for a while until our food was done. That was one thing I’d never get over. People here were so much friendlier than at home. Of course, I figured that was because my home was a tourist trap for New York City dwellers that needed time out of the city between the months of May and October.

I started meandering through the stands again wondering if I’d find anything I’d buy when I hit the jackpot. There was a stand dedicated to pets. I walked over and found picture frames, treats, beds, collars, toys, and so on. Okay maybe nothing on this table was really for me, but Bauer was my baby. I started shuffling through the items and had a hard time not buying up the entire dog section of the stand.

“Do you have a dog too?” a woman asked me. I looked over and smiled at her as she shuffled through things as well.

“I do,” I replied.

“What kind?” she asked.

“Well, I was told he was a hound mix by the shelter where I got him, but I did some research and found out there’s a breed that’s not nationally recognized called a Hellenic Hound and he fits the size measurements and personality traits to a T.”

“Hellenic, you say? Isn’t that Greek?”

“It is. How about you? What kind of dog do you have?”

“Well, it’s my son’s dog, but it’s a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.”

“Oh yeah? I know someone who has that kind of dog,” I told her, thinking of Sidney.

We continued to chat about the dogs while we continued to peruse the stand. She ended up grabbing a few bags of treats and a couple of toys for her son’s dog. I did the same, but also bought a couple of picture frames for pictures of Bauer. Crazy, maybe, but like I said, he was my baby. I decided to grab something for Sam and picked up a toy and some treats for her as well.

“So what are you doing here then?” the woman asked after we’d paid. I’d just told her I had moved here for the summer alone.

“I picked it randomly on a map.” She laughed.

“Well, I guess that’s as good a reason as any. You know, my son is about your age. If you wanted I could get you two together and he could show you around,” she offered. I paused for a moment trying to think of how to politely turn her down.

“While I appreciate the offer I’ve managed to meet a few people who have done a pretty good job of that already, but thank you,” I explained.

“Oh, it’s not a problem,” she told me with a wave of her hand. “You just seemed like the kind of person he’d enjoy being around and to be honest he could use a little adventure in his life.” I laughed along with her.

“He’s wound a little tight, huh?” She rolled her eyes.

“You have no idea. He takes his job way too seriously sometimes.”

“Well, I’m sure someone will come along that will show him the light.” Before the woman could respond, her phone rang.

“Oh, I’m sorry, this is him now. It was very nice chatting with you.”

“You too. Have a great day.” I watched her turn and start to walk away as she answered her phone.

Deciding I’d had enough of the crafts fair I headed back home lugging my two large bags all the way back. I had definitely not thought this out properly when I’d bought so much. My arms were aching by the time I reached the house and I was grateful to finally be able to put them down.

“Want a special treat?” I asked Bauer, who immediately stood up on his two back legs and barked. I laughed as I tossed him one. He was a goofball sometimes.

I tossed him the toys I’d gotten him before putting the treats away. Of course then he wanted to play. My arms were sore, but I figured I could throw the toys down the hallway for him to chase a few times. Unfortunately tug of war was on his mind and I found myself grimacing each time he began whipping his head around while trying to pull it out of my grasp.

“Misty!” I heard come from the front door. I recognized the voice as Sidney’s.

“Come on in!” I called back. I smiled at him when he walked in and sat down on the couch next to me, Sam following right behind. Bauer dropped his toy to run over and jump into Sid’s lap. My arm was grateful.

“Hey, buddy,” Sidney said, greeting Bauer as he pet him. Bauer then turned and greeted Sam with a few sniffs. I got up and let them out into the back yard.

“So what’s going on?” I asked.

“Oh, well, I hope I’m not being presumptuous or anything, but I ordered Chinese to be delivered here for dinner,” he explained. I looked at him in surprise.

“You did?”

“Is that okay?”

“It was presumptuous, but since it’s Chinese I’m forced to forgive you,” I joked. He laughed.

“Good. I also thought that since it’s Saturday we should go out.” I was taken aback for a moment. Was he asking me out? Was the Chinese the start of a date? Where had this come from?

“Go out?” I asked nervously.

“Yeah. I’ll call up the usual crew and we’ll see how much trouble we can try to keep them from getting in.” I let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t asking me on a date, he just wanted everyone to get together and hang out.

“That sounds like fun.”

The Chinese arrived a few minutes later. We left the dogs outside to run around while we ate. I smiled when I saw that he’d remembered what I liked and gotten me General Tso’s with steamed rice instead of pork fried rice with a shrimp eggroll. He was good.










Sidney fed the dogs while Misty got ready to go out. He heard the shower go on, and was surprised when it was turned back off only 5 minutes later. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Misty hardly spent as much time as most girls getting ready. He flipped through the channels on the TV until she walked out after only half an hour.

“Do I look ready to police your friends?” she asked, coming down the hallway. He nearly choked on his water when he saw her.

Misty came out in a sparkling black strapless top, dark jeans that were just tight enough, and purple sky high heels. He also couldn’t remember ever seeing her with her hair down until tonight. He hadn’t realized how long it was, but could now see that it went past her shoulder blades. And when did she get bangs? Then his eyes zeroed in on her red lips and he knew he was in trouble.

“Um, Sid?” she asked giving him a strange look.

“Right, sorry. How are you going to police anyone in those shoes?” Great, he was so flustered he couldn’t even compliment her. Hell, it came out like he was criticizing her. He was afraid she was going to get upset, but instead she laughed.

“You’re a dork. I guess I’m ready a little early. Can I get you a drink before we go?” she asked, putting down the clutch she was holding and walking into the kitchen.

“Whatever is fine,” he mumbled, still stunned. He knew Misty was hot, but Christ, he hadn’t been prepared for this. He felt like it had just hit him like a freight train.

“You have to promise to give this drink a shot before you turn it down,” she called out.

“Yeah, okay.” He was having trouble forming sentences right now as he watched her bend over to grab something from a low cupboard. Oh yeah, he was in trouble tonight.

“Try it,” she told him, handing him a drink that was pink. He’d managed to somehow get his act together a bit at this point and was able to look up at her skeptically.

“It’s pink,” he pointed out.

“Doesn’t mean it’s girly. Drink it,” she ordered. She took a sip of hers through a straw and he nearly chugged half his drink to keep his mind off of that visual.

“Wow, this is good. What is it?”

“Pear vodka, ginger ale, and pomegranate liquer,” she replied.

“That’s not girly?” he questioned. She smacked him on the arm not holding the drink as she sat down next to him on the couch.

“Shut up. You liked it until you heard the word ‘pomegranate’.”

When they finished the drinks they let the dogs out one last time before heading out for the night. Everyone was at the bar when they arrived and Sidney watched the eyes practically pop out of his friends’ heads when they walked in. Misty just smiled and greeted everyone as she sat down. He realized she was completely oblivious to the fact that every male sitting at that table couldn’t keep his eyes off of her, along with every other male in the bar.

Sidney was exhausted when he finally dropped Misty off at her house and picked up Sam. The night had been incredible with the whole group laughing nonstop the entire time. Even so, he’d spent a large part of the night glaring at every guy who approached Misty. As he got into bed he wondered when this had happened. When the hell had he fallen for her?