Thursday evening after work, Mel stopped by a family-owned pet store on Market Street and purchased a dog bed, brush, vitamins, bath wash, food, and a few play toys for Lucy. She was excited to get home and bathe the dog, hoping she would be able to get the tangles out of her seemingly pretty coat. At lunchtime, she called the nearest vet and set up an appointment for Saturday to get Lucy thoroughly checked and microchipped. The pup had become more spry and alert after a few good meals in her belly and a cozy place to sleep.
Mel’s cell phone rang as she was driving home. She put it on speakerphone and answered. “Hello, Melanie here.”
“Hey, Mel, it’s Emily. I just wanted to give you a time frame for your friend’s costumes. If he wants to wait for all of them at once, I’ll have them completed by the second week of September, or I’ll have two of them done by next weekend. Let me know what he wants to do, as far as the costumes go, I mean.” Emily giggled at her own innuendo.
“You’re an evil woman. I’ll call you back tomorrow after I talk to him. Guess what?”
“What?”
“We have a new addition to the household. One of our tenants found a stray pup yesterday. She’s a cute little spaniel of some sort, and I decided to claim her as my own. She’ll be the house dog for all of us to enjoy, but I’ll take care of her vet stuff. Cool, huh? I named her Lucy.”
“That’s adorable. Next time you stop over, bring her along. I’d love to meet her, and I bet Jessie would, too.”
“Sure, no problem. I’ll get back to you tomorrow about Jax.” Mel arrived back home and went upstairs to the bathroom with all of the supplies at the ready and two dry terrycloth towels on the floor. She placed Lucy in the bathtub and carefully scrubbed her little body. The dog shivered and shook, spraying water all over Mel and the bathroom. “Guess I should have expected that,” she said. Mel wiped her face with one of the towels. When the bath was complete, Mel took the shower hose and rinsed Lucy off. She pulled the wet mop of a pup out of the tub and wrapped her in warm towels. Lucy licked Mel’s face. “Yeah, I bet you’re happy that’s over with.” She carried the dog downstairs and out to the backyard. With the brush in one hand and scissors in the other, Mel meticulously brushed the tangles out of Lucy’s coat and clipped away anything too knotted to untangle. “Now we’ll wait. When you’re dry, we can really see what you look like. Mel played with the pup, offering her some of the new toys she’d purchased. Lucy lay on her back in the late afternoon sun, chewing on one of the toys as Mel scratched her belly. “You’re going to be a good friend, Lucy. I can tell already.”
***
“Okay, everyone, John should be here in about an hour and a half. He just texted me saying he exited Interstate 95 and is almost to Sheldon. It would be nice if all of you were here to meet him. He’s such a dear friend and helped me out a lot last summer.”
“I have to take Lucy to the vet at eleven, but I’ll come home right after that, I promise,” Mel said. “What do you guys think of this little beauty? Nice rhinestone collar, huh? She looks like a princess.” Mel smiled with pride at the pup. “Does anyone have any thoughts on what type of spaniel she is? Let’s all throw a buck on the table. Winner, or winners, gets all of it.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re weird?” Adam asked.
“Sure, but who cares? It’ll be fun. I say she’s a King Charles spaniel.”
“Obviously, you’ve been searching online since none of us have ever heard of a King Charles spaniel,” Lisa said. “I’ll say she’s a young cocker.”
Betsy insisted she was a Lhasa Apso.
“I think she’s a cocker and poodle mix,” Adam said. Gina nodded her agreement as she sat on his lap.
Erik added his two cents. “I’ll say she’s a really cute mutt.”
“Erik!” Mel gasped, covering Lucy’s ears. “Show some respect.”
“I don’t know. I may have to agree with Erik. She has really weird ears,” Abby said.
“Thanks, Abs. I thought you were my friend. Okay, whatever… everyone write down a breed on this sheet of paper next to your name.” She shot an angry look at Erik. “And mutt isn’t a breed. I’ll let you know the results when I get back.” Mel huffed as she gathered up Lucy, kissed her, and left.
Erik laughed and shook his head while enjoying his coffee. “You know your best friend is seriously deranged, don’t you, hon?”
Abby chuckled as she burped Maili. “I know, but that’s part of her quirky charm. I’m going upstairs to bathe Maili. John will be here soon.” She kissed Erik and carried the baby to the third floor bathroom.
***
Mel drove to the vet, just ten minutes away. She was thankful they had weekend hours and chose the vet specifically for that reason. She glanced at Lucy, who was curled up in a ball, sleeping on the passenger seat. “You are the cutest little thing. I’m so happy I have you, Lucy.” The dog moaned, rearranged itself, and went back to sleep.
Mel realized as she drove that she’d forgotten to call Jax about the costumes. Wow… I’ve barely thought of him since we got Lucy. Weird that he hasn’t called me either. Maybe I’m too predictable and dull for such a spontaneous, free-spirited twenty-two-year-old.
She put on her Bluetooth and called Jax. He answered on the third ring.
“Hi, Mel, how’s it going?”
“I’m good. I wanted to talk to you about the costumes.”
“Oh, sure, but can we do it later? I’m right in the middle of something.”
“Of course. Should I wait for you to call when you aren’t busy?”
“Yep, sounds great. Gotta go.”
Mel was certain she heard a female voice in the background, but it could be anyone if he was at his parents’ house. Although, anyone with a cell phone could be anywhere, she told herself, even in a hotel room. Wow, am I jealous? I can’t remember the last time I saw that side of myself.
She pulled into the ten-car lot of Charleston Small Animal Clinic and parked. Mel went around to the passenger side and scooped little Lucy up in her arms. The dog complained with a sigh and nestled back into the fleece blanket. Mel went inside, registered at the desk, then sat in the waiting room with the other people cooing and petting their own small animals. Everyone looked fondly at each other’s pets, as if they were comparing newborn babies in a hospital nursery. Mel scratched the back of sleeping Lucy’s ears and waited until her name was called. She followed Eileen, the receptionist, to an exam room and was told Dr. DeLong would be in momentarily. Cute name. Thankfully, it isn’t Dr. Doolittle. She chuckled to herself as she walked around the room, bouncing Lucy in her arms as she did so often with Maili. Hmmm… I guess all babies, whether human or animal, like being bounced. She read the posters on the walls and looked through the pet information brochures to see if she should take any home with her. The door opened, and Mel almost dropped Lucy. In walked the most handsome man she had ever seen. His wavy dark brown hair just touched his collar, and his skin was cloaked in a deep golden tan. His eyes were the bluest blue, reminding Melanie of the waters of the Caribbean. With his rugged good looks, he could have been mistaken for a mountain man living in a secluded cabin high in the Rockies and wearing animal skins for clothing. She was certain that at some point in his life, he must have been the centerfold for a magazine, with nothing but rabbit fur covering his privates. He smiled, held out his hand, and introduced himself as Dr. Daniel DeLong.
“Hello, Dr. DeLong. I’m Melanie Davis, and this is Lucy.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Davis. I like getting to know my new clients and their pets and finding out what their needs are. Shall we?” He pointed to a chair, motioning for Mel to sit down.
I can tell you in two words what my needs are… your body. “Oh, thank you,” she said, still stunned by the aura of perfection that surrounded him. “It’s Miss Davis, or better yet, Melanie, and you can call Lucy… Lucy.”
He laughed a ‘life is good and all is well with the world’ kind of laugh, making Mel want to do a happy dance right there in the exam room.
“Okay, Melanie, what can I do for you and Lucy today?”
Yeah, right… you’re really asking me that question? How about scooping me up off the floor and having your way with me? “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I asked why you’re here today.”
“Oh…we need a wellness exam, or I mean Lucy does,” she said, smiling coquettishly.
He laughed again while taking Lucy out of Melanie’s grip. As he reached for the dog, she noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.
“Cute little Papillion we have here,” he said.
“A Papillion…what in the world is that?”
“They’re a breed of toy spaniels, also called a Continental Toy Spaniel.”
“We found her abandoned last Wednesday. Her coat was filthy and matted, and she seemed pretty lethargic. We’ve been nursing her back to health, and now she seems stronger and has a pretty good appetite. After we gave her a thorough bathing and cut out the knotted fur, she actually is a really cute dog.” Mel couldn’t take her eyes off Dr. DoMePlease as she talked. “She didn’t have any identification on her, so there was nobody to call, but anyone that would let a cutie like her just wander away doesn’t deserve her in my opinion.”
“She looks to be a purebred, which is really odd if she actually was abandoned. They’re a pricy little dog. It sounds like you’re pretty fond of her already.” Dr. DeLong listened to Lucy’s heartbeat with the stethoscope, then checked all her joints. He looked in her mouth and examined her teeth. “She looks to be around five months old. She’s losing her baby teeth, and the adult ones are coming in.” He checked her eyes and ears, too, sniffing in each ear.
“Why in the world are you sniffing in her ears?”
“It’s a way of telling if they have any ear infections.” He looked at Mel and smiled.
“Humph… I guess I just learned something new.” Damn, I wish he would examine me like that. I wouldn’t mind him sniffing me. “Can you tell if she’s microchipped?”
“Sure, give me one second.” The doctor opened the cabinet drawer and pulled out the scanner. He ran it between Lucy’s shoulder blades, but no code came up. “She isn’t chipped. Would you like me to implant one?”
“Yes, please. It won’t hurt her, will it?”
“No worse than getting a vaccination, which she probably needs, too. We’ll take care of those issues next time, and you’ll have to bring a stool sample in with you.”
Mel looked horrified. “Hell no… are you serious?”
He laughed. “Have you ever owned a dog, Melanie?”
“Is it that obvious? Okay, I haven’t, but I’m willing to learn everything I need to be a good dog parent.”
“That’s cute. I’ve never heard any pet owners call themselves that. We’ll draw blood today so we can get a baseline on her. Bring Lucy and a stool sample back next week. We’ll figure out what she needs for vaccinations and go from there.”
“Do you have any pets, Dr. DeLong?”
“You can call me Dan, and yes, I do. I have a Catahoula Leopard Dog and a Mountain Cur.”
“Wow… I really have no idea what those are. They sound exotic.”
“They aren’t, but they’re fierce hunting dogs by nature. I’m not a hunter, but I love taking them out for hikes. They love to run and explore. Here, let me show you what they look like.” Dan pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his photos until he came to the dogs. Mel looked closely as he scrolled and didn’t notice any photos of Dan with a woman. “Here we go. They’re both two-year-old females. The Catahoula is named Dotty, for obvious reasons, and the Mountain Cur is Dixie.”
“Oh my goodness, they’re both so pretty. Look at the eyes on the Catahoula. They’re bright blue!” Mel had to catch herself from saying Dotty’s eyes matched Dan’s. “Can you zoom in?”
“Sure, give me a second. There we go.” Dan handed Mel his cell phone, and she gasped when she saw Dotty’s face up close.
“I had no idea what I’ve been missing my entire life. I never knew about this dog breed or that any dog could be this beautiful.”
“You know that as a new pet owner, you’re going to have to walk Lucy often. Where will you take her?”
“Oh, that’s easy. I live across the street from White Point Garden.”
“Hmmm. That’s a pretty high-end neighborhood. That could explain how Lucy became a stray. She may have gotten out of some wealthy person’s home, and they couldn’t find her. Those dogs start at five hundred dollars and go up in price.”
“She wasn’t found in my neighborhood, but nobody deserves a pet if they aren’t going to protect it.”
“Good point, Melanie. I think you’re going to be a great dog parent.” Dan put the cell phone back in his lab coat pocket, looked over Lucy’s chart one last time, and appeared to be getting ready to say goodbye to Melanie when she spoke up.
“So, where do you walk your dogs? You must need a lot of open space for them to run and exercise, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I usually take them to James Island County Park. They can swim and run until they’re ragged there, plus it’s fenced in. It’s the perfect spot and only fifteen minutes from my house. I take them there twice during the week, but Folly Beach is really cool, too.”
“That sounds convenient. Where do you live?”
A look of surprise filled Dan’s eyes, yet he seemed flattered that she asked. “I live on Ashley, just north of Wentworth. You should bring Lucy out to the park sometime so she can run. There’s a lot of traffic at White Point Garden, plus Papillion’s have a lot of energy… when they’re fit and healthy anyway. She’ll be in good form within a month, I’m sure of it.”
“Okay, cool. It was really nice to meet you, Dan, and I’ll see you next week. Say bye, Lucy.” Mel took Lucy’s paw and waved it up and down. She went out to the reception counter and set up Lucy’s appointment for next Wednesday.
She drove home thinking about how her life had taken such a drastic turn in the last few weeks. It seems like hot men are oozing out of the woodwork. I’m sure they’ve always been around, I just wasn’t paying attention. Now the question is, what am I going to do about Jax? Maybe we can just be good friends. The whole age difference and mindset is definitely going to get in the way. I know that for a fact. I already feel like an old hag around him. We aren’t meant to be a couple. I should have never told him I wanted to see where it could go. In hindsight and in my gut, I know it won’t ever go anywhere.
Mel couldn’t wait to get home and Google Dr. Daniel DeLong. She needed to see if there was any personal profile of him online. Hopefully, she would find something that said he was a hot, single veterinarian with two dogs, waiting for someone named Melanie to appear in his life. She could only wish. Next Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough.