Page 24 of Better Than Baby
He waggled his brows playfully. “I like cheese.”
I scratched my nape and pulled a face. I could write page after page of dry and boring yet perfectly concise verbiage for a contract that would hold up for decades, but sharing my feelings wasn’t easy. Thankfully, Murphy saved me from a second attempt at explaining my Hallmark-cringeworthy thoughts on parenthood. He raced to the screen door and jumped on the glass, barking his head off at the squirrel perched on the deck railing outside.
“Yeah, well, Murphy doesn’t like schmaltz, and he desperately needs to learn some manners. Let’s go to the park, shall we?”
Our dog whisperer was a serious middle-aged man with thinning hair and thick glasses who’d been highly recommended by a neighbor. Their German shepherd mix had gone from a hooligan to a well-mannered gentleman within two months of beginning regular training sessions. Sadly, I had a feeling it was going to take Murph a little longer than that.
“The key is incentive and praise,” Victor explained. “Handing out treats might seem like bribery, but it works. Use a firm but kind tone.”
“No problem. C’mere, Murph.” I drew him to my left, walked a few steps, then tugged his leash. “Heel.”
“Don’t pull his leash. You want him to listen to your words rather than be physically guided.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” I tried again, moving from the large elm throwing shade across the playground equipment and the surrounding pathway. “Murphy, come. Good boy. Stay…I mean…heel.”
Murphy didn’t heel. Not even close. In fact, he nearly choked himself in a quest to chase after a crow, a hummingbird, and a dragonfly. Under Victor’s disapproving gaze, I yanked the leash to slow Murphy’s stride without dislocating my shoulder. It worked. He sat, tongue lolling to the side as he stared up at me expectantly.
“Should he give Murphy a treat now?” Aaron asked.
“It couldn’t hurt. However…” Victor skewered us with a serious once-over. “He will not learn if you’re inconsistent with your words and actions. Perhaps it would be wise to stick to basic commands for now and work our way up. Sit, down, stay. Sit, down, stay.”
“Why does thirty minutes of dog training feel like thirty hours?” I grumbled as soon as we’d said good-bye to Victor.
“No idea. It’s excruciating. Is it me, or is Murphy failing pup school?” Aaron lamented.
“Yeah, and I think that’s an us problem.”
“Are we terrible dog parents? My high opinion of us takes a hit after these sessions. I wonder if…” He trailed off, lowering his sunglasses to study something over my shoulder.
I turned to follow his gaze. “What are you looking at?”
“That girl has her eye on us. She’s been staring for a while.”
“We have a cute dog, Aar. Puppies are babe magnets.”
Aaron smacked my arm and huffed. “Ew. I hope not.”
I snort-laughed. “Guys can be babes. And don’t tell me you haven’t been stopped by some cute guy or girl while you’ve been out with Murph.”
“Okay, you got me. There’s a cougar on Poppy Lane who really likes me. She stops whatever she’s doing to pet Murphy and chat and…” He pulled his sunglasses off, his full lips pursed in confusion. “Matty, we know her.”
“Huh?” I frowned.
I couldn’t place the tall blond at first, and when I did, my heart sank.
Almost a year had gone by.
Last December, she’d been round-faced with a swollen belly and a quick smile. Now, her shapeless black sundress overwhelmed her painfully thin physique and made her arms look like twigs. Last year, Aaron had commented that her razor-sharp cheekbones would be the envy of a runway model. Now, they only added to her gaunt appearance.
Cassie.
The Georgetown student we’d spent months getting to know last year. The young woman whose hand we’d held through doctor appointments. The one who’d laughingly told us she’d be knee-deep in textbooks while we were knee-deep in dirty diapers. The one who’d sobbed helplessly as the parents of her unborn child’s biological father took over her life and her plans, relegating us to hapless bystanders.
Christ, we’d finally begun moving past the hurt and devastation. Why was she here now? She lived a good forty-five minutes from our corner of Maryland. This couldn’t be a chance encounter.
I grabbed Aaron’s arm. “Hey, why don’t you take Murphy to the car, and I’ll see what she wants.”
He cocked his chin in surprise and reached for my hand. “I’m all right, Matty. So are you. If she’s come all this way, there must be a reason. C’mon.”