Page 52 of September

Had Gwen just called her cute? Juliet tried not to blush, but she felt the heat creep up her cheeks anyway. She walked through the front door, following Gwen, who still had Carly’s leash in her hand.

“So, Buster is a rescue, too. Elisa just got him, but he’s the sweetest. I’ve had him around other dogs, and there hasn’t been an issue, but I’ve asked Elisa to keep him on the leash, and I’ll keep Carly on the leash. We’ll let them sniff around, and if all goes well, they can play together while the adults eat and hang out.”

“Okay. I trust you,” Juliet replied, and they proceeded to walk through the shotgun house until Gwen opened the door toa well-kept yard that had a patio with an awning that provided some much-needed shade.

Buster had been lying next to a patio chair Elisa was occupying, but when he saw another dog enter the yard, he gave a short bark followed by a soft growl.

“Buster,” Elisa warned.

Buster stood up but didn’t make a move to get closer to Carly. Carly herself moved back a few steps to be closer to Gwen, which, Juliet had to admit, was adorable. Her tiny dog trusted Gwen and knew she would never let anyone hurt her, and that said a lot about who Gwen was as a person.

“Hi, Juliet,” Elisa said, standing up. “He’ll be fine. Carly is just in his territory, so give him a minute because he’s a man, and you know how they are about territory. Can I pet her?”

“Of course,” Juliet replied. “And thanks for letting me bring her over.”

“Anytime,” Elisa said and walked over to Carly.

“And his territory? He’s claimingMyra’sbackyard now, too?” Gwen asked.

“Well, there’s a gate between the yards that was there before Myra and I ever moved in, so we’ve just left it open for him to have a lot more space to run off all his energy.” Elisa knelt down to give Carly some attention and added, “Buster, come on over, buddy.”

“I’ve got the leash,” Myra said, standing up and taking Buster’s leash, following him as he approached Elisa. “Hi, Juliet. Nice to see you again.”

“You too. Thanks for having me over. You have a beautiful home.”

Juliet had only seen part of it and for a few seconds at most, but it felt like the right thing to say. The four of them stood around the two dogs as they sniffed and moved around each other, doing that thing dogs usually did to get to know oneanother. It didn’t take long for them to deem each other safe and start jumping around. Myra let Buster off the leash, Gwen let Carly off hers, and the two dogs burst into the yard, running and jumping around each other. Buster picked up a rope toy. Carly tried to take it, and they were off playing.

“So, beer?” Myra asked. “Or wine?”

“Um… Whatever you’re having,” Juliet said to Gwen.

“Beer for me. Elisa is more the wine girl.”

“Okay. Beer,” Juliet said.

“No martini this time?” Gwen teased.

“Shut up.”

“No problem, Bond. James Bond,” Gwen added in a mock British accent.

Juliet laughed and watched Carly as she played happily with Buster. She was going to miss this, watching her dog be happy.

“Can you let them hang out together when I’m gone?” she asked Gwen.

“Sure. I walk Buster sometimes. Elisa?”

“No problem. He has a lot more energy than I thought he would have when I rescued him, so letting him run or play it off works well for me when it’s time for me to get some sleep.”

“Thank you. I don’t know if Gwen told you, but my job suddenly requires a lot of travel I wasn’t expecting, and I got Carly before I knew I’d be getting it. Gwen’s been amazing. Carly really loves her.”

Elisa smiled over at Gwen and motioned for them to sit at the table just as Myra returned from inside the house with three beers and a glass of white wine that she had somehow managed to carry all at once.

“Here you go, babe,” she said to Elisa, handing her the wine.

“Thank you,” Elisa replied.

“I’m grilling tonight. You’re not a vegetarian, are you?” Myra asked Juliet. “I got a veggie burger thing, just in case.”