Page 61 of September

“No problem.” She shrugged a shoulder. “So, where’s my girl?”

“She’s over there, playing with Buster,” Gwen replied as she turned and stood next to Juliet, nodding to where Carly was running alongside Buster, who was trying to take whatever she had in her mouth.

“And what are they playing with, exactly?”

“One of his rope toys. I brought it from Elisa’s. They’d been running back and forth like that for twenty minutes, so she should be very ready to fall asleep next to you tonight.”

Juliet laughed and noted, “She hasn’t even noticed I’m here.”

“She’s busy. That rope toy is important,” Gwen teased. “Plus, I think she’s a little in love.”

“With Buster?”

“Yes. And he loves her back; don’t worry. I think they’ll treat each other well.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“When I drove them over here, they both sat in the back seat and kind of curled up into each other. It was really cute, Jules. They didn’t even try to sit up and look out the windows. They just wanted to snuggle.”

“Really? That’s adorable,” she replied. “And he’s fixed, right? I mean,sheis, so she’s not going to get pregnant, but he’s not going to like–”

“Hump her brains out?” Gwen asked, causing Juliet to laugh again. “He’s fixed, yeah. Hey, can you watch them for aminute? I really need to pee. I made the mistake of having that coffee before I came here, so I’ve been holding it in.”

“Sure. But coffee?”

“Yes. And I went to Southern; I didn’t make it myself. I got the drink you recommended last night.”

“And?”

“It was fucking delicious, so you are forever my coffee dealer now.”

“Go pee,” Juliet said through her laughter. “Give me the cookie.”

Gwen handed Juliet back the bag and rushed off toward what looked like a small building with just bathrooms and a drinking fountain between them in the corner of the grass lot. Juliet focused on Carly and Buster, who were still playing, and noticed that there were only three other dogs in the park right now. One was playing with his owner, and the other two were playing with each other and a stick.

“Okay. I’ll give it a six out of ten. It was a five last time. They get the six because there was actually toilet paper.”

“What?” Juliet asked when Gwen appeared at her side.

“I rate bathrooms. It’s a thing I do.”

“You rate them?”

“Yes, out of ten.”

“And how does a bathroom get a ten out of ten?”

“Well, cleanliness is worth a lot of points. Toilet paper in each stall is worth one. Paper towels or working hand dryers are worth another. Actual soap to wash my hands is key, but it’s the coat hangers or bag holders on the inside of the stall doors that can really take it over the edge. If they have those, that’s worth two points.”

“Whoa! A whole two points?” Juliet teased.

“That’s twenty percent of the grade. Very important.”

“You don’t even have a coat or a bag,” Juliet noted.

“Not now, but I might in the future, and I have in the past,” Gwen argued.

“You’re very strange,” she said as she laughed.