Page 3 of When Annika Met Thom

And those teeth. They were enormous and looked sharp.

“Easy, Hellhound,” Thom said and the dog sat down. “Be nice.”

“Don’t eat me,” Meesha said to the dog who licked its chops.

Hellhound. What kind of name was that for a dog?

“She won’t,” Annika assured her cheerfully, appearing behind the dog. Meesha knew that Thom’s partner was an engineer and had liked her the few times they’d met. Her smile was particularly reassuring on this day. Annika had long red hair, a lot of freckles and was very pretty. She’d photograph well, and the contrast of coloring between the two of them would make for striking images. Annika wasn’t short but she looked petite compared to Thom, and she was certainly garrulous in comparison.

Thank God.

“Come on in.” Annika offered her hand. “It’s so good of you to come out here for the interview. I promise to defend you from Helena.”

“Helena?” Meesha echoed.

“Thom named her Hellhound when we got her, and not without justification.” Annika shook her head. “She was wild.”

“And then some,” Thom agreed. They looked at each other and seemed to get lost in each other’s eyes. They seemed to be crazy about each other, which was a good thing in every way.

Meesha gave them a moment. She took a quick survey of the apartment, which was bright despite the weather. It was a combination of the colors and the minimalist décor at work. The furniture was all mid-century modern, a lot of teak, with yellow and lime upholstery. There was ample space for the big dog and the hardwood floors gleamed. She’d be able to take some good pictures here, even without sunlight. There was a big cage at the end of the dining room, with at least three ferrets zipping around inside. One was in a hamster wheel, which squeaked as the ferret ran.

Something brown moved like lightning across the floor, vanishing before Meesha could get a good look at it. She stifled a shudder, thinking of rats.

“I insisted that couldn’t be her real name, so she’s Helena, Hellhound to some, Hell for short.” Annika explained. The dog sat, still watching Meesha as Thom took her raincoat.

Meesha clutched her laptop bag in front of herself like a shield and edged toward the chair Annika had indicated. Where had the brown thing gone?

“Coffee? Tea? Soda?” Annika asked.

“Nothing, thanks. I just want to get the interview done.”

“And escape New Jersey as soon as possible,” Thom said solemnly. Only the glint in his dark eyes revealed that he was teasing her. She’d learned to look for that clue.

“It’s not a joke.” Meesha responded without thinking, hearing that her tone was defensive.

“Sure, it is,” he said easily. “All you Manhattanites act like it’s the end of the world when you cross a bridge.”

“The train came through the tunnel.”

“Either way.” He indicated the large window with its view to the east over the other buildings. Manhattan’s silhouette was a little hazy but unmistakable. “You can still see the fabled city from here. What would you do in Des Moines?”

“Run for Chicago,” Meesha said, opening her bag and pulling out her laptop. “Obviously.”

The dog, to Meesha’s relief, slid down to the floor, still watching her.

“So would I,” Annika confessed with a smile. Something brown popped up behind the dog, then vanished. Only Meesha seemed to have noticed. “What do you need from us today?”

“I want to hear the story of how you met at F5F and fell in love. It’s the foundation myth for so much of our social media. And you’re getting married at the club in two weeks, too. Kyle wants to make a huge event out of it and make it part of the club’s relaunch.”

Thom folded his arms across his chest and looked grumpy. “It’s a private ceremony.”

“We don’t want to invade your privacy. We just want to celebrate your happiness.”

“And use it,” Thom said.

“It’s hardly private since we accepted the club’s offer to host our wedding,” Annika pointed out, chiding Thom gently.

“You talked me into it.”

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