Page 64 of Shake the Habit

We watched him disappear into the bank before Caleb unlocked the truck and I jumped in. I hugged Sir and he put his head on my shoulder, because he was also so upset. “It’s ok,” I told him, but he whined deep in his chest like he knew it wasn’t.

“It is ok,” Caleb told both of us. “No one’s going anywhere. He won’t take your dog.”

“I believe that story,” I said. “I always wondered how Sir ended up way out in the country by himself.”

“It may be true, but we don’t know. I want to see the paperwork he’s talking about and go over our options. We’re going to have to face this and not try to run away.”

I looked over Sir’s head, wondering how Caleb had known what was in my mind.

“I’m going to pick up my laptop so I can work out of your office this afternoon,” he continued. “I don’t want him to figure out who you are and come over there. This is a small town and someone’s going to recognize you if he shows your picture around. He’s not going to take Sir,” he reiterated. “If we see him again, we’ll call the sheriff and you heard him say that he doesn’t want to get the police involved. I don’t think he’s going away, though.”

Caleb did work in the construction office for the rest of the afternoon, which made me feel calmer—as calm as I could have been after someone had just threatened to take my dog.

“Do you remember how matted his coat was?” I remarked as I hugged Sir for the fiftieth or so time. “Remember his nails? At the animal shelter, they told us that he’d been on his own for a while. Remember?”

“I remember that day very well,” Caleb answered. “That was when I scared you by showing up at your house.”

“Because you were worried about him and you didn’t know what a sweet boy he is.” I hugged my dog again. “You’re the best boy. No one will ever make you live out in the woods like you used to, with bears and who knows what else. We know there’s no cheese there.” He’d gotten a lot of extra treats this afternoon. “Remember how he had been trained?” I continued to Caleb. “Someone had put in work to teach him, that was what Neal said at the dog class.”

Caleb frowned, because he had never liked the trainer. “That Neal didn’t know what he was talking about.”

“But Sir listened to you right away. Remember? He understood when you told him things because he’s so smart and because someone had worked with him before. It could have been the gambler who lost him playing cards. That story makes sense.”

I couldn’t get it out of my head. The whole way up the winding road home, I thought about how the man had reached into the truck’s window to get at Sir. He could do that again—he could reach right into our lives and take him away. I thought about it when we went for a walk and as we ate dinner. When we read together, I couldn’t focus at all and afterwards, I couldn’t go to sleep.

“Kayleigh,” Caleb called. Sir had curled next to him on his bed, because he’d previously gotten annoyed at how I’d been moving around instead of resting quietly. He had left my room in a huff.

“What do you need?” I asked as I walked in.

He put down a stack of papers, which I recognized as the documents we’d retrieved from the safety deposit box before all the other problems had started. “You’ve already gone up and down the stairs a couple times. Come sit here,” he invited, and I crawled over him to join them.

“Are you upset about the tree stuff?” I asked.

“The patent? No. Are you upset about the dog stuff?”

“Yes,” I answered, and he held his arms open, a little hesitantly.

But I didn’t hesitate. I lay down on his chest and hugged him.

“While y’all were in the back yard, I emailed a woman I knew from college,” he said. “She’s a lawyer in Memphis and I think she’ll be able to help us with this situation.”

“You think we need a lawyer?”

“I think it wouldn’t hurt. She can draw up some documents so that ownership is totally clear.”

“Why would that guy accept that I’m keeping Sir? He kept saying that I stole him!”

“I think we’ll have to pay him, and then he’ll go away.”

I recalled how much I had in my savings and wondered if it would be enough, considering how the man had gone on about the value of a Bouvier and stud fees.

“I would be happy to help with that,” Caleb said.

“Thank you,” I said. I would take his help because I would do anything for Sir, but I would pay him back. “I’m so glad you were there today.”

“Me too.” He was playing with some pieces of my hair that had come out of the bun I’d made, and it was very soothing. “I’m also glad that I’m here right now.”

“Me too,” I echoed. He was holding me tightly. “Did you find anything in that patent stuff?” Like, maybe the peach was named after him? “Is it called something special?” I asked, my voice casual.

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