Page 142 of Kage

“Oh, I have an Instagram account and I photograph animals, food, travel locations. Anything that makes people smile.” Maybe that was the way to look at my eclectic account. Perhaps the problem was that I hadn’t branded my work well enough.

“Would you mind giving me the name?”

Bonzo posed, the backdrop of the sun highlighting his dark fur perfectly. I snapped a few more photos before standing. The tug of sadness was worse on the gorgeous afternoon than I’d felt up to this point.

Maybe because I’d tried to shove the rugged man and his incredible dog from my mind.

Not possible.

“Oh, I’d be happy to. Don’t forget to follow me if you like what you see. I’ll upload your baby later today and give him special attention.”

“Did you hear that, Bonzo? You’re going to be famous.”

His single bark was another reminder of Tank’s actions. I stood and stroked the cutie pie behind his ears. “Thank you for indulging me.”

“Thank you for making my boy a star. He’s my child, my pride and joy.”

Grinning, I pulled a dog biscuit from my pocket. I’d taken to carrying a few when I took a walk. “Is this okay?”

The woman grinned enthusiastically. “Absolutely. He might follow you home now.”

“I think he is happy where he is.” As I offered the treat, I gave her the name of my account and for some reason, I felt better about my work than I had in a long time. Maybe this incredible, silly moment would offer the incentive I needed to make a hard push. Why not? I had little else in my life.

As the two walked off, I watched them until they disappeared from sight. Once I returned home, I’d upload a few pictures of Tank as well. At least I could remember the strangely beautiful joy I’d shared with two rugged beasts.

A glass of wine in my hand, I uploaded the final photograph, including one I’d taken of the delicious salad I’d indulged in for lunch from an incredible unknown deli. The Big Apple was a destination point. If I couldn’t travel, why not give a boost to the local economy? The last photograph was of Tank, and I wrote a caption.

I’d had twenty new followers that day, so I considered it a win.

I flipped through the various comments, answering a few. Hmmm… Whoever Mr. Nobody was, he’d been busy liking several other photographs. Wait a minute. I scrolled to the picture I’d uploaded of Kage. A strange feeling pooled in my stomach.

Mr. Nobody had commented on Kage’s photograph. “Not a handsome guy. Stick to food and animals.” What? I laughed and shifted in my seat, a strange feeling of butterflies in my stomach. Maybe the guy was just grouchy and didn’t want to see photographs of other men, but really?

I couldn’t help myself, allowing the ornery side of me to come through. So I typed a response.

No reason to be jealous other than he is the most gorgeous man on earth.

Laughing, I hit enter before I rethought my wickedness. While alienating a new follower wasn’t a good thing for my numbers, I couldn’t help myself.

I moved to Facebook, adding the few photos, including one of the gorgeous pictures I’d captured of the lake and mountains the day Kage had taken me horseback riding.

A blip on my phone indicated a new comment on Instagram. I shifted screens, curious to see Mr. Nobody had replied.

Not jealous. Just realistic. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, no matter how jaded the view might be.

Really? He was teasing me.

I swirled my glass as another strange series of sensations jutted all the way to my toes. I curled my fingers and bit down on my lower lip.

Beauty is in every creature on this earth, no matter how big or small, how happy or grumpy.

His quick response?

Grumpiness is a lesser-known art.

My laugh was out loud, the hard pitter-patter of my heart the same as I’d felt before.

A long time ago.

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