Page 15 of You and Me, For Real
I look down at the dog in my arms, panting so heavily that I’m fearful for her heart. We didn’t even discuss her age at the shelter. She could be elderly or have a heart condition.
“Griffin, did you hear me?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll be sure and apologize to the photographer.”
“Don’t bother. He already left. I made apologies for you. You just better hope he got some shots he can work with, or you can forget about those endorsements.”
What concerns me more right now is making sure I’m capable of caring for and surviving a night with this dog. As soon as I get home, just after we’ve both bathed, I’ll be doing some googling on canine heart defect signs.
Ashton tasked me with taking care of this dog. I want to prove I’m more than just some Hollywood actor incapable of picking out his own clothes—even if I’m only proving it to myself.
5
ASHTON
Itrudge up my apartment sidewalk toward my complex, carrying my mail from the central mailbox. I’d given five dogs baths today, and I smell like it.
“I can’t believe I met a famous celebrity looking like this,” I mumble to myself as I sort through bill after bill. Not that it matters. He’ll soon forget me once he returned the dog.
“Hi, sugar.”
I yelp at the sudden appearance of my elderly neighbor, Judith, as I round the corner to our opposing doors. She’s wearing her soft, pink robe and matching fuzzy slippers, her light gray hair already in rollers for bed.
I clutch the mail to my chest. “Goodness, I didn’t even hear your door open.”
“You know I like to keep my window cracked in the evenings. Saw your car pull up. Thought I’d come out and say hi. Didn’t mean to scare you, child.”
“It’s fine.” I smile. “I could use a little wake-up.”
She eyes me from my feet to my hair. “You do look a bit worse for wear. Tough day at work?”
“Something like that.”
She steps next to me, hooks her arm into mine, and we walk toward our doors. “Couldn’t have been too bad if you met some famous celebrity? A man, I presume?” She cocks her head toward me and arches an eyebrow, her wrinkles deepening with her smile.
“You heard that, did you?”
“I may be old, but my hearing still works pretty good.” She turns away and coughs.
Seems like she’s been coughing more and more lately. I should make her some throat-coating tea. “Yes, well, he may be some celebrity to the world, but he means nothing to me.”
And yet, why does my heart flutter? My limbs tingle at the very thought of seeing him tomorrow.
“Seems like you’re awfully twisted up over the impression you made on some man that doesn’t mean anything to you.” She stops us in front of her door and peers at my face, squinting. “You think he’s cute, don’t you? A woman can sense these things.”
A blush crawls over my skin, unbidden.
She pats my cheek. “You deserve a good man, sugar. Maybe he’ll betheone. You never know unless you try. Gotta be brave.”
We have a similar conversation almost every time we interact. If her son weren’t married, she’d probably try to get us together.
She leans in and sniffs. “Though, you might want to shower first before you see him again.”
I chuckle. “I’ll be sure and do that. Thanks for the tip.”
She sneezes and dabs her nose with an embroidered handkerchief. “Darn allergies.”
“Have you ever had allergy testing before?”
