Page 32 of Love's Harvest
She went inside the café and ordered a cup of coffee to go and showed off Luke to her friends.Then she crossed the street to the store.
Inside, her father walked over to her.“This dog yours?”He petted Luke.
“This is Luke, the newest member of the family.He’s around five years old and is well-trained.The girls and I have fallen in love with him.He’s doing great with them and our house.”
“Are you going to have him stay here while you work?”her father asked.
“Yes, whenever it’s convenient.His former owner used to take him to her job all the time.I thought he’d do well here at the store.I’ll keep him in my office to start.”
“It’s fine by me.It’ll give a friendly touch to the store.But if he becomes a nuisance of any kind, he goes.”
“Fair enough.Thanks, Dad,” said Sarah.
Sarah led Luke up the stairs to her office.They stopped outside her mother’s door, and seeing that she was free, Sarah took Luke inside.
Her mother gazed at the dog with curiosity.“Who is this?”
“The newest member of the family.Meet Luke.The girls and I are in love with him.”
“That’s why I needed to watch Mia and Emily all day?”asked her mother with a bit of a frown on her face.
Sarah sat down and faced her mother.“I’ve been clearing out items that remind me too much of Jesse.I’ve put away jewelry for the girls to have later in their lives and made a big effort to move forward with my life by not being weighed down by grief and guilt.Jesse never allowed the girls and me to have a dog.And, Mom, it feels such a relief to be able to do things my way.”
“You met up with Aaron on Thursday, right?”Her mother asked, giving her a penetrating stare.“Does this have anything to do with him?”
Sarah let out a long sigh.“I thought it did, but he told me that though the changes might be nice, the real changes have to come from within.I think I’ll go back to the grief support group.I don’t want to miss the chance to really heal.”
“Oh, darling, that makes me so relieved.You deserve to be able to move ahead with your life.It’s important to do it the right way.”Her mother stood and gave her a hug.
###
When April arrived for work that afternoon, Sarah did a double take.Gone was the rather frumpy young girl of last week.Over the weekend, April had had her hair cut and colored and wore a cute turquoise turtleneck top over a pair of black leggings, and black ankle boots.
“April, you look fabulous!I love your hair and your new outfit.I almost wish you didn’t need to change into your ‘uniform’.”
“Thanks.That means a lot.Lindsay Legget, the mean girl I told you about earlier, said I looked terrible, more like her mother than the other kids.”
“Wow!That’s an awful thing to say.She must be jealous,” said Sarah, wondering why girls could be so mean to one another.
April shrugged.“I think she said that because Wyatt came over to me at school to tell me he liked the new look.Lindsay thinks she’s the only one who should talk to him, that he’s her property.Just because they’re dating.”
“Ah, so she’s jealous.It’s nice that Wyatt noticed you, but beware a girl like Lindsay.”
“Yeah, she and her small group of girlfriends can be cruel.I usually stay away from them.”Luke sat beside her wagging his tail and whining for attention.April turned to him.“Who’s this?”
“Meet Luke, my new dog.He’s friendly and very well behaved.”
Luke stood and quieted with contentment as April rubbed his ears.“He’s very nice.”
Luke licked her hand, and April laughed.“Guess he likes me.”
Sarah was gratified to see such a nice boost in April’s confidence.“Time to change your clothes.We’ve got boxes to unload, and there’s no way I want you to ruin your new clothes.”
April laughed.“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
###
Later, Sarah and April were in the middle of unpacking boxes when Sarah asked her if she was willing to help out at the Halloween Walk.
