Page 77 of The Weight Of Falling
Sofia is silent. She’s a harder sell.
“Does he need anything?” Tess asks, biting her lip. “He’s got water, kibble, his bed. What about chew toys? Should I pop out and get him chew toys?”
From the second I walked in with the beagle, Tess has been fluttering around like a GPS rerouting every five seconds, making sure he has everything he needs. But all he really needs is his bed. The vet visit wiped him out, and sleep is all he wants.
“He doesn’t need chew toys,” I reassure her.
Tess drops to her knees and nuzzles the beagle’s nose with her own. “Aren’t you the cutest, handsomest, sweetest little creature that ever walked the earth,” she croons.
“Better not let Uno overhear you,” Sofia mutters, referring to Gideon’s reading therapy greyhound, whom we all adore.
“I tell Uno exactly the same thing,” Tess retorts, unperturbed.
Sofia studies me from head to toe. “This feels impulsive, Kenzie. Not like you at all. It took you three weeks to pick towel colors. You even made a mood board.” She pauses. “I’m going to say the quiet part out loud. A lot of what you’re doing lately is out of character. We’re a little worried.”
“I’m fine,” I say, too quickly. “I’m not in the middle of a life crisis or anything. I didn’t choose a dog because there’s no one in my life to cuddle up with. And I’m not afraid of growing old and dying alone, because, hello, now I have a dog.” I pause, my eyes widening. “Except dogs don’t live as long as people. So I won’t have him when I’m old, will I? Oh my goodness, he’s going to die and then I’ll have to cope with that loss. What have I done?” My hands fly up to cover my mouth in horror.
They both stare at me, jaws slack.
“Breathe,” Sofia orders.
“Okay.” I take in a breath. Then another. And another.
“Slow it down,” she instructs me. “You’ll make yourself dizzy.”
I do feel a little dizzy. But that’s probably my life choices lately, not my breathing.
“I feel like I’m in a snow globe that’s been shaken too hard,” I whisper. “Everything’s upside down lately.”
Tess slides an arm around my shoulders. “Hey, if you’re in a snow globe, we’re there with you. Always and forever.”
Sofia grins. “Just for the record, we’re cool with the whole Kenzie multiverse—the version who sobs after a movie, the one who rescues strays, and my personal favorite, Kenzie, Breaker of Windows.” Her voice gentles. “You’re allowed to change shape and still be you.”
Tess tilts her head toward the beagle snoring softly in his bed. “You chose to love something knowing it won’t last forever. That’s not chaos, that’s courage. Love is a risk, and still we choose it.”
I blink back tears. I have a feeling she’s not only talking about dogs, but people too. Without warning, Joel’s face comes to mind. “I love you guys.”
“We love you too,” they say together.
I still feel overwhelmed, but when I look at the trusting face of the beagle I’m now responsible for, fast asleep because he knows he’s safe, everything in me calms. I didn’t plan for this. I wasn’t looking. But somehow he fond me. And maybe that’s the point. Sometimes the right things arrive before you feel ready.
Sofia steps back and pulls a face. “Now that you’re a dog mom, please don’t feel compelled to show me photos of what your fur baby’s been up to.”
I think of the five adorable pics I snapped of the beagle on the way from the vet to the studio. Too late, I’m already that dog mom. Just not when Sofia’s around.
“Have you named him?” Tess asks
I shake my head. “Not yet. My parents named all our dogs after Greek philosophers, but he doesn’t look like a Socrates or an Aristotle.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Sofia agrees.
Tess snaps her fingers. “Hey, remember that lovely couple we worked with? They commissioned a line of animal rescue greeting cards.”
“Heather and Justin,” Sofia says.
I do remember them. A beautiful couple. And the animal rescue cards had been so fun and creative to do. We ended up giving them a huge discount because the work they were doing was so meaningful.
“They told us the story of a rescue beagle they had for a short time,” Tess says. “A really sweet beagle. What was his name again?”
