“We all went through it.”
“Did we?” she asked. “I think you had a pretty good support system. You had a major advantage. He has Ally and me. Mostly Ally. It is not the same.”
“He looks like he is doing fine to me,” I said. “I bet it’s a phase.”
“I agree with you, but Ally is worried he is going to make a mistake that completely ruins his future,” she said “She’s trying to save him from himself. I hope I can help.”
An older dog with a gray muzzle sauntered toward us. The boxer had its tongue lolling with a bit of a smile on its face. Thea squatted low and rubbed the dog’s face. The dog looked up at me. “What?” I asked.
“Be nice, she’s old. She wants you to say hello.”
I rolled my eyes and gave in to the dog’s demands. “Hello,” I said and patted the dog’s head.
“You have to get low,” Thea said. “That makes them feel better. It puts them at ease. You’re a tall human and they are at your mercy.”
“They have teeth,” I countered.
“So do you.”
“Very funny,” I said and finally gave in. I squatted in front of the dog. It quickly walked into me and sniffed my hand before nearly knocking me over with its small but stout body. The dog got excited and started to lick my face. “Down, girl.”
“Her name is Alexa, and to my surprise, she likes you,” Thea said.
“I’m a likeable person.”
“To some,” she replied.
The dog was relentless with the tongue. It was one swipe up my face and down the other side. It was gross and oddly made me smile when I wasn’t whipping my head back and forth to avoid a direct hit to my mouth.
“Alright, Alexa, it was nice but I’m into ladies who drool a little less,” I said and got to my feet. I ran my hand across my face to clear away some of the drool.
Thea was smiling at me. “I know there’s a secret dog lover underneath all the complaining.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” I said. And then because I was obviously a glutton for punishment, I decided to take a chance. “Are you free for dinner Friday?”
“Who are we impressing?” she asked.
“No one,” I said. “I thought you and I could just enjoy a nice dinner. Just friends.”
“Just friends,” she said. “I don’t know.”
“No worries,” I said and smiled to hide my disappointment. I didn’t blame her. If Rich knew I was asking her at all, he would be furious. “I had a good time the other night and thought it would be nice to hang out again. But it’s cool.”
“I didn’t say no,” she said. “But I can’t do Friday. I’m going to be crazy busy all week. I can do Saturday.”
“Then I will pick you up on Saturday night,” I said.
“Do I dare say it’s a date?” she said with a sly smile.
“You can say whatever you want. I’ll be there.”
“Alright. I better get back to trying to bathe these beasts. They aren’t always cooperative, but it is necessary.”
“Good luck,” I said. “With all your strays.”
“He still has a mom,” she said. “For now.”
I showed myself out of the courtyard while carefully navigating the landmines left behind by some very large dogs. I hoped the kid was the one doing the cleanup. It might help with the whole scared straight thing. If I had to clean up dogshit all day, I would not be getting into trouble. I wasn’t sure playing catch with a dog was exactly punishment, but the cleanup duty was definitely gross.
When I walked out of the building, I looked up and down the street. If I was getting jumped, I wanted to see it coming. There were a few guys on the corner that looked dangerous, but they ignored me. I got into the car and took off before they changed their minds.