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CHAPTER ONE
“Damn it, woman. No self-respecting male pays for his ex-wife’s honeymoon with another man.” Jake Malone’s temper soared, pushed to the limits of his endurance by Rhonda’s call. Glancing at the heaps of projects stacked around his office that June morning, a wave of resentment hit him. His ex-wife might have nothing better to do than talk on the phone, but he did. “You expect too much. Don’t I already cover all of your expenses?” Without waiting for her answer, he continued. “I even pay for your sculptured fingernails.” Now Rhonda wanted Jake to subsidize her elopement with a man who’d picked her up at the grocery store. Freddy Benton wore designer jeans and was twenty-five years old, ten years younger than Rhonda. This Freddy also claimed to be a film producer. Some producer, with one lousy cat food commercial to his credit. “If I’d known you’d be so hostile, I wouldn’t have called you in the first place.” Rhonda sniffed into the phone. “I should just hang up.” Didn’t he wish. From his desk Jake picked up a picture of a little girl, their 12-year-old daughter Deb. He took a deep breath. “It’s too bad Freddy’s short of funds. He shouldn’t promise you a honeymoon in Spain if he can’t afford the trip.” In a way it was partly his fault. If their marriage hadn’t failed, Rhonda wouldn’t be trying to find happiness with another man. With that in mind Jake softened his tone and offered a compromise. “There’s one way I can help. If you haven’t already made other arrangements for Deb, I’ll keep her while you’re in Spain.” No sooner did the words leave his lips than he had second thoughts. How could he keep their daughter? With two new client companies and two more pending, he was already working sixty to seventy hours a week. Maybe if he stopped taking time for meals and didn’t sleep, he’d have enough time to do everything? “If Freddy’s income isn’t enough to support you once you’re married, you might be able to get a job with the school system.” Rhonda hadn’t worked since Deb was born. She had a college degree but education was no good without motivation. During their marriage if he even hinted that she might find another teaching position, Rhonda became ill and had to go to bed. “I’m not like you, Jake,” she said tersely. “Just because you’re a work horse doesn’t mean I have to be one.” All at once the light dimmed in his office, the piles of paper on his desk and credenza seemed to grow taller until they loomed around him. He felt hemmed in on all sides. How he longed for the days before their marriage. At that moment Jake remembered the old wooden carousel horse Deb used to ride at the State Fair. A woebegone creature with chipped paint, it was doomed to repeat the same monotonous circle until beyond repair and junked. “How about Napoleon? Can you keep him, too?” Rhonda referred to the family Pekinese. “I suppose. Unless you want to drop him off at the kennel.” “Well, if you must know…they said not to bring him back.” “Why, for Pete’s sake?” Rhonda had a knack of creating a problem where none existed. And her problems soon became his since she always expected Jake to provide the perfect solution. What was it this time? Did she forget to pay the vet’s bills? “Napoleon’s been acting so peculiar I took him to see a pet psychiatrist,” she said. “You’re kidding.” Some shrinks specialized in treating the neurotic pets of the rich. He had a good job but was far from being a millionaire. “No, he’s been quite nervous since you left.” Though she didn’t come right out and blame him, her tone implied the dog’s condition was all Jake’s fault. He had filed for divorce though it was by mutual agreement. They’d married when Rhonda found she was expecting Deb, and they’d stayed together for twelve years because of Deb. They didn’t love each other but both adored their child. “Nervous? In what way?” Though he’d learned long ago that it was wiser to ignore her unspoken accusations, a sense of dread seeped into Jake’s heart. What could a Pekinese do to warrant visits to a shrink? “He’s started biting everybody,” Rhonda explained. Her voice broke and she sobbed into the phone. “Jake, Napoleon even bit my Freddy.” “Maybe he doesn’t like Freddy’s designer jeans.” Jake chuckled as he imagined a pint-size dog biting the gaunt redhead. “It isn’t funny,” she said. “Doctor Gandhi thinks the problem goes back to Napoleon’s childhood, I mean puppyhood. I don’t know about that, but the post office has stopped delivering mail to our house.” “Don’t tell me, let me guess. Napoleon bit the mailman?” “Just a nip.” “Okay.” He sighed. “I’ll stop by for Deb and Napoleon this Friday and keep them until you get back. How long will you be in Spain?” “Oh, just two weeks.” Now that he’d taken charge of her problems, Rhonda sounded almost carefree. “We’re staying at a resort on the beach. And while we’re there, Freddy plans to see a man about doing a film.” Following the call, Jake tried to concentrate on a problem troubling the owner of a chain of nursing homes. The conversation with Rhonda had broken his line of thought. After several attempts to focus on his work, he eased back in his desk chair, rubbing his tired eyes. The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin at the image of Freddy being pursued by Napoleon, a five pound monster. * * * That week Friday rolled around sooner than Jake would’ve liked. Somebody ought to invent a week with more days. Leaving work Friday evening he joined the commuter traffic headed west on I-30, exiting thirty minutes later onto an Arlington thoroughfare. A few blocks later he turned into an attractive neighborhood of older homes. The family home he’d bought five years ago was now occupied by Rhonda, Deb and Napoleon, and sometimes if Jake’s suspicions were correct, Freddy, though Rhonda would never admit it. Parking his Volvo in the driveway, Jake crossed the well-manicured lawn then entered the two-story brick-and-frame Colonial. Deb, their pigtailed, bespectacled daughter waited inside, suitcases stacked behind her in the hall. “Hi Hon.” Eyeing the luggage, Jake gave Deb a quick hug. “Whoa. You’re just staying at the condo for a couple of weeks. Don’t tell me you need all of that stuff.” At the sight of her trombone, Jake shuddered. Like her mother, Deb was tone deaf. “Mom thinks I should practice every day.” Deb’s voice drooped. Bringing the musical instrument wasn’t her idea. “Tell you what,” he whispered so Rhonda wouldn’t hear from the next room, “Why don’t we just forget and leave it here?” “That’s fine with me, Dad.” Her face brightening, Deb gave him a look of gratitude. Rhonda walked into the room so Jake reassured her that Deb would be fine. “You know I wish you the best, Rhonda,” he said. “You’re sure about this guy?” He wasn’t. “I love him, Jake.” She radiated happiness. “You’ll like Freddy once you know him better.” He nodded, not wanting to cast a damper on her joy. * * * While Jake drove Deb and Napoleon to the condo, the family pet perched on Jake’s lap. The Pekinese remained quiet until other cars passed them, then he raised up on his hind legs, pawed the window and barked. Easing the little dog back onto his lap, Jake spoke to Deb. “What’s this I hear about Napoleon? He’s biting people?” “Yeah. I think he misses you,” his daughter said. She took Napoleon from her father, held him in her arms. “I’ve missed you, Deb.” Jake glanced over at his daughter. “Sorry we don’t get to see each other much. With all of our group’s new clients, I’m swamped.” “It’s all right, Dad.” She placed her hand over his for a moment before removing it to pat Napoleon. What he told his daughter was no exaggeration. At the present all Jake did was work and he did his job so well, his boss, the Healthcare Audit Partner for the Dallas office, kept loading him down with new clients. It’d been a long time since he’d taken Deb on an outing. Before his promotion, they used to go to a movie or roller- skating weekends. “Now that school’s out for the summer, I guess you and your mother are spending a lot of time together.” “When she’s free. Mommy’s clubs keep her busy.” Deb frowned. “Do you know a good groomer we can call for Napoleon?” “What happened to the one we’ve always used?” “He nipped the lady’s finger so we can’t go back there.” “That doesn’t sound like Napoleon.” He didn’t want their pet hurting anyone. And he sure didn’t want to get sued. “Someone at my office was talking about a mobile service for pets the other day. They groom people’s pets in their vans right in the customers’ driveways. I’ll call them and get Napoleon an appointment.” Jake reached over and ran his fingers through the Pekinese’s shaggy fur. “We better do it soon while we can still find the dog. Right now Napoleon resembles a mound of fur that barks.” * * * The next day, the condo telephone rang. Jake took one last gulp of coffee then grabbed the phone on the kitchen counter. “I’m here to keep an appointment with Mr. Malone,” a pleasant voice informed him. Jake hit the buzzer allowing visitors to enter his security-minded community, then he walked down the hall to the front of the condo and opened the door. A neon blue van with the Happy Tails logo on its sides passed through the open gates and parked in his driveway. While scheduling an appointment with the grooming service, he’d tried to imagine the type of person the company would send, probably a mature adult, maybe a middle-aged woman working while her children attended school. A teenager with a mane of dark hair, dressed in jeans, shirt and tired Reeboks, climbed from the van and marched up to his front doorstep. Jake’s eyebrows rose. If she noticed his surprise, the girl paid no attention. “A Jake Malone called our office about grooming his dog.” Her low tone was melodious and soothing. None of the females of his acquaintance soothed him when they spoke. Rhonda was the worst, her whine grated on his nerves like the twang of Country Western music. “That’s me. Do you help groom the dogs?” “I’m the groomer.” Her unpainted lips curved. “Come on inside,” He led her into his living room. “Where’s your doggie?” “Just a moment. I’ll get him.” Jake stepped into the next room and came back with the Pekinese in his arms. “There’s one thing you need to know. Napoleon’s been biting people, not the family, just everybody else.” Jake waited, expecting the girl to approach their family pet with caution. With no hesitation she smiled and reached for the Pekinese. Napoleon let her hold him, even snuggled into her arms. “We’ll get along just fine, won’t we?” She kissed the dog’s fuzzy little head. From her seat on the stairs, Deb asked, “Dad, can I go and watch?” “I don’t think that’s a good idea—” “Sure, come with us,” the young woman cut him off. Like one unit, the girls and Napoleon moved toward the door. “Wait,” he called after them. “What’s your name, Miss?” “Carly Anderson, just call me Carly,” she said. Her smile brought out a dimple in her cheek. Braced for a scream or a bark, Jake stationed himself on his living room sofa and opened his briefcase, spreading papers he’d brought home on the coffee table. The quiet lulled him until he relaxed and was absorbed in his work when the door opened again. Napoleon strutted through the doorway followed by the two girls. Jake couldn’t get over the change in his pet. Well groomed, the little dog seemed calmer, too. “I don’t know what you did but he looks great. I’m just sorry we didn’t find you earlier. In a few more weeks you’ll probably be back in college.” “I’m not a college student.” Carly frowned. “Oh? Are you still in high school?” She shook her head. Feeling like he’d put his foot in his mouth, Jake said no more. Maybe she was a dropout. She certainly seemed bright and he wondered about the girl. “You didn’t have any trouble with him, did you?” “Nope, he’s a sweetheart.” Carly called the Pekinese and he responded by bringing her his favorite chew toy, a large green rubber figure resembling a thin man. Did dogs have fantasies? Maybe Napoleon pretended the toy was Freddy. “Thanks. We’ll call you again,” Jake said, paying Carly. Pleased she had been able to work with Napoleon, he even tried to give her a tip but she refused it. The postman came into view, making his rounds. Seeing him stop next door, Jake held his breath. Would the dog lunge for the mail carrier’s leg? Napoleon’s fur bristled and he growled until Carly knelt and spoke to him in a low voice. Though Jake couldn’t hear what she said to Napoleon, he could almost feel the canine’s muscles relax. “I don’t know what your magic is, but if we could bottle it, we’d make a fortune.” “No magic. I think he’s been missing you. Do you see him often?” Carly gazed in Jake’s direction. Her bright brown eyes seemed to peer into his very soul. And her question could have referred to Deb, not the Pekinese. “Sometimes,” he said. She made him uneasy. “Well, I’m sure you have other appointments so we won’t keep you. Thanks again.” Jake stood in the open doorway, watching Carly drive away. For some reason, she piqued his curiosity. It was a pity so many young women let themselves go. She’d never get a boyfriend looking like that. |
