Puppy Love Read online

  “I know. And I’m sorry—I offered to pay for the slippers as soon as I get enough money, okay?” I winced at the thought. Dad had expensive taste in slippers. “Anyway, I’ll take Muckle out for a walk right now, okay?”

  “Fine.” Mom still sounded worked up. “But we’re going to continue this conversation later, Lauren. We can’t go on like this.”

  “Okay.” Hurrying past her, I followed the sound of Muckle’s yips and found him in the bay window in the dining room. He was standing with his front paws on the glass, staring out the window with his tail wagging in time with each bark.

  “Wow, he’s got some serious lung power for such a small dog,” Robert commented, leaning against the door frame.

  I grabbed Muckle, which actually shut him up for a moment. He wiggled in my arms, his warm little tongue washing my chin eagerly. Despite the serious situation, I couldn’t help smiling and hugging him.

  “Come on, Muckster,” I said. “We’ve got to get you out of Mom’s sight for a while, or you’re going to drive her over the edge.” I glanced at Robert. “Can we go to your place?”

  “Sure, I guess.” Robert jingled his car keys. “Let’s jet.”

  Robert’s family lived a couple of miles from mine in a much fancier neighborhood. His house was easily twice the size of mine. It had a huge, manicured lawn with an iron fence around it. I let Muckle loose to run around out there, and soon he was happily rolling in the grass and leaping at butterflies.

  Robert and I leaned against the front porch railing to watch. “What am I going to do?” I moaned.

  “What do you mean?” Robert asked.

  “What do you mean, what do I mean? I mean about Muckle!” I sighed loudly. “You heard Mom. She’s totally fed up. And my dad’s not much happier, what with the slippers and the flower bulbs and everything.”

  Robert patted my arm. “Don’t stress about that. I’ll pick him up a new pair of slippers next time we hit the mall. He likes the leather open-back kind, right?”

  “Right. Thanks,” I said. “But that’s not really the point. I don’t want them to kick Muckle out of the family, but if he doesn’t start behaving better . . .”

  “Oh.” Robert didn’t look particularly concerned. “Well, maybe they’re right. Having a puppy does seem like kind of a hassle. We’re always having to rush right home from school so you can walk him, and I can’t even remember the last time we went to the movies.”

  I barely heard his complaints, which he’d made many times before. I was distracted by watching Muckle frolic in the sunshine, nipping playfully at a blowing leaf. My eyes filled with tears at the thought of losing him. He’d only been mine for a few weeks, but I already couldn’t imagine life without him.

  Robert glanced at me and raised an eyebrow. “Hey,” he said. “You’re actually upset about this, aren’t you?”

  “Of course.” I swiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “I mean, just look at him! He doesn’t even know what might happen.”

  Robert regarded Muckle dubiously. Then he shrugged.

  “Fine,” he said. “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me. So let’s figure out how to deal with this.”

  I brightened slightly. When Robert set his mind to something, he usually accomplished it.

  “Really?” I said. “You’ll help me?”

  “What are best friends for?” He slung an arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick hug. Then he headed for the door, all business. “Okay, grab the mutt and come inside. We need to do some research.”

  Soon we were in his massive bedroom, which his parents’ decorator had decked out in tasteful shades of beige and taupe. That had been way too boring for Robert, of course, but he’d livened things up with multiple Skerrabra posters on the walls, along with various cheesy vintage afghans, pillows, and even a genuine lava lamp. I sat down on the rug and started tossing a rubber bone to keep Muckle occupied, while Robert grabbed his laptop and flopped onto the four-poster bed.

  “Okay, so the first thing we have to do is hire a dog trainer,” he said as his fingers flew over the keyboard. “Someone to whip Muckle into shape so he stops being such a doggy hoodlum.”

  “A dog trainer?” I stood up and peered over his shoulder. “That sounds expensive.”

  “Not necessarily.” Robert clicked on a link, and the PetzBiz logo popped up. “Look, there are beginner group classes right here in Maple View.” He scanned the screen, nodding along with what he was reading. “Sounds like that’ll be better anyway. It says it lets you socialize your puppy while you both learn.”

  “Hmm. That does sound good.” I’d read lots of stuff on the Internet about how important it was to socialize a puppy with people and other dogs while it was young. I’d been trying, but so far Muckle’s socializing was slow going. My parents mostly yelled at him or pretended he wasn’t there, and Robert wasn’t much better. The only dog Muckle had spent much time with so far was our across-the-street neighbors’ elderly bullmastiff, who mostly snoozed in the sun and ignored the puppy jumping all over her. I’d been planning to take him over to the dog park in a neighboring town, but so far Robert had been busy every time I wanted to go, and without a car, the trip would involve a long bus ride with a transfer.

  Robert clicked on another link. “We’re in luck,” he declared. “There’s a special class just for handlers between the ages of twelve and eighteen. And a new group starts this coming Saturday!”

  “Really?” My heart lifted. That was a lucky break for sure. Maybe my life with Muckle wasn’t doomed after all!

  Then my heart sank again as I saw the price. I’d spent most of my savings on Muckle himself, then pretty much cleaned out the rest of it paying for his vet checkup, his food, and various other items like collars and toys.

  “Forget it,” I said with a sigh. “No way can I afford a class right now. Maybe we can find some free do-it-yourself dog training tips on the web.”

  Robert looked up at me. Then he glanced at Muckle.

  “Hey!” he said sharply. “Is that my good boar bristle brush he’s chewing on?”

  “Muckle! No!” I cried, hurrying over and prying the hairbrush out of the puppy’s mouth. It was slimy but still intact. I inserted the rubber bone back in the puppy’s mouth, then tossed the hairbrush to Robert. “Sorry about that.”

  “Yeah. Listen, I think I’ll loan you the money for that puppy class.” Robert wrinkled his nose in distaste as he deposited the brush on his bedside table. “You can pay me back whenever. And then buy me a new brush.”

  “No way! Are you sure you want to do that? Thanks!” I was surprised. Oh, sure, Robert’s parents gave him plenty of cash, and he was always super generous about sharing it. Exhibit A? All the Disguise Game outfits he’d bought me over the past year and a half.

  Still, I hadn’t wanted to ask him for any money to help with Muckle. He just hadn’t seemed that into the whole idea of me getting a dog, so it didn’t seem right.

  But hey, if he was offering now, I wasn’t going to give him the chance to change his mind. Not with Muckle’s whole future at stake. We quickly signed up for the class online, using Robert’s American Express card to reserve our spot.

  When it was official, I picked Muckle up and hugged him. “Say thank you to your uncle Robert, sweetie,” I cooed into his fuzzy ear. “Just you watch—we’re going to turn you into a good doggy citizen yet!”

  Chapter Seven

  Back to the present

  I was so busy telling Jamal the sad saga of Muckle’s fall from grace that it wasn’t until I’d finished that I realized Robert had slipped away in the middle of my story. That was weird. Usually he seemed to enjoy discussing how naughty Muckle could be.

  Then again, he’d heard the whole sordid tale before and been there himself for quite a bit of it. Besides, he didn’t have the longest of attention spans. I figured he’d probably just sneaked off for another glimpse of dreamy Adam. I could only hope he wasn’t doing something embarrassing like writing m
y phone number on Adam’s arm.

  “So anyway,” I said, realizing I’d been rambling on at Jamal for quite a while, “that’s how we ended up here. Robert and I started researching training classes on the Internet last week, and this puppy class popped up.”

  “Cool,” Jamal said. “Lucky timing, huh?”

  I nodded, glancing at Muckle. He and Ozzy had found a piece of dirty old twine on the floor and were playing tug-of-war with it.

  “I hope it works,” I said. “It could be Muckle’s last chance to change my parents’ minds.”

  “I’m sure it’ll work,” Jamal assured me. “Ozzy’s walking on the leash a little better already, even after only one class. Besides, Adam knows what he’s doing. Rachel’s been filling me in, and it sounds like he’s the resident dog freak at MVHS.”

  “Oh yeah? So did she know him before she signed up for the class?” I was eager for any tidbits of information I could get about my future boyfriend.

  Jamal didn’t answer. He was looking past me. He smiled and lifted his hand in a wave.

  I glanced back, expecting to see Robert returning. I was almost blinded by what I saw, though it wasn’t due to Robert’s shiny polyester outfit. Because it wasn’t Robert coming toward us. Not hardly. It was Adam!

  All the blood instantly drained out of my body. At least that was how it felt. I started shaking and was pretty sure I might be about to hyperventilate. I’d never actually hyperventilated before, but there was a first time for everything, right?

  “Hey, Adam,” Jamal said, clearly not noticing that he needed to call an ambulance for me immediately. “What’s up?”

  “Hi, guys.” Adam looked even hotter when he smiled. Especially when he smiled at me. “Fancy meeting you two here. Couldn’t stay away, huh?”

  “What can I say?” Jamal joked. “I was craving the smell of liver snaps.” He grinned. “Seriously, though, Ozzy loves coming here, and he was getting a little hyper at home, so . . .”

  Adam nodded, his expression suddenly going all focused and serious. “They need so much mental stimulation at this age, along with physical exercise,” he said, bending to rub both puppies’ heads and ears as they leaped up on his legs. “It’s great that you’re thinking about that, Jamal. So what about you, Lauren? How’s Muckle doing?”

  As he turned to face me again, his expression went all perplexed. Clearly he’d just noticed my outfit.

  “You’re probably wondering why I’m dressed like this, right?” I blurted out, quickly scanning my mind for some reasonable-sounding excuse. “Um, it’s not exactly my usual dog-walking outfit, if you know what I mean.” I laughed weakly.

  Just then Robert appeared around the corner of the aisle. He saw Adam standing there, and one eyebrow shot up.

  As he came closer, I grabbed him by the arm. “This is my friend Robert,” I told Adam with what I hoped was casual chipperness. I gestured at his outfit. “We’re both, uh, in the theater club at County Day Academy—that’s where we go to school. We just left our rehearsal for, um . . .” Out of ideas, I shot Robert a desperate look.

  “Disco Inferno,” he said smoothly, giving Adam his most winning smile. “It’s a musical.”

  I had no idea if that was a real show, but Adam seemed to buy it. Meanwhile Jamal’s expression changed from startled to confused to amused. I could only imagine what he was thinking, since I’d just finished explaining the real reason Robert and I were dressed like time travelers who’d just arrived from 1978. Somehow, though, I didn’t relish the idea of telling Adam about the Disguise Game. It just seemed too . . . immature, somehow.

  “Anyway,” I said, ready for a quick change of subject, “Muckle and I are doing fine. We really enjoyed yesterday’s class.”

  “Good.” Adam looked pleased. “It seems like a good group. I think we’ll all learn a lot together. It’s so important for people to get off to a good start with their dogs—so many puppies miss that early training that sets them up for happy lives, just because people don’t know any better. This early socialization is so valuable. . . .”

  He kept talking like that for a while, though I stopped taking in the exact words. I was too busy staring at his face, memorizing every angle and eyelash. It was perfect. He was perfect. Even the tiny cowlick in his dark hair was perfect.

  After a few minutes, Muckle decided he was tired of playing with the twine. He leaped onto Ozzy with a wild puppy growl, and Ozzy responded by jumping away. Muckle tumbled to the floor, yanking the leash right out of my hand. To be honest, I’d forgotten I was holding it.

  As usual, it took Muckle about a tenth of a second to realize he was free. I lunged for the leash, but I was way too slow. The leash handle slithered away from me like a snake, and with a yip of triumph, Muckle took off down the aisle at top speed.

  “Muckle, no! Get back here!” I hollered. Remembering that Adam was still standing there, I quickly added, “I mean, come, boy! Come!”

  Muckle completely ignored me. Of course.

  “Guess the training hasn’t really taken hold yet, huh?” Robert observed calmly, leaning against the display shelf.

  “Come on,” Adam said to me. “I’ll help you catch him.”

  “Thanks.” Leaving Jamal struggling to hang on to Ozzy, who clearly wanted to join in the chase, I took off after the runaway puppy. Adam was right behind me.

  We chased Muckle up and down several aisles. He managed to stay just ahead of us, though he paused now and then to pull toys or snacks off the shelves. A few other customers tried to head him off, but he was too quick for them, dodging outstretched hands and darting around legs and shopping carts and other dogs.

  “Quick—you go that way, and I’ll circle around,” Adam directed as we came to the end of another aisle.

  I obeyed, jogging around the corner. Muckle was already halfway down the next aisle, though he’d stopped again to sniff at some bags of kitty litter.

  “Muckle!” I called. “Stop right there!”

  At that moment, Adam appeared at the far end of the aisle. He let out a soft whistle, and Muckle’s ears pricked curiously. He trotted a few steps toward Adam, then stopped and sat down.

  Adam sat down too. I crept closer, wondering if I could lunge forward fast enough to grab him. Seeing what I was doing, Adam looked me in the eye and shook his head slightly.

  I froze. Muckle was standing again. His tail wagged slowly as he took another few steps toward Adam.

  “Here, buddy boy,” Adam crooned, grabbing a bright blue plastic kitty litter scooper thingy off the shelf beside him and waggling it at the puppy. “Come on, let’s play, okay?”

  Muckle barked twice, then rushed forward. I was afraid he was about to give us the slip again, but instead he starting jumping all over Adam, tail wagging and tongue flapping.

  Adam laughed, rolling on the floor with Muckle for a moment before scooping him up and climbing to his feet. “Got him!” he called to me with a grin.

  I hurried toward them. Adam set Muckle down and handed me the other end of his leash.

  “Thanks so much,” I said breathlessly. “I guess Robert’s right—we haven’t exactly made a ton of progress yet.”

  “It’s all right. Like I told you guys yesterday, puppies aren’t born knowing how to behave.” Adam leaned over and rubbed Muckle’s head. “We have to teach them what we want. That’s the only way we can all live together peacefully, eh?”

  I nodded like a bobblehead. Everything sounded great in that accent. At that moment Muckle spotted a shih tzu walking past at the end of the aisle. He barked and leaped toward it, and I barely tightened my grip on the leash in time to prevent an embarrassing rerun of the action we’d just finished.

  “Oops,” I said, my cheeks going hot. “Down, Muckle. I mean heel.” I tugged on the leash. Muckle completely ignored me.

  Adam smiled. “Here, let me show you a few tricks,” he said. “We’ll cover this in class soon. If the pup isn’t paying attention to you while you’re walking, you can’t just
scold him. Puppies don’t understand English, yes?”

  “Muckle does,” I replied. “Seriously. He can hear the word ‘dinnertime’ from a mile away.”

  Adam chuckled. “I hear you. But just humor me, all right? Walk down the aisle with Muckle. If he starts to wander off to the right, you need to turn abruptly to the left. Don’t say anything to the dog—just do it. You want to surprise him, eh? Now give it a try.”

  I wasn’t quite sure what he wanted me to do. It was distracting to be instructed by someone so hot, especially now that all his focus was on me, with no other class members to share the spotlight.

  Still, I gave it a try. “Come on, Muck,” I said, walking down the aisle. Muckle almost immediately turned to look at something on the shelf, and I yanked on the leash.

  “No, not like that.” Adam hurried over. “Here, let me show you.”

  He put his hand on the leash right above mine. His arm grazed my arm, and our shoulders bumped. Once again, I thought I might hyperventilate. He was touching me! As in actual skin-to-skin contact!

  I surreptitiously scanned the surrounding area, wondering if Robert was watching this. He was down at the far end of the aisle with Jamal, waving his arms around and chatting in his usual animated fashion.

  Good boy! It was pretty obvious that he was running interference, playing the wingman, making sure I had this moment with Adam all to myself. I was grateful, but I didn’t dwell on that for long.

  “Okay, let’s try this again. . . .” Adam walked me through the leash-training exercise, showing me how to surprise the puppy and keep him guessing so his attention was more likely to stay focused on me.

  As for me? All my attention was focused on Adam. His hands were gentle as they guided mine, and he smelled good up close, with only the slightest whiff of doggy odor.

  Or was that me? I had a moment of panic before I decided it didn’t matter. We were in a pet supply store—everything here had a doggy odor. Besides, Adam loved dogs. Maybe I should start bathing in Eau de Puppy Breath.

  Okay, being that close to Adam was making me a little giddy. And I’d barely said a word to him so far. I knew I had to pull it together if I didn’t want this magical moment to go to waste.