nice for them first.”
Lovey weighed his words and nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, that is a good idea. What kind of dog you gettin’?”
“That’s my problem.” He sighed as if that very question had weighed on him heavily. “I don’t know what kind. Ms. Pip is good at figuring out people, so I thought she might help me decide just what kind of dog I need. I think choosing a dog is an important decision.”
“Yeah, that’s important. I bet she could help you. She likes to help people.”
Ned grinned at me, and I felt warmed by his expression. Ned’s happiness had come to mean a lot to me.
He whispered to Lovey again, as if her mom and I couldn’t hear him. “She does like to help them a lot.”
“Will you bring the dog with you sometime?” Lovey asked.
“I’ll tell you what, if you and your mom can come at the end of the day in two weeks, I’ll come and I’ll bring my dog with me. I’m not sure he’ll want to be here for a whole day, but I bet he’d like to walk over for a visit.”
Lovey turned around and asked Mimi. “Mom?”
Mimi nodded. “We always come late because I work Saturdays until two.”
“And I go stay with Mrs. Sandy across the street.” Lovey dropped her voice to a stage whisper and announced, “And she makes me lunches, but she don’t never make me pancakes.”
I had never seen Ned interact with a child before. Oh, he’d helped at the food pantry before and he’d certainly talked to kids, but not like this. There was a connection between him and Lovely. He was good with her.
I realized that in all the time we’d dated, Anthony had never come down to the food pantry and helped. Even knowing how much it meant to me.
I tried to tell myself that I’d never gone to court to help him with a case, but I knew it wasn’t the same thing.
Ned and Lovey chatted about dogs and pancakes as I helped Mimi.
And when they left, Lovey hugged Ned and promised to bring him his own book in two weeks.
The next morning, after the promised breakfast of pancakes, Ned and I went to the Everything But a Dog adoption event. It was held at the amphitheater down on the bay front.
I loved it on the bay. The area used to be an industrial hub for Erie, but over the last decade or so, industries had left and hotels, the main library, and tourist attractions had moved in.
From the rise, I could see down the grassy knoll to the amphitheater itself, and beyond that, the bay and Presque Isle peninsula on the far side.
Sailboats, motorboats, and kayaks dotted the bay water. Most days, looking at it would be enough of a reason to visit Liberty Park, but today we were here on a mission.
“Are you ready?” I asked Ned.
He nodded.
We began to walk through the park. There were dogs of every size and breed, in kennels and makeshift pens.
“How did you find out about this?” I asked as we walked aimlessly through rows of dogs.
I’ll confess that part of me wanted to take each and every one of the dogs home with me. Some looked excited to be out of the shelter; some looked depressed. All of them looked like they needed a home.
“Josiah knows the Salo family who runs this,” Ned said. “Well, he said it’s actually the matriarch of the family who runs the organization and she enlists the rest of the family. According to Josiah, they don’t really have a choice.”
Mrs. Salo sounded bossy. And that thought, coupled with the mention of Josiah, reminded me about Anthony’s making plans for us.
“Where do the dogs come from?” I asked, rather than dwell on Anthony’s faux pas.
“All the shelters in town send the dogs over. The lady, Mrs. Salo, claims to have a special power to match dogs to the right owner.”
I laughed at the thought of a matchmaker who specialized in dogs.
Ned smiled. “Yeah, I have my doubts about her, but not about you. I trust you to help me find the right dog.”
“I’ve never had a dog, so I have no idea what to suggest when you’re looking for
Lovey weighed his words and nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, that is a good idea. What kind of dog you gettin’?”
“That’s my problem.” He sighed as if that very question had weighed on him heavily. “I don’t know what kind. Ms. Pip is good at figuring out people, so I thought she might help me decide just what kind of dog I need. I think choosing a dog is an important decision.”
“Yeah, that’s important. I bet she could help you. She likes to help people.”
Ned grinned at me, and I felt warmed by his expression. Ned’s happiness had come to mean a lot to me.
He whispered to Lovey again, as if her mom and I couldn’t hear him. “She does like to help them a lot.”
“Will you bring the dog with you sometime?” Lovey asked.
“I’ll tell you what, if you and your mom can come at the end of the day in two weeks, I’ll come and I’ll bring my dog with me. I’m not sure he’ll want to be here for a whole day, but I bet he’d like to walk over for a visit.”
Lovey turned around and asked Mimi. “Mom?”
Mimi nodded. “We always come late because I work Saturdays until two.”
“And I go stay with Mrs. Sandy across the street.” Lovey dropped her voice to a stage whisper and announced, “And she makes me lunches, but she don’t never make me pancakes.”
I had never seen Ned interact with a child before. Oh, he’d helped at the food pantry before and he’d certainly talked to kids, but not like this. There was a connection between him and Lovely. He was good with her.
I realized that in all the time we’d dated, Anthony had never come down to the food pantry and helped. Even knowing how much it meant to me.
I tried to tell myself that I’d never gone to court to help him with a case, but I knew it wasn’t the same thing.
Ned and Lovey chatted about dogs and pancakes as I helped Mimi.
And when they left, Lovey hugged Ned and promised to bring him his own book in two weeks.
The next morning, after the promised breakfast of pancakes, Ned and I went to the Everything But a Dog adoption event. It was held at the amphitheater down on the bay front.
I loved it on the bay. The area used to be an industrial hub for Erie, but over the last decade or so, industries had left and hotels, the main library, and tourist attractions had moved in.
From the rise, I could see down the grassy knoll to the amphitheater itself, and beyond that, the bay and Presque Isle peninsula on the far side.
Sailboats, motorboats, and kayaks dotted the bay water. Most days, looking at it would be enough of a reason to visit Liberty Park, but today we were here on a mission.
“Are you ready?” I asked Ned.
He nodded.
We began to walk through the park. There were dogs of every size and breed, in kennels and makeshift pens.
“How did you find out about this?” I asked as we walked aimlessly through rows of dogs.
I’ll confess that part of me wanted to take each and every one of the dogs home with me. Some looked excited to be out of the shelter; some looked depressed. All of them looked like they needed a home.
“Josiah knows the Salo family who runs this,” Ned said. “Well, he said it’s actually the matriarch of the family who runs the organization and she enlists the rest of the family. According to Josiah, they don’t really have a choice.”
Mrs. Salo sounded bossy. And that thought, coupled with the mention of Josiah, reminded me about Anthony’s making plans for us.
“Where do the dogs come from?” I asked, rather than dwell on Anthony’s faux pas.
“All the shelters in town send the dogs over. The lady, Mrs. Salo, claims to have a special power to match dogs to the right owner.”
I laughed at the thought of a matchmaker who specialized in dogs.
Ned smiled. “Yeah, I have my doubts about her, but not about you. I trust you to help me find the right dog.”
“I’ve never had a dog, so I have no idea what to suggest when you’re looking for
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