Dearly Loved by Bonnie Blythe Page B

someone nice and calming? Spending time with someone else is the fastest route to getting over David.
    Wait a minute. I am over David. Have been for like a decade. Sheesh!
    After dinner she invited Clay in and made tea while Bitsy provided some comic relief with his unending stream of dog tricks. She and Clay settled onto the couch a short time later. He stretched his arm along the back of the sofa and wrapped a strand of Meredith’s hair around his finger.
    “I’ve really enjoyed our time together, Meredith,” he said in a low voice.
    She cleared her throat. “Me too.”
    When he leaned closer, Meredith knew he was going to kiss her. She bit her lip, suddenly nervous. Bitsy hopped onto her lap, startling her. “Bitsy!” she cried, embarrassed at the depth of her relief. “Go play or something. Enough tricks!” Then she noticed a ragged piece of material hanging from his mouth. “What in the world?”
    Looking disappointed at the interruption, Clay tugged at the fabric in the dog’s mouth. “What is it?”
    She furrowed her brows. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
    Dumping the dog from her lap, Meredith stood and walked to the doorway of her bedroom. She sagged against the doorjamb. “Oh, no.”
    Clay walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder. He made a noise that sounded remarkably like a snicker.
    Meredith turned and looked up at him. “This isn’t funny!”
    His solemn expression was at odds with the amusement in his eyes. “I never said it was funny. It’s more like disastrous .”
    They both turned at the same time and looked at the destruction Bitsy had wrought in her absence. Her goose-down comforter, just back from the cleaners, was a shredded mess, spreading to the farthest reaches of her bedroom. White feathers covered the floor and wafted in the air as Bitsy ran around in spastic circles.
    “Are you sure you don’t want the dog back?”
    Clay grinned. “Doubly sure.” He tugged on her hand. “C’mon. I’ll help you clean it up.
    Despite her protests, Clay went to work, scooping up as much of the fabric and fluff as possible. Meredith fired up her vacuum cleaner and together they eradicated every last feather from sight. An hour later, Meredith gave Clay a tired smile.
    “Thank you for your help. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
    “Of course I did.”
    Meredith found herself wondering if he’d try to kiss her again. I hope so. At least I think I do. Why shouldn’t I?
    The tweetering of his cell phone made her jump. Frowning, Clay answered. After a few moments of conversation, he snapped it shut and returned it to his jacket pocket.
    “That was my dad. Tiffany apparently had a nightmare and is crying inconsolably. I have to go.”
    “Of course.”
    Meredith followed him to the door and opened it. Clay walked out onto the porch. He turned. “This isn’t the way I planned for the evening to end.”
    She smiled. “That’s okay. Thank you for everything.”
    He squeezed her hand. “Good night, Meredith. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
    Meredith nibbled her bottom lip as she watched him go. She glanced back at her naughty pooch, who lay on his back in the middle of the living room floor, waving his paws in the air trying to look cute. “Don't make me call Cesar Milan on you!”
     
    ***
     
    The demands of his business prevented Clay from planning time with Meredith until the following week. Meredith accepted this philosophically. While she wanted to spend more time with him, she also didn’t want to rush anything either.
    Her week went quickly and for that she was grateful. On the last day of her shift, Rosa walked into the break room, her arms crossed, the usual sparkle absent from her eyes.
    “How’s it going, Mer?”
    Meredith paused with a carafe of coffee in her hand. After a moment, she resumed pouring coffee into her mug. “Fine. Want any?”
    Rosa shook her head. “You wouldn’t happen to be upset with me for any reason, would you?”
    Meredith’s