Dial C for Chihuahua by Waverly Curtis

to answer but just kept on going. “Jay couldn’t stand the wife. Said she was a total bitch. Jay said they’d probably find out it was suicide. The poor guy no doubt killed himself because it was the only way he could get away from her nagging.”

Chapter 14
    When we got home, Pepe went straight to his food dish. But he cleared out of the kitchen fast when Albert came wandering in looking for his own dinner. Pepe headed for the living room and in a few minutes, I heard the click of the TV.
    After pouring myself a glass of Chardonnay, I drifted into the living room to see what he was watching. He was channel surfing, clicking through all the channels.
    â€œThere is nothing on TV on Friday night,” he complained.
    â€œJust don’t watch anything On Demand,” I told him. “I’m not going to pay for it.”
    I checked my home phone, hoping for a message from my sister, apologizing for inviting Jeff without telling me. But she hadn’t called. I did have two messages.
    One was from Sherman Foot. He sounded annoyed. He wanted to know why I hadn’t called him.
    â€œIt’s urgent that I speak to you, Miss Sullivan,” he said. “Contact me as soon as you receive this message.”
    I didn’t think Foot would answer his phone on a Friday night but I tried the number anyway. I got voice mail and left a message.
    The second call was from Felix. He said he had enjoyed meeting me and my dog, although he was sorry about the circumstances, and he hoped I would call him. I thought about it. He had a nice rich baritone voice, and it sounded soothing. I imagined that calm, confident tone really worked on dogs, but the last thing I needed was an attractive man in my life.
    As I was considering this, the phone in my hand rang, shaking me out of my reverie. My caller ID said the caller was F. Navarro. Well, if he was going to be persistent, I might as well end it quickly.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œHello. Is this Geri Sullivan?”
    â€œYes. Who is this?”
    â€œDon’t you have caller ID?” he asked.
    â€œOh!” How did he know that? I have to admit, I’m not a very good liar. It might be a problem in my new career. I imagined there were plenty of circumstances when lying would be a great way to get information. “Yes, I do,” I said.
    â€œSo you know it’s me, Felix,” he said.
    â€œYes, otherwise I wouldn’t have answered.” I wasn’t sure if I should have said that. But he laughed.
    â€œWell, I’m glad you did,” he said.
    â€œOh really? Why?”
    â€œI felt terrible all day because of what happened. I want to make it up to you. Can you get an estimate and let me know how much it will cost to fix your car?”
    â€œFelix,” I said, “it would cost a lot to fix my car. Didn’t you notice the moss growing on the rubber?”
    â€œWell, yes, I did,” he said. “I thought it was rather charming.”
    He must be kidding. Guys never thought my neglect of my car was charming.
    â€œReally, the car is a hand-me-down from my sister, and I’m trying to drive it into the ground. I don’t plan to have any work done on it.”
    â€œHow about if I pay for the cost of the repairs, even if you don’t intend to do them?”
    â€œI couldn’t accept any money from you under those circumstances,” I said.
    â€œWell, it doesn’t seem right,” he said. “Can I make it up to you in some other way? Dinner? Or a free training session for your dog?”
    â€œPepe could certainly use some training,” I said.
    Pepe said “Hey! I heard that!”
    I noticed the way Felix had slipped in the dinner invitation. Was he asking me out? It had been so long since I had been asked out, I wasn’t really sure.
    â€œCan I think about it and call you back?” I asked.
    â€œSure, I’ll be looking forward to that,” he said. He repeated his number