“Not a problem. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Great. That would be perfect,” and even though she wanted to ask him if it would be alright if they talked while he was on the way there, she didn’t, and her ear was suddenly filled only with dial tone and not with the comforting, sleepy voice.
By the time Jared pulled up, Charisma had made her way through the house, closing doors and turning on lights until every light in the house was on and the only sound was the thud of her feet on the cold bare floors, Scruffy tapping along behind her, looking the picture of dog health. There was a heavy knock at the door, but Jared made no attempt to come inside. He waited patiently while Charisma undid the locks and opened the door, locking them again once he had stepped inside. The motion-sensitive light that hung outside the front door fizzled into darkness again.
“Thanks for coming. I know it’s late. It’s just that I was so worried about Scruffy, I didn’t want to wait until morning.” Scruffy trotted up to Jared and began nuzzling his hand. “Although, she seems to be feeling much better now.”
Jared absent-mindedly petted the dog while looking around the house. “I love what you’ve done with the place,” he said dryly, staring at the windows and their newly invented treatments.
Charisma started pulling her hands through her hair. “Thanks. I read it was the new look for fall.”
Had it been anyone else, he would have laughed at the joke. Only this time, he wasn’t actually sure she was joking. Her lips were pursed into a thin line and her brow was furrowed, and even though Scruffy seemed perfectly fine, it was apparent Charisma was worried. She started to wring her hands together. “What was she doing?”
“Oh, you know,” she waved her hands in the air, as if maybe the movement would somehow distract him from the initial question. “She was sneezing. And rolling around on the floor. And she was moaning like she was in pain.”
Jared’s eyebrow arched upwards. “I see. That is rather unusual.”
“Well, I thought so, too. That’s why I made sure to call you right away. You know so much about dogs and you’re a vet, so I knew if anyone would know what that all meant it would be you. But then, right before you got here she just started acting normal again. Completely normal.” She opened her eyes as wide as possible, trying to look as honest and innocent as she could. It was a face she had practiced for hours on end and had mastered years ago. Before she’d left New Jersey, before…
She shook her head, her hair fanning out around her face, which had suddenly become even paler than it usually was, and she started to run her hands through the strands again. “I hate that you had to come all the way out here.” She turned her big brown eyes back to him, hoping they looked as pitiful and needy as she felt, “I feel just awful. Let me make you something to eat, or some tea, or coffee.”
Jared thought of telling her no, that it really wasn’t necessary, but she was already bustling through the kitchen, and it hadn’t really been a question in the first place. She put on a pot of water and started pulling teas and instant coffees out of the cupboard. “Make yourself at home. Feel free to watch television.”
She perched on the edge of the sofa, turning her eyes back toward Jared while she waited for the water to boil and for Jared to accept her invitation. He settled back into the sofa and ran his hands over his eyes, trying to wipe away the tiredness that still hung in their depths and to make sense out of what was going on. Every time he saw Charisma, she just became stranger.
When it became clear that she wasn’t going to say anything more, just sit there in the seat across from him, mauling her lower lip and staring intently at him, he flipped on the television and started running through the channels.
He hadn’t settled on one channel for more than a few minutes, and
“Great. That would be perfect,” and even though she wanted to ask him if it would be alright if they talked while he was on the way there, she didn’t, and her ear was suddenly filled only with dial tone and not with the comforting, sleepy voice.
By the time Jared pulled up, Charisma had made her way through the house, closing doors and turning on lights until every light in the house was on and the only sound was the thud of her feet on the cold bare floors, Scruffy tapping along behind her, looking the picture of dog health. There was a heavy knock at the door, but Jared made no attempt to come inside. He waited patiently while Charisma undid the locks and opened the door, locking them again once he had stepped inside. The motion-sensitive light that hung outside the front door fizzled into darkness again.
“Thanks for coming. I know it’s late. It’s just that I was so worried about Scruffy, I didn’t want to wait until morning.” Scruffy trotted up to Jared and began nuzzling his hand. “Although, she seems to be feeling much better now.”
Jared absent-mindedly petted the dog while looking around the house. “I love what you’ve done with the place,” he said dryly, staring at the windows and their newly invented treatments.
Charisma started pulling her hands through her hair. “Thanks. I read it was the new look for fall.”
Had it been anyone else, he would have laughed at the joke. Only this time, he wasn’t actually sure she was joking. Her lips were pursed into a thin line and her brow was furrowed, and even though Scruffy seemed perfectly fine, it was apparent Charisma was worried. She started to wring her hands together. “What was she doing?”
“Oh, you know,” she waved her hands in the air, as if maybe the movement would somehow distract him from the initial question. “She was sneezing. And rolling around on the floor. And she was moaning like she was in pain.”
Jared’s eyebrow arched upwards. “I see. That is rather unusual.”
“Well, I thought so, too. That’s why I made sure to call you right away. You know so much about dogs and you’re a vet, so I knew if anyone would know what that all meant it would be you. But then, right before you got here she just started acting normal again. Completely normal.” She opened her eyes as wide as possible, trying to look as honest and innocent as she could. It was a face she had practiced for hours on end and had mastered years ago. Before she’d left New Jersey, before…
She shook her head, her hair fanning out around her face, which had suddenly become even paler than it usually was, and she started to run her hands through the strands again. “I hate that you had to come all the way out here.” She turned her big brown eyes back to him, hoping they looked as pitiful and needy as she felt, “I feel just awful. Let me make you something to eat, or some tea, or coffee.”
Jared thought of telling her no, that it really wasn’t necessary, but she was already bustling through the kitchen, and it hadn’t really been a question in the first place. She put on a pot of water and started pulling teas and instant coffees out of the cupboard. “Make yourself at home. Feel free to watch television.”
She perched on the edge of the sofa, turning her eyes back toward Jared while she waited for the water to boil and for Jared to accept her invitation. He settled back into the sofa and ran his hands over his eyes, trying to wipe away the tiredness that still hung in their depths and to make sense out of what was going on. Every time he saw Charisma, she just became stranger.
When it became clear that she wasn’t going to say anything more, just sit there in the seat across from him, mauling her lower lip and staring intently at him, he flipped on the television and started running through the channels.
He hadn’t settled on one channel for more than a few minutes, and
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