A New Leaf (Hemlock #1)

Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Finn

I’m in love with Charlie. If I’m honest with myself—I fell in love with her weeks ago. I've been in love with her ever since she came over to tend to me when I was bedridden with the Hemlock plague. At the time, I thought it was just the fever talking, especially with those wild dreams I was having. But now, I know that was when I fell head over heels in love with the pretty, brunette, plant girl.

I roll over in bed and reach for my glasses on the nightstand. Sunlight has already started to peek through the blinds, which means that it’s time to get up and get moving. Frank is still snoring on the bed, and I physically have to pick him up and set him on the ground to get his day started. We’re both dazed and confused with exhaustion. I’m sure he and I could sleep all day if we wanted to.

Once we make our way into the kitchen, I open the door and Frank runs outside into the backyard. While he’s sniffing around, I grab his breakfast and refill his water bowl. After I set it down, I turn to the kitchen island and sift through my mountain of unopened mail. Checking the time on the microwave, I realize Frank’s been out a little longer than usual, so I open the sliding door and whistle for him into the crisp morning air.

Nothing.

I whistle again.

Still nothing.

Typically, Frank is all too ready to eat breakfast and will run so fast that he ends up head butting me in the shins trying to find his way inside.

I whistle once more and that’s when I begin to panic.

My bare feet hit the cold, wet grass as my head whips around looking for him. A heavy, sinking feeling drops in my stomach when I run over and see the side gate is open. I run out the gate and into the front yard, looking up and down the street, whistling for Frank.

I don’t see him anywhere.

Fuck.

Terror rips through me as my mind jumps to every worst-case scenario. For a blind dog, the world can be a frightening place. My mission is to ensure Frank's life is as comfortable and happy as possible. There’s an added layer of guilt settling over me, especially since every night I take his collar off for bed to make him more comfortable.

The collar that has an AirTag on it so that, if he does go missing, I can find him.

But I forgot to put his collar on this morning before he went outside.

Tears burn behind my eyes as fear crashes into me with relentless force.

There’s no way I’m able to track Frank.

I run inside my house and grab my phone, dialing the number of the first person on my mind.

“Finn? Is everything okay?” Charlie says, after picking up on the first ring. She must sense something is off, judging by her greeting.

“Frank got out. I don’t know where he is. He doesn’t have his collar on,” I choke out. I’m running my hands through my hair, tugging at the strands in frustration as I pace around the kitchen.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Charlie replies, “I’ll be right there. Give me two minutes.”

Sure enough, exactly two minutes later, Charlie is banging on my front door. I open it in a haste and she stands before me with messy hair and still wearing her pajama pants. A look of determination is written all over her face and, in true Charlie fashion, she takes charge.

“Get your shoes on. We’re finding your dog. I’ll be in my car.” Charlie turns, stepping off my porch, and hustles over to her vehicle.

The moment I get in her car, before I even put my seatbelt on, she’s already backing out of the driveway, tires screeching beneath us.

“Do you have any idea where he could’ve gone?” she questions, her eyes darting around in between the homes on my street.

I attempt to swallow the lump in my throat. “None. He’s never gotten out before. I am fucking terrified, Charlie.” I roll down the window and start whistling. Frank’s recall isn’t great, but he does respond to my whistling more than to the sound of his own name.

When we pull up to a stop sign, Charlie settles her hand on my knee. “Hey, look at me.” My gaze locks on her and she gives me a reassuring smile as she squeezes my knee. “We’re finding Frank if it’s the last thing we do. Got it?”

My mind is too frazzled for words right now, so I just give her a quick nod before she pulls onto the next street.

For the next twenty minutes, I whistle so much that my lips feel as though they’re about to fall off. With no luck finding Frank in the neighborhood, we decide our next stop is Main Street. There was a good chance that he could be wandering into random stores, looking for food scraps, belly rubs, or trinkets to burgle.

All are plausible options that have happened with this pup many times before.

Charlie parks on the street and we both get out of her car. Before I begin walking, I take a few calming breaths to steady my panic. My body feels hot and jittery with anxiety. I’m positive that my heart rate is dangerously high. Charlie comes up to my side and notices my trembling hands.

“Hey, look at me.” She steps in front of me, gets on her tiptoes, and cups my face in her palms. Her soft hands feel cool on my hot skin and my eyes flutter close. “We’ll find him. I know it’s easy to jump to the worst possible scenario, but I need you to hold on to the little sliver of hope that I know is inside of you.”

Again, tears threaten to fall. “I just . . . I do everything I can to make sure he’s safe. I don’t move the furniture around. I scent mark everything, use sound cues he actually acknowledges, and keep a steady routine.” I shake my head, angry with myself and with my carelessness.

“Finn.” Charlie’s voice is calm and soothing as her thumbs stroke my cheeks. “You’re a better dog parent than anyone I know—” Her words trail off as we both hear laughter from some place farther down the street.

“He’s soooo cute!”

“Can I feed him, grandpa?”

“His ears are so fluffy! Can we keep him?”

We both widen our eyes in surprise as our gazes lock. Without thinking, we break apart from one another and sprint toward the voices.

There, in the small park off of Main Street, surrounded by a group of happy people, is Frank. He spins around in circles wagging his nub of a tail, charming the morning parkgoers with his cuteness and earning pieces of their breakfast as rewards.

Every ounce of fear dissipates from my body. I can finally take a deep breath. My chest no longer feels as though it’s being crushed by the weight of anxiety and fear. Charlie and I look at one another and smile as we race up to the crowd. As we run, I let out a whistle to get his attention. The crowd turns to us while Frank’s ears perk up. The scene unfolding in front of everyone could be straight out of a movie: my goofy dog runs straight into my arms.

I sit down on the ground, ignoring the wet grass and mud soaking through my pajama pants. Frank wiggles with excitement. He’s making little squeaks of happiness as I try to hold him close to my chest, but he’s too excited to stay still. A few tears fall from eyes onto his soft fur.

“Dude, you can’t scare me like that! I was so worried about you!” I sniffle, then bury my face in his neck.

I found him.

No.

We found him.

With Frank happily snuggled in my lap, I glance up to see Charlie awkwardly talking to the group of people, explaining the situation in seemingly great detail. It makes me chuckle, because she looks so uncomfortable in front of an audience.

Charlie’s unyielding strength, calm demeanor, and determination were critical in our search for Frank. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have found him as quickly. While I was panicking and struggling to focus, she remained composed. With every reassuring word she spoke to me, a flicker of hope ignited in my chest. Despite the chaos in my mind, deep down, I knew that we would find Frank together.

I’ve never admired anyone as much as I admire Charlie.

I notice Charlie walking over to us with a relieved smile on her face. She immediately crouches down and gives Frank some ear scratches.

“My man, you cannot give us a scare like that this early in the day. If you do get out next time, can you wait until the afternoon? My bones ache too much to go running around so early in the morning,” she says to him, as if he can understand every word she's saying. “Come on, bud. Let’s get you home.”

The drive back to my house is short. Charlie pulls into my driveway and turns the car off, letting out a deep sigh. Both of us are silent for a few moments, letting our pulses settle down.

“Who needs caffeine in the morning when you have a lost dog fiasco to kick up the adrenaline?” She laughs, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’ve never felt fear like that in my life.” I sigh, taking off my glasses and rubbing my eyes.

Frank is panting in the backseat as Charlie and I sit in comfortable silence. Both of us need a quick moment to decompress from the morning’s chaos. I feel guilty about needing her help in my search for Frank.

But I needed her and she dropped everything to help me.

A few ideas start bouncing around in my head. Maybe I can take her on a nice relaxing date? Just the two of us. No dogs.

Maybe I can convince Marnie to even babysit the pups? It’s a long shot. And she may cast a spell on me. But I’m willing to risk it.

Slipping my glasses back on, I turn toward Charlie. “I was wondering, do you want to see a movie tomorrow? Maybe get some dinner?” I question, looking into her tired eyes.

Charlie’s mood shifts. Her face drops and her eyes are suddenly misty with sadness. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” Her voice is thick with grief. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of my parent’s death. My siblings and I are planning a small gathering at the store.” A quiet beat passes as Charlie collects her thoughts. “I would really love it if you could join us, though.”

A sadness weighs heavily on my chest thinking about the pain this beautiful girl must be feeling. As I look into her sad brown eyes, misty with unshed tears, a million thoughts storm into my mind. I want to wrap her tight in my arms and never let her go—protect her from anything and everything that could harm her. Take every ounce of her pain away.

If she calls, I’ll come.

Just like she did for me.

I want nothing more than to be a source of safety and comfort that she can always rely on.

Just like she is for me.

“I’ll be there, sweetheart.”