Pawliday Love

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

CHLOE

T he trip to the store doesn’t take long and before I know it, I have a shopping cart full. Both of the animals are content. They seem to love walking on their leashes, which is surprising since one is a cat.

I don’t know what came over me, but once I saw the dog standing where I had just been standing, I knew it was fate. It’s just like the necklace and I had to have them both.

After we finish and are back in the car, I look at both of them. The cat has a little pink leash, which stands out from her black fur. The puppy in the back seat has a blue one. Both of the ends of their leashes are lying on the center console, right where I left them. Neither are trying to move.

“Maybe we just belong together.”

I start the car to head home, feeling like I just made the best decision ever.

As soon as we pull up to the house, the puppy in the back leans over the console and looks up at the house. He seems excited to be here.

The cat, not so much. She seems to only be interested in grooming herself and lounging like a queen on her little cat bed.

But then, as if being told we have arrived, she finally looks up and sees the house. Her little eyes grow wider as she stares. It’s almost as if she is grasping that she has a home, too.

I slowly open the door, but not before reaching for the leashes on the console. They both look at me, then back at the house, like it’s finally clicking.

The dog, who I really need to name, jumps out of the back seat and is on the ground before I can back out of the car fully.

Queen kitty eases her way across the console and onto the driver's seat. She looks up at me with those little eyes again and I instantly know what to call her. “You are going to be called Nova.”

The dog whimpers at my feet as if he knows he is being left out. I go through a quick list of names in my head, but decide there is only one I can call him. “What about Bandit?”

His eyes are so wide and human like that I find myself wondering if I’ve been duped into adopting a dog who is secretly human. Of course, that is just silly. No one would ever make themselves a dog to be taken home by someone, right?

Finally, he growls at me, and I decide Bandit doesn’t suit him. “Fine, what about Scout?”

He seems to accept it, then turns to look at the house with those same wide eyes.

“Welcome home,” I whisper as I tug them along with me up the sidewalk path to the porch.

Once I have them inside, I quickly come back out to the car to retrieve everything I got for them.

Two fluffy beds, two food and water bowls, and plenty of food and toys. Everything that they could possibly need.

The only thing I think I might need is a scratching post for Nova and puppy pads for Scout.

I get back inside and look around the living room, only to find both of them on the couch. Each one of them has claimed a side of my couch, which makes me giggle. They have locked eyes and neither are giving up on their little staring contest.

“I guess we will all need to adjust, won’t we? Don’t worry. I have enough love to give both of you.”

They both break eye contact at the same time, then look over at me with such sweet expressions. I just love them both.

But then I lock eyes with Scout and something familiar washes over me. It’s like I have seen those eyes before, but I can’t think of where. He also looks as if he is contemplating something heavily, which isn’t like a normal dog.

I quickly dismiss my thoughts and resume finding places to put everything. In the end, I put both of their beds in my room with their food bowls in the kitchen. Their water bowls are next to them. Then I find a place in a cabinet to store both bags of food, but not before getting out a scoop of each to place in their individual bowls.

When I return to the living room to head to the stairs to my room, I notice neither are there. “How strange. Where did they go?”

I look around the first floor, but don’t find them. Eventually, I head up the stairs and look there, only to find both of them on my bed and not in theirs.

“What do you think you two are doing?”

Instead of looking up at me, they’re both sound asleep and look too comfortable to move.

“This is only for one night. I know you can both hear me, sneaky little things,” I say as I walk to the attached bathroom.

Once I’m in there, I realize I forgot my clothes, so I quietly slip back out into my room to gather them before heading back to get cleaned up for the night. By the time I’m done and coming back to the room, neither of them has moved a single inch.

“I’m going to say this once again. It’s only for tonight. Don’t get used to it. I spent good money to get you both a nice soft bed that has memory foam in it.”

As I get ready to get into bed, I take one look at their sweet faces and am really debating if I’ll have the heart to kick either of them out. They’re just so cute like this.

I look at them one last time, then climb into bed as easily as I can. After I sink under the covers, I look at the ceiling and think of all the unpacked boxes I still have left to take care of.

“In the morning, I will deal with it, but not tonight.”