Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Em. Earth to Emma,” Zora waved her hand in front of Emma's face.
“Huh? Oh, sorry,” Emma had been staring out the window at nothing in particular, her mind wandering, rolling through mental footage of the night before and what could have happened.
“Are you okay?” Zora leaned back against the counter to regard her friend, who had been stationary for the past hour.
“Yeah,” Emma sighed. “I'm fine.”
“You didn't get to talk to her last night?”
Emma shook her head. “No, if she was home, she didn't answer the door when I knocked. I can’t help but think that it had to do with us.”
“It’s not unreasonable to have thoughts like that. I mean, this was supposed to be your first date, right? Time will tell. It's possible that she wasn't home and that's why she didn't answer.”
Emma opened her mouth, but Zora continued.
“And yes, before you say anything, she could have called you. She could have given you an explanation, and you deserve one. But, she's human. She may be going through something that you know nothing about.”
Now why did she have to go and be all logical? “No, I know you're right,” Emma tried not to whine, though she was tempted to throw a full-on tantrum. “I keep running everything over in my head, thinking maybe I pressed and shouldn't have, that I didn’t recognize a boundary.”
“You're not really one to overstep though,” Zora said softly. “Like, you, are you extra in some ways? Yeah. Are you a bundle of energy and light? Yeah. But no, you're not someone who sees a boundary and decides to play at its edges. You give people their space.”
Granny sidled up next to Emma, nudging her with her hip as she patted her on the back, her warmth radiating from her tiny frame. “It's not a bad thing to wear your heart on your sleeve, you know.”
Emma huffed. “Yeah, but I feel like I did the thing we all know you’re not supposed to do–I put all my eggs in one basket. I choose to give up dating around and literally the first woman I see, I throw myself at her.”
“Now, come on, you've got to give yourself some credit. You didn't throw yourself at her. You didn't even think she liked you in the beginning.”
Emma cracked a smile. “I’m still not completely sold that she likes me at this point. But it does seem like something is there–was there.”
“I think we would all say that, to be honest,” Granny nodded. “Don't fight your emotions. They're valid. But also, don't run through that long list of what-ifs, because there is no honest explanation until she tells you what's on her mind. So just give her that opportunity when she's ready. She's gonna have to see you either way–she can’t avoid you forever when you live at the top of the stairs.”
I’m tempted to just sit outside her door and wait until she gives me an explanation. Might be extra, but I bet it would be effective. “You're right.”
“Excuse me, is there an Emma Sparrow here?” A man stood just inside the door of the bookstore in a black polo and slacks.
“Hi, that's me.” Emma eyed him nervously. Did I forget to pay a credit card or something?
“Yeah, I'm Mike. I'm here to drop off your foster dog?”
“Oh my god, I forgot that was today!” Emma exclaimed, clapping her hands. She peered around the man, recognizing that a small strip of leash was wrapped around his leg, a blur of movement behind him.
“Who is this little ball of energy?” Emma drew closer, gingerly taking steps forward in case the dog was skittish.
“This is Coco.”
“Coco! Hi, Coco,” Emma rested her hands on her knees as Coco peeked around the man's leg carefully, her curly brown fur framing her little face.
“What breed is she?”
“She's a toy poodle mix. We think she's mixed with some sort of terrier, but I'm not completely sure, since she’s a rescue.”
Coco's floppy ears and bright brown eyes watched Emma as she knelt down to the floor. “Hi, Coco,” she whispered as she held out her hands, palms facing upward. Coco inched closer to sniff her fingertips. “I'm Emma. She's so tiny!”
“Yeah. We don't think she's going to get much bigger. She's about two years old, so she's technically still a puppy but her last foster placement had her long enough to train her to go outside for the bathroom, so she’s used to going for walks in the morning and evening. She was crate trained, so I brought one for you.”
“Oh, I don’t want her to have to be in a crate,” Emma whined as Coco licked her fingers.
“You might change your mind on that,” Mike laughed. “But, you know, do what feels comfortable.”
“I didn't know you were fostering a dog,” Zora came up, running her hands along Coco's back. “She's a cutie.”
“Yeah she is,” Emma scratched behind Coco's ears as she rested her chin in one of Emma's palms.
“She seems to like you too,” Mike observed as he stood up straight. “I'll be right back, I just need to go to the car and get the rest of her stuff.”
Emma didn’t look up, completely focused on Coco, who was wiggling closer, her wagging tail moving her entire backside. Emma laughed, Coco matched her energy to a tee. “Okay, sounds good.”
“How long are you fostering for?” Zora asked.
“Uh, they asked me to foster for a month. I had wanted a dog for a while. I didn't want to bring one into your house because if I’d gotten a puppy, I worried that we’d ruin all of your carpets upstairs.”
“Yeah, that would have been interesting,” Zora wasn't anti pets, but she did like her house to be a certain way. Sadie had given Emma the encouragement she needed to submit her application. I wish she was here right now.
“But yeah, I figured fostering will give me a better idea if I can handle a dog of my own or not. Plus it helps out the shelter for a while.”
“Smart. Great idea. Think you need to adjust your schedule for her?”
“Um, I don't think so, but let me see how she fares with my current schedule. If she needs an extra walk at midday, I could probably just run home at lunch.”
“We can circle back on that whenever, just say the word.”
“Thanks,” Emma scooped Coco up and brought her close to Granny. Coco sniffed and jutted her nose out, kissing her hands. Granny lit up at the contact.
“My, she is darling! Zora, have you thought about having a bookstore mascot? Because I think Coco could be the perfect one.”
Emma’s eyes brightened. “Oh my god, that would be amazing if we could have her here in the store!”
“Well, how about you see how she fares at your apartment first, before we go and make any commitments? We need to make sure that she's not going to pee all over the merchandise and that she doesn’t have some secret love of chewing books,” Zora mused.
“Okay, you have a point. We probably also want to make sure that we're not going to bother anyone's allergies.”
“You know, poodles are said to be hypoallergenic,” Granny pointed out, clearly advocating for Coco’s presence.
“Yeah, but whatever she’s mixed with may not be. We’ll have to see.” Emma hugged Coco to her chest as Coco littered her neck and chin with kisses and nuzzled her chest. “This is gonna be an adventure for us.”
Coco looked at her curiously, her little head tilting, as if she understood and was considering the possibilities.
“Z, do you need me to stay?”
“No, go ahead. I've got this today. I was planning to stay ‘til close anyway. I'll see you in the morning?”
“Yeah, I'm gonna take Coco and go get some supplies.”
Mike returned and handed Emma a crate stuffed with some pee pads, a blanket, and a chew toy. He pulled folded papers out of his back pocket and had Emma sign. “This is your copy, and my card is stapled up top if you have any questions. The back pages are information on the fostering to adoption process, in case you decide you are interested in pursuing something more permanent.”
Coco rested her head against Emma’s chest, and Emma cooed. “That’s a definite possibility. Thanks, Mike!”
He waved as he left.
“Okay, Coco, let’s go get some stuff for the house and take a walk in the neighborhood.”
“That’s a good idea–let her adjust to some of the scents,” Ms. Marion nodded her head in agreement. “And about that other thing,” she looked at Emma, affectionately. “There's nothing to worry about. I’m sure she'll talk to you soon.”
Emma nodded, giving Granny's cheek a quick peck. “Thank you.”
Granny patted Coco's head, “And I will see you tomorrow.”
“Granny,” Zora warned.
She shrugged in response. “The heart wants what it wants, baby.”