Chapter 11
Eleven
M att spotted the large delivery truck pulling up in front of the clinic and left Vanessa in charge of the round pen to stroll over from the shelter to investigate. They weren’t expecting any deliveries today that he knew of.
The delivery van driver rolled down his window. He was a man in his thirties, dressed in a freight company uniform. In the passenger seat sat a boy around ten with a baseball cap turned backward.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Gray.”
“I’m Jeff Black, and this is my boy, Finn,” the driver said.
“Hello, Finn.” Matt nodded at the boy.
Finn raised his hand. “Hi.”
Matt stepped back and eyed the truck. It was much bigger than the usual delivery vans. “Do we have a delivery I forgot about?”
Finn craned his neck, watching the adoption event across the parking lot.
“No, no,” Jeff said. “We’re here about a dog.”
“Oh. Well, come on over to the shelter. You can park around back.” Matt motioned to the wide tarmac behind the clinic. “Any particular dog you’re looking to adopt?”
“Not adopt, no,” Finn said. “We lost our dog.”
Matt caught his breath. He hoped they hadn’t adopted out the Blacks’ dog. But most of the dogs had been at the shelter for months or longer without being claimed. In fact, the only new dog that had shown up recently was Paddy.
“I drive a weekly delivery route from Atlanta to New Orleans,” Jeff said. “And I usually spend the last night on Christmas Beach before headin’ back. Finn’s with me this time since his school is out for Christmas. His mom and I share custody, and I get him for the holidays. Anyway, our dog got away from us the last time we camped out here, and we searched as long as we dared, but we had to get back on the road. My boss isn’t too understanding.”
“What does the dog look like?” Matt asked.
“Gonzo’s part golden retriever, part Irish setter,” Finn said. “And we miss him something terrible, sir.”
Paddy. Matt’s upper lip twitched, and he shoved his hands in his jacket pocket. He was happy for the Blacks and Gonzo but dreaded the moment he must break the news to Norah.
“I didn’t even know there was a vet or animal shelter on Christmas Beach until this one looked you up on the internet.” Jeff pointed at his son with a thumb. “So we came straight here after my last drop-off in New Orleans.”
“Have you seen him?” Finn asked. “Has anyone turned in our Gonzo?”
Matt nodded. “Yes, he’s safe. A local woman is fostering him.”
“Oh, thank God,” Jeff said and slumped back against the seat.
“When can we get him?” Finn asked.
“Go ahead and park, Jeff, and then come on over to the adoption event. We have Paddy right here.”
“Thanks!” With a gleeful smile, Jeff drove to the back of the clinic and parked.
Bracing himself, Matt went to find Norah.
The ocean stretched out in front of her, endless and calm, its rhythmic waves a gentle, soothing backdrop. The salty air expanded Norah’s lungs as thoughts of Matt filled her mind. She missed him, and she had only been away from him for twenty minutes.
The feeling of neediness scared her at the same time. She wanted his closeness more than anything.
Paddy trotted ahead, ears perked, tail wagging, oblivious to the knots twisting inside her. Every few steps, he paused to sniff something—a shell, a tuft of seaweed, or some driftwood—and then bound forward again.
What a dog. Norah smiled. Maybe they would never find his owners and she could keep him.
Don’t get your hopes up.
How had this dog, in such a short time, come to mean so much to her? She crouched beside him as he investigated another patch of sand, reaching out to stroke his back, and threaded her fingers through his fur.
“I think I need you more than you need me.” She slipped her fingers through Paddy’s fur. How had this happened? She’d spent so long keeping everyone at arm’s length, but now… Now, here she was, needing both Matt and Paddy more than she wanted to admit. The thought left her both shaken and steady all at once.
As if he understood, Paddy leaned into her touch, his warmth grounding. She’d spent so much of her life alone and was not really bothered by it.
Or so she told herself.
She liked not having to answer to anyone or clean up after anyone. She was free. But how did the song go? Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
For over twenty years, she’d run from the pain of loss. Closed herself off to feelings, terrified of being hurt.
For so long, she kept her walls firmly in place, convinced that letting anyone—or anything—too close would only lead to heartache. But this dog crept into her life, breaking down those barriers in record time.
She thought she’d built a fortress of stone, but it was merely paper.
A breeze swept over the water, cool and refreshing. Norah straightened, giving Paddy slack on the leash. He wandered a little farther down the beach. The dog was free-spirited and full of life and part of her envied the way he trusted so easily.
“Would you like to live with me?” she said.
The words carried more weight than she expected. It wasn’t just a casual thought anymore. She wanted him. Paddy had become part of her. He was family now.
The dog turned and looked at her. He didn’t know she was wrestling with existential issues. Heck, he didn’t even know what that was. If he could talk, Paddy would say, as Matt would, Be here now. If you’re always living in the future or the past, you never get to live.
Yes. Tomorrow was not a given. She was here. Paddy was here. The ocean stretched out before them, endless and powerful. In this moment, he was hers and that’s all that mattered.
“Okay, I’ll let you off the leash, but just for a moment.” She unclipped him and he took off, sprinting at full speed and scaring the terns, who scattered, flying away from the bulleting dog.
Norah stood still for a moment, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as Paddy roamed freely across the beach. She wanted to hold on, to freeze this moment—Paddy’s joy, her peace—but she knew she couldn’t.
She called to him, and he looped back toward her, arriving panting and looking deliriously happy. Norah’s heart gave a hard squeeze as she knelt to leash him again. Paddy looked at her, and she stared into his big golden eyes.
“You fit into my life, don’t you? Just like Matt does.”
Matt.
She loved the way Matt’s eyes softened whenever he spotted her. The way he listened...really listened to her. The way he kissed her, gentle, patient, like he’d been waiting his whole life for her.
“You’re not going anywhere,” she said to Paddy. The thought that someone could come and claim him felt distant, unreal.
She stood, brushed sand from her jeans, and took a deep breath. The sun peeked through the clouds and shimmied off the waves. The beauty of the moment felt fragile, like something she wanted to hold on to but couldn’t quite grasp.
Paddy tugged at the leash, urging her to walk, and she followed, her steps slow and deliberate. Maybe that was what she needed—something to pull her forward, something to remind her that she didn’t have to keep hiding out from life. She didn’t have to hold everything at arm’s length anymore.
“It’s time to go.”
She turned back toward the car, her heart beating steadier, more vital now. She wasn’t just heading back to an event or a busy shelter. She was heading back to the life she hadn’t allowed herself to believe she could have.
Matt stood at the shelter, scanning the crowd, looking for Norah. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Paddy was also missing.
“Chris.” Matt motioned for this vet tech.
He jogged over. “Wassup, boss?”
“Have you seen Norah?”
“Yeah, she took Paddy for a walk on the beach. He was really restless, almost to the point of agitation.”
“Did she say when she’d be back?” Matt asked.
Chris shook his head. “No, just said she wouldn’t be too long. Why? Everything okay?”
“Paddy’s owners are here.” Matt gestured at Jeff and Finn walking toward them.
“Hey, that’s great news!”
“Yeah, it is.” For everyone but Norah. “Could you get them some refreshments while I give Norah a call?
“Sure, sure.”
Matt stepped behind the building for some privacy, pulled out his phone, and punched in Norah’s number.
It rang twice, and then her beautiful voice, lighthearted and happy, came on the line. “Hey, handsome.”
“Norah, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?” she asked, her cheerfulness fading.
He pressed his palm to his nape. “Paddy’s owners are here. They came looking for him.”
Silence filled the other end of the line. Matt waited, knowing this was hitting her hard.
In a gentle voice, he explained how the Blacks had lost Paddy on Jeff’s delivery route. “He’s their dog, Norah. His name is Gonzo.”
“Gonzo, huh?” she said. “Oh, his ears just perked up.”
Matt heard Paddy/Gonzo bark.
“I guess that’s why he was so restless. He saw the delivery truck and recognized them.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
She exhaled audibly. “Well, all right.”
“Are you all right?”
“Sure, sure… it’s just… I’d gotten really used to Paddy.”
“I know.”
“I guess I’ll load him up and head your way.”
“Tell you what, so you don’t have to drive while this is sitting in your mind. I’ll lead Jeff and Finn to you, and they can pick up Gonzo there. They’re spending the night at the campground up the beach anyway.”
“Okay,” she said.
“See you soon.” Matt paused. “Love you.”
Then she responded with the words that gave his heart wings. “Love you too.”