Chapter Five
Chris
“One more hour, Lucifer,” I said to the bane of my existence, curled up on the front seat of my truck.
Lucifer’s huge brown eyes latched onto mine before the whack-whack-whack of his tail-of-terror started thrashing against the cushion.
His real name was Luke, and he was technically my son’s dog. But I referred to him like the devil he was when Hudson wasn’t around. Roger Wheaton, one of my friends back home and a highly sought-after breeder of golden retrievers, gave Hudson a puppy for his eighth birthday. While I thought it better to adopt, when Hudson met the puppies and I saw the look on his face, I couldn’t say no.
Lucifer wasn’t so much a gift as he was a royal pain in my ass.
Supposedly, Lucifer was the runt of the litter. Now that he was eight months old, I couldn’t imagine how big the other puppies were. They must be massive , I thought. Stealing another look at Lucifer’s head and paws, I thanked my lucky stars that we got the runt.
As if reading my thoughts, Lucifer stretched out one of his massive paws and settled it on my leg.
Since Hudson was spending the next month with his grandparents back home, I was the lucky one tasked with taking care of the devil-child.
I sighed and rubbed his head.
Shouldn’t have done that , I thought when Lucifer took it as a sign that I wanted him to crawl into my lap.
A pushing and shoving match ensued as he nudged my arm with his fat head, and I responded by elbowing him away. “Damn it, Lucifer. This isn’t a game. Sit down. Lay down.” I snapped and pointed at the passenger seat.
Three barks of pleasure resounded in the small space. Delighted tail waggling followed as his long tongue hung out of his mouth.
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” I said, trying to push him down to a lying position. “Plus, Hudson would miss you.”
That lasted ten seconds. Lucifer rose, sat on his haunches, and looked out the front window like he was a person instead of a dog. He looked like a legitimate passenger sitting next to me.
I clipped his leash to his collar. “Stay,” I commanded. “Be good.”
No sooner had I said the words than he clawed at the passenger window, leaving long scratches etched into the leather panel just beneath the glass.
“For fuck’s sake!” I yelled, yanking him back to secure the loop of his leash with my seatbelt.
Lucifer looked back at me, barked once, and laid his oversized paw on the door panel.
The window lowered automatically, and he barked again as if saying, “Look at me, Dad. I can do it all by myself.” Thinking of Hudson, I chuckled. I tugged on his leash again, pulled him off the buttons, and raised the window a little higher. Thank goodness I had the forethought to secure his leash. Just my luck, the idiot would try and jump out.
“You can make it another hour, can’t you, buddy?” I asked.
Lucifer cocked his head, his huge pink tongue dangling out of his mouth.
A glance at the clock told me we’d be lucky to make it to Love Beach in under nine hours. I scrubbed my free hand over my face. Driving this long was wearing on me.
It should have only taken seven hours to drive to Love Beach, but it took an extra hour and a half because I had to stop every hundred miles and let Lucifer out. Knowing him, he’d have an accident in the car, and I didn’t want to take the chance. I could deal with pee, but all the horror stories I read about dogs getting diarrhea on the road made me more paranoid than I already was. Lucifer had never ridden in the car for extended periods of time, and I didn’t know how he would do on a long road trip.
I turned the radio up and drove with Lucifer happily hanging his head out the window. Now that he was preoccupied with the wind in his face, I didn’t have to worry so much.
We were coasting down the main strip of Love Beach an hour later. Sophisticated hotels stood like sentries, their windows glistening like diamonds under the tropical sunlight. Hundreds of boats and countless jet skis bobbed and skidded along the sparkling waters.
Lucifer and I looked out at the ocean when we stopped behind a line of cars at a red light. I had to hold his tail in my hand to keep it from whipping me in the face. A group of surfers paddled out as another group rode the waves. I breathed in the salty sea air and watched the seagulls fly overhead in the distance. Throngs of people—locals and tourists alike—strolled along the sea wall happily enjoying the sunshine and perfect weather.
I had to tighten my hold on Lucifer when we passed a park full of people—and dogs. “We’ll go there tomorrow,” I promised.
It wasn’t long before we pulled onto our new street.
Having only seen the house online, I double-checked the address. I hadn’t been picky about the house itself. What I cared about was being in a decent school district for Hudson and having a yard for Lucifer.
The house was grey with white trim and looked perfectly inviting. The front lawn was green as could be on either side of the drive. Two large palm trees and a southern magnolia offered some shade. A nice-sized flowerbed housed colorful plants I was sure to kill if I didn’t hire a gardener.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and grabbed Lucifer’s leash. “Come on, boy,” I said, opening my door and hopping out.
Once he hit the ground, Lucifer did his customary shake-off while I stretched my legs and arms. We stood like outsiders in front of a strange house in a strange neighborhood. It didn’t seem like home yet—not without Hudson. The next month with my parents allowed him to be there for the last week of school with his friends; he didn’t want to miss the end-of-year parties. Plus, my parents already paid for his annual science camp—a gift they always gave him for another year of hard work.
Moving away from his friends would be difficult for him. Giving him some time with them was one way I could help. I would also be able to get everything unpacked and ready for him, and I was looking forward to surprising him with his new bedroom.
His room back home was dinosaur-themed, but I ordered new Star Wars bedding and decorations, and he had no idea. When he came to the new house, he would have the best bedroom ever. Part of me thought I was more excited about it than he would be.
Lucifer yanked me from my thoughts and pulled me to the grass. Lifting his leg, he practically sighed with relief. He tugged on his leash, wanting to explore the new territory. “Later, Lucifer,” I said, pulling him to the front door.
Inside, the house was bare. The moving truck wouldn’t be here until tomorrow. I unhooked Lucifer’s leash. Half-expecting him to take off at full speed, I was surprised when he remained seated. Woeful eyes looked up at me.
“I know, buddy. I miss him too.” The house was quiet and empty. I missed my son. It wouldn’t feel like home until Hudson was here with me. “Come on,” I said, slapping my leg. Lucifer dutifully followed me through to the kitchen. I unlocked the slider and slid it open.
The backyard was exactly what I wanted. I stepped out onto the covered patio. “Go on,” I said. Lucifer walked forward, not knowing what to do with himself. “For Pete’s sake,” I said, following him. I led him around, introducing him to his new lawn. The pool reminded me of a large misshapen peanut because the front half had the traditional puckered middle while the back side had an oval-shaped curve.
I left Lucifer in the backyard and went out to the truck. It only took a few minutes to unload everything and bring it into the master bedroom. For tonight, I’d be sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor with my dog.
“I should have bought an air mattress,” I said as I tossed Lucifer’s fluffy bed to the floor. “Damn dog has a better bed than I do.”
Hours later, after calling Hudson and my parents, I hunkered down for the night. Lucifer slept soundly in his plush bed. I, on the other hand, couldn’t get comfortable. Maybe it was the hard surface. Maybe it was not being familiar with the new house and feeling like a complete outsider.
Then again, maybe it was the woman I knew was somewhere in this city but had no idea how to get ahold of. She might have moved , I told myself.
I pulled out my phone and searched for a dog trainer. It was time Lucifer learned some damn manners. I looked begrudgingly at my dog sleeping peacefully because his belly was full of his first cheeseburger and fries.
Earlier, I ran up to a local drive-thru and got some dinner.
I’d barely stepped out of the kitchen when Lucifer came barreling past me with my cheeseburger in his mouth. I’d yelled, and cussed, and screamed at him. Stupid dog ate my fries and the hamburger—complete with paper wrapper and all.
When I showed up to order myself a second dinner, the girl in the drive-thru line was extremely confused. After I explained what happened, she felt so bad for me that she gave me a free milkshake.
This time, I sat in my truck and ate dinner.
I scrolled through a few places, read the reviews, and checked out the pictures.
A page entitled Mannered Mutts caught my eye. The owner offered one-on-one training, group training, and classes at the local dog park. Review after review raved about Miss Emily and her magic ways with unruly dogs. The best thing about her was that she was just a few blocks from my place.
We’d see just how magical she was once she met Lucifer.