Chapter 13
13
S o many accolades for Coffee Loft! Customer service is top notch, the drinks are amazing, and the atmosphere is what every coffee shop should strive for . ~ 123Gimme Coffee
S ure enough, Cal’s horse-dog had parked himself at their usual table, despite a couple sitting there who now found themselves with a furry audience while they sipped their cappuccinos.
Her heart hammered in her chest at the unexpected sight. What had happened to Cal that allowed Ridley to appear all by himself?
She hurried outside to find Ridley’s head in the man’s lap. By all outward appearances, it looked like the dog was doing a solid job as Coffee Loft’s canine ambassador, if there was such a thing. However, Ginger knew Ridley. You’re in my guy’s seat was more likely Ridley’s unspoken message .
“I’m so sorry,” she said as she ruffled Ridley’s back to coax him away.
To their credit, the man and woman took it in stride. “We’re dog lovers, so it’s no problem,” the man said.
When Ridley showed no signs of budging, she took off her belt, looped it inside Ridley’s collar, and fastened it for a makeshift leash. With Ridley in tow, she met Merris at the door.
“Can you get them a ten-dollar gift card? I’m going to run Ridley home.”
“I hope Cal’s okay,” said Merris.
“I’m sure Ridley just escaped.” She wished she was as confident of that as her words implied. "I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
It’d be faster to walk him home than maneuver the big oaf up her stairs and into her apartment so she could grab her car keys. As she started down the sidewalk toward Cal’s house, so many scenarios played havoc with her mind. Was he lying face down somewhere with Ridley’s leash in hand? Was he feeling worse, maybe on his deathbed, and forgot Ridley in the backyard, and somehow the dog escaped? Her imagination was on a roll.
When she arrived at Cal’s house, the drawn blinds and closed garage door didn’t hint at anything out of the ordinary. She knocked and listened for his footsteps.
Nothing.
She knocked again. At her side, Ridley whined and pawed at the door.
“It’s okay, buddy.” She pressed his immense head against her hip to reassure him like she’d seen Cal do on occasion, and knocked one more time. “I’m sure your dad is fine.”
At least I hope he is .
Ridley whined again when they heard the bark inside. He scratched again at the door, this time more frantically.
“Cal?” she called as she rattled the doorknob, expecting it to be locked.
But it swung inward.
Ridley tugged her inside. She lost her grip on the belt as he bolted down the hallway, running deeper into the house.
She called for Cal again as she eyed Peaches locked in her crate in the dining room, looking at her with wide moon eyes underneath her scruffy mop of hair.
She returned to his foyer to stand on his welcome mat and wondered what to do. If only she’d brought her phone, but she’d left it on her desk in the office. She kept reminding herself to breathe. Where could he be ?
A car engine revved in the driveway as she crossed the dining room to the patio door to check the backyard. She stopped in her tracks, then rushed to the window to peer through the front curtains. Cal hurried up the sidewalk.
He threw open the half-closed door with confusion crinkling his brow, and stopped on the welcome mat just as she rushed to him, throwing her arms around him.
“Cal! I was worried sick!”
She pulled away almost as quickly as she’d hugged him. Shock and relief infused her senses, pounding through her chest, pushing the blood through her veins as though her body just now came alive again.
“You were? Wh-where’d you find him?” He steadied her with his hands on her arms. He still looked sick. His eyes were puffy and his was nose was red, but he’d shaved and traded his sweatpants for jeans.
“He came to Coffee Loft. We found him on the patio.”
Cal closed the door behind him as he shot Ridley a dirty look.
“ You about gave me a heart attack,” he said, pointing a finger at the dog. He unhooked Ginger’s belt from Ridley’s collar and handed it back to her with a grin. “Ingenious thinking.”
“It was one of my finer moments.” She strung it back through her belt loops then tucked her hands in her pockets. “What happened?”
“The back gate somehow was left open. A few neighbors have mentioned things being taken, people caught on camera trespassing in backyards.” He sighed. “I hate to think someone would leave it unlocked on purpose.”
“You’ll have to put a padlock on it to be safe.”
“I’ve already bought one.”
“Thank goodness he had the sense to come to the shop.” She pulled her hand out of her pocket and rested it against her neck, feeling her pulse returning to normal.
Cal bent down to retrieve something from the carpet.
“This fell out of your pocket,” he said, but pulled it back and unfolded the little slip of paper. He looked at it for a moment, grinning, before offering it to her again. “I think this is yours.”
It was the note that Merris claimed was the latest one left by Cal. She’d forgotten about it after finding Ridley on the patio. Now she read it, feeling the smile spread across her face.
Hope you have a doggone great day! Ridley, Peaches, and Cal.
He’d turned the dot on the exclamation point into a heart with a smiley face.
“Too obnoxious, my notes?” he asked with laughter in his tone.
“On the contrary, they make my day.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded.
Sometimes the truth took longer to recognize, especially when egos were on the line. But this time, Cal’s sweet little missive hit her heart in just the right spot, revealing a thin ray of light that had broken through the dark void.