Page 52 of Sit, Stay, Love
Linda: Down at Freshie? How’s twelve at that coffee place on the corner of Lawrence Street. You know the one.
She knew exactly the one. They used to take off from school at lunchtime and head to the beach to work on their tans, then wind up at the coffee shop for a milkshake. She smiled to herself. She hadn’t thought about any of that for ages.
Sera: Done. See you then.
She was feeling a little better and had just closed her eyes, still trying to get in that couple of hours of peace, when the doorbell rang. She groaned and slid off her bed, pulled her boots back on and scuffed down the hall.
‘Can I help you?’ she asked the young couple on her verandah.
‘Are you closed?’ the man asked.
‘We’re never really closed.’ She tilted her head. ‘Garry and Terri, right? You were interested in adopting Fleur, the poodle?’
‘That’s us,’ Terri said. ‘We came yesterday. A lovely young woman named Tia showed us around.’
Sera nodded. ‘She thought you’d decided not to take Fleur.’
‘She’s right,’ Garry said. ‘We don’t think Fleur is the dog for us. She was a little nervous, and we want a dog we can take camping and on hikes.’
The couple glanced at each other.
‘The thing is,’ Terri said. ‘We were wondering about the brown dog. The one that looks like a German Shepherd.’
‘Ernie?’ Sera asked.
Terri put a hand over her heart. ‘Ernie. Oh gosh, that’s so perfect.’ She nodded at her husband.
‘Ernie reminds me of the dog we lost last year,’ he said. ‘And… well, I haven’t been able to stop thinking of him.’
Terri laughed. ‘Or talking about him.’
Garry nodded. ‘Is he still here?’
Sera beamed. ‘He sure is. Do you want a formal introduction?’
Sera and Terri watched as Garry and Ernie charged about Sera’s small paddock, playing tug-of-war with a rope toy.
‘Watch out for the sheep,’ Sera called. ‘She’s on a run, but if you get too close, she’ll ram you.’
Garry gave her a thumbs-up and guided Ernie to the other side of the paddock.
‘Our dog that died,’ Terri said, ‘he was Garry’s dog. He was like a smaller version of Ernie. I’ve been trying to convince Garry to adopt another dog for months. I thought something totally different like Fleur might work, but the minute he saw Ernie, it was love.’
Sera nodded, ‘I can see that. Ernie’s a good boy. He’s only been here a week. He’s a surrender. His previous owners told us he was fine with kids, and he’s chill with other dogs and cats. We haven’t found any behavioural issues. He does need a bit of training, though.’
‘We have a well-fenced backyard.’ Terri pulled out her phone. ‘I took a few photos to show you, but if you want to come for an inspection—’
Sera shook her head. One thing she’d become accomplished at over the last two years, was judging people, especially dog people. She could tell which were the good ones, and Terri and Garry were definitely good ones. ‘I didn’t think he’d get adopted so quickly. Dogs like Fleur do because they’re pretty and fluffy, but large dogs like Ernie, not so much.’
Terri beamed as she watched her husband play with the excited dog. ‘And his old owners just gave him to you?’
‘Sort of. Do you know the actor Ethan James? He lives locally, and Ernie showed up in his backyard. We think he might have been dumped there while Ethan was out of town. But we don’t know for sure,’ she said. ‘Thankfully, Ethan contacted us.’
‘Ethan James? From theThrone of Kingsmovies?’
Sera nodded. ‘That’s him.’
‘Honey,’ Terri called out. ‘Ernie was found in Ethan James’s backyard. You know, Lord Jasper.’
