“Go ahead,” Thea said calmly. “Eat.”
I almost took a bite from the cone. The dogs all scarfed theirs down. She took a seat beside me and took her own cone. “I guess this is a regular thing for you guys,” I commented.
“I try and get down here at least once a week. It’s fun for the dogs and we get to work on their leash skills.”
“Rich said the other two weren’t yours,” I said.
“They are mine. We just haven’t made it official.”
I had a feeling it was unofficially official. She made the rules after all. The sound of slurping and general tongue licking pulled my attention back to the dogs. The pit bull looked up at me with ice cream on his nose and chest.
The little one wasn’t faring much better. “They’re covered in it,” I complained.
“They’re washable,” she said. “They love it. So what if they get a little messy? It’s all about living in the moment. These guys were all facing death at some point in their lives. They dodged that bullet. I’m just here to make sure they get to enjoy the time they have left.”
“I’m glad they found you,” I said. “Or vice versa.”
“Me too,” she said. “That’s what we say in our business. The right dog or cat finds you. They rescue you, not the other way around.”
I wasn’t sure I believed that, but if it worked for her, I would go with it. After finishing our ice cream, we started the walk back to her house. I felt the change in her demeanor. I hoped I could take credit for cheering her up, but I had a feeling it was being outdoors and getting to have ice cream that really did the trick.
“Is that a note on my door?” she asked when we were still on the sidewalk.
“Looks like it.”
The dog I was walking stopped walking to squat. Thea went ahead to pull the note down. I heard her cussing. I couldn’t make out all the words, but she was pissed.
“What is it?” I asked.
“That son of a bitch,” she growled.
She unlocked the door and put Kona inside. She thrust the note at me while she put the other two dogs inside. I quickly scanned it. “Shit,” I murmured.
She slammed the door shut. “That asshole thinks he’s going to push me around because I’m a woman.”
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’m going to confront the man,” she said. “He’s a coward sticking a note up on my door instead of talking to me. He waited until we left. Can you believe that piece of shit?”
“No,” I said and rushed after her. I had a feeling this was going to get very ugly. “Thea, wait.”
It was too late. She beat her hand against her neighbor’s door with so much force I worried it might get pushed off the hinges. If the man was dumb enough to answer the door, I worried there might be an incident. An incident that involved the police.
Her neighbor had picked the wrong day to screw with her.