Cullen must have tied his tie three times before he got it right and comfortable. He combed his hair back with a little gel. Then he wondered if it was too much. Over the top. Luna had told him to do it, and she had a very good eye for aesthetics. Plus, she would never steer him wrong. He was still a bit reticent about the cologne. Luna showed him how to apply it. Instead of spraying it directly on himself, he was to spray it up in the air, over his head. “You want to get the scent but you don’t want to knock her out,” Luna told him. “Women spray the space in front of them and walk through it so the mist settles on their body and clothes. For guys, you don’t need the whole shebang. But, if your hair smells good, you’ll smell good.”

He felt ridiculous spraying expensive cologne in the air, but as Luna would say, “Go for it.” He gave it a test run by spraying it a few feet in front of him. He got the drift. He chuckled to himself, No pun intended. Then he tried it for real, spritzing his Hugo Boss arm’s length above his head.

He checked his tie for the zillionth time and decided he should get moving even if he was early. He was getting jittery and didn’t want to second-guess his attire. Even if he had to drive around the block a few times, it would be better than standing in front of a mirror.

He grabbed his keys and gave Wiley a rub. “Anything in particular you want to watch on TV?” The dog looked up at him as if to say, “Et tu, Brute?”

Cullen responded with, “I know. I know. Everyone is abandoning you tonight. I should have planned a playdate with Ziggy and Marley.” Wiley began to wag his tail. “Oh no, that’s not what I meant.” Wiley moved into a prone position and pulled his paws over his eyes.

“Jeez. OK. How about I put on Cartoon Network for you?”

Wiley picked up his head.

“I think Looney Tunes are on. Maybe SpongeBob?” Wiley’s tail began to bounce, and he lifted his head.

“You got it!” Cullen could not believe he was having a conversation with his sister’s dog. But it wasn’t the first time either. Cullen picked up the remote and set the TV to the channel as Wiley made himself comfortable on the sofa. Cullen chuckled. “You are one smart pooch!” Wiley woofed in agreement.

* * *