“Yeah, cool, awesome,” I said, kneeling down to put the leash on her. It had been a while since I’d done it, and I fumbled, but she just stood there, quietly watching me the whole time.

We left the apartment, and I followed behind her as she walked down the street. Keith shouldn’t get home before we got back, but I had my cell phone just in case. If he did, I would have a hard time explaining my sudden decision to take Shelby to the park, given our mutual distaste for one another. As I opened the car door to let her inside, I prayed it wouldn’t be an issue.

As I drove along, I put the windows down, and Shelby leaned her head out as she always did when she went for a ride. She looked content, but I knew that had nothing to do with me.

“I know you probably think I’m nuts,” I said, and she pulled her head into the car for a moment. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Shels, or what’s wrong with me, but I just need you to work with me a little. Just for half an hour or so. Then we’ll go home.”

She’d already leaned her head back out the window, and I sighed and drove on.

Unlike the other two days when I’d been able to double-park for a minute, I actually needed to find a spot today. It was a small detail that had almost slipped my mind; parking in the Gold Coast on the best of days is a nightmare. It took more than twenty minutes to find a spot, and I winced as I paid the meter. Six dollars for the hour. I walked around and opened the passenger door, and Shelby hopped out gracefully. Grabbing her leash, I walked with her across the street and down the block toward the dog park.

On the way, we passed the apartment building, and I took a quick peek at it as we walked by. It seemed so ordinary in the daylight, just a normal building, like any of the others on the block. When we reached the gate of the dog park, I sucked in a breath and walked inside, and Shelby followed alongside me. I let the breath out when I saw there was only one woman in the park, and it was not Emma.

I bit my lip, walked over to an empty bench, and sat down.

Shelby stood in front of me, watching me for a moment, and then looked around the park for a moment before turning her attention back to me. I hadn’t seen her like this, sweet and hesitant, and I wondered if she would have been as reserved if she’d been at the park with Keith.