Do or Di (20 page)

“It’s called a joke.”

“I know that.” I rubbed my temple. I was getting a headache. I looked down at my hand; the dark foundation was smeared across my palm. “Okay, I might have been a bit out of line. I was keyed up because of the whole allergy reaction thing which has me looking like a
Jersey Shore
extra and then Davis made that crack about us sleeping together, which for some reason I didn’t expect. The last thing I need is people knowing what actually happened.”

“What happened?” Avita said, walking up behind me.

“Nothing. Nothing happened,” I blurted, whirling around to face her.

“Okay,” Avita said slowly.

“Sorry. It’s been a long day already and it’s not even nine am.”

“Well your day is going to get longer. We’ve got a show to do this afternoon. Today is our last day in the studio before we start the special segments.”

“Fair enough. On that note, I’m going to run home and then I’ll meet you back at the office,” Colin said.

Avita and I watched him leave. She waited until the door to the studio swished shut and then she took my elbow and sat me back down on the stools.

“Okay, spill it. What is up between you two?”

“What?” I yanked my elbow back. “Nothing is up.”

“Really?” She looked at me as if she could see into my brain. “You two have been acting funny lately.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” I sort of accidentally slept with him by accident, but I didn’t find it remotely funny. Somehow it felt worse that we hadn’t had sex and had only slept together. It felt more intimate. Not that I planned to share this tidbit with her, or anyone else for that matter.

“I don’t know what’s with you.” Avita started shoving things back in her handbag.

“Are you still pissed?” I asked.

“I’m not pissed.”

“You look pissed. Shouldn’t you be nice to me? I have a disabling skin condition. If I was with the Make-a-Wish foundation, I would wish you would be my best friend again even before I wish for a skin transplant.”

“I’m still your friend, but that doesn’t mean I approve of everything you do.”

“I’m not asking you to approve.”

“Yes, you are.” She slammed her purse down on the stool. “You want to tell me all about it. You want to have long talks where we dissect every aspect of your relationship with Jonathon. You want me to ooh and ahh and cheer you on when the entire time the whole idea makes me sick.” Avita’s eyes filled with tears, spilling over until blue-black mascara trailed down her face. “Don’t you worry that what goes around comes around? That by doing this, you risk heartbreak in the future?”

“Do you mean karma? If you ask me, what’s gone around
has
come around. I’ve already gone full circle. My heart has already been broken. Maybe the universe owes me this go-round. If it didn’t want me to be with Jonathon then it shouldn’t have put him in my life.”

“You can’t believe that.”

“I might.” I tossed my tote over my shoulder. I handed Avita her bag. “You want to be left out of it, that’s fair. I won’t bring it up.” I held my breath, waiting for her to tell me that she could live with those conditions. That she would drop the topic and we could go back to the way it was.

“Where does that leave us?” she asked with a sniff.

“With a little less to talk about.”

Rooster was living large at the emergency vet hospital. Apparently it was the vet equivalent of a posh health care hospital/spa, like the places movie stars go to when they want plastic surgery and a pedicure at the same time. Between the medical attention and organic kibble, the dog was costing me more than a timeshare in Maui. The kind with a pool and a Jacuzzi.

“There’s no doubt Rooster has made a great recovery,” the vet said, rubbing Rooster’s belly.

“So Diana can take him home?”

“Does she have a home to take him to?” He looked at me. “I don’t mean to pry, but she’s said a few things that led me to believe that she’s far from the ideal home situation.”

“She has a home; I just don’t think she’s staying there. Her mother is…” I searched for an appropriate word. “Her mother is difficult. She doesn’t seem to care one way or the other. I called the school, but the only thing they seem worked up about is that she has a tab at the cafeteria. I mean, I’m a mentor; it isn’t like they gave me any training for these situations.” I tossed my hands in the air.

“I’m sorry. It must be frustrating. You can do whatever you need to do of course, but I can’t recommend having Rooster on the streets right now. He’s bouncing back, but he’s got no immunity, and he’s going to be fatigued.” The vet shrugged. Basically, what he’s telling me is if I check the Rooster out of the hospital I might as well run him over in my car.

“If it isn’t good for the dog to be out there, I can’t think it’s good for her either,” I said.

“She’s a neat kid. A survivor. I would help if I could, but what I do know is the dog needs a stable place.”

“I’ll do what you think is best.” I fished a Milk Bone out of my coat pocket and held it out for Rooster. He sniffed it with some disdain. Three days in the swanky resort with all-natural-no-filler liver cookies was resulting in refined tastes. After a pause, to let me know he was used to better, Rooster inhaled the treat in one breath. I guess he figured since I was his patron, he better keep me happy.

“You could take Rooster home with you.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” I looked down at the dog.

“Does your condo allow pets?”

“They do, but they can’t be over 50 pounds.”

“He’s lost some weight. He might squeak in under.” Rooster looked up at us, his banana length tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

“Doc, you might have a plan. I’ll take one dog to go. Heck, toss in a box of those high-end liver snacks while you’re at it. Nothing’s too good for my roommate.”

“It’s fine with me, but you need to get the owner’s permission.”

“I just have to find her. She has this knack for disappearing and showing up at will.”

“She should be back any minute. She’s been volunteering, walking the dogs here. The staff brings in a bit of dinner to make sure she’s getting at least one good meal. She’s a good kid. We’re all rooting for her. The staff is going to miss her if she stops coming around. She’s great with animals.”

“Not so much with people unfortunately.”

“Well, in my experience, animals are generally better company.” He gave Rooster a pat and left.

I waited in the alley behind the clinic for Diana. She was walking a dachshund that apparently was recovering from some type of tail injury based on the fact it was splinted so that it stood straight up. She was talking to the dog in a soothing low voice. I wonder if she was telling him stories of spoiled royal corgi dogs. She clenched her mouth shut when she saw me. Her eyebrows drew together, the two perfect arches meeting to make an
M
over her nose.

“I’ve got some good news.”

Diana didn’t say anything, although she looked skeptical. She wasn’t the kind of person who was used to good news coming her way.

“What happened to your face?”

“I had an allergic reaction to a fake tanner.”

“You did this to yourself?”

“Uh-huh.”

“On purpose?” She asked, looking closely at my face. Little did she know I looked good compared to this morning. Time to change the subject.

“The vet says Rooster can come home with me.”

“Rooster’s my dog.”

“I know, but Rooster needs a place to recuperate. That means he needs a place to get better.”

“I know what recuperate means.”

“Sorry.”

“I would rather Rooster stay with me. He’s my dog.” Diana crossed her arms across her chest. The tiny dachshund looked up at her, then at me, back at her and then started to growl in my direction.

“I’m not trying to take your dog away. Having the dog stay here costs a lot of money.”

“I didn’t ask you for money.” Her chin jutted up.

“I know. I wanted to help. If Rooster stayed with me you could visit him as much as you liked until he was all better.”

“Why can’t I take him home with me?”

“Will you really go home?”

Diana’s eyes slid past my face and she stared down the alley.

“You keep acting like I’m homeless or something. It has just been a bit weird with my mom so I’ve been staying with friends and stuff.”

“You keep saying ‘friends,’ but you’re pretty vague about these people. I called the school and the school counselor said she never sees you hanging out with other kids.”

“You called my school to see if I had friends?” Her voice raised and the wiener dog gave another low growl. It was just a matter of time before it launched itself at me and gnawed through my ankles.

“No, I called the school to try to find you.”

“You think I made up having friends? Do you need me to provide notarized statements?”

“I think we’re missing the larger point. The thing is, Dr. Gilbert was really clear that Rooster needs a stable place right now while he’s getting better.”

“Or he could stay here. If it’s expensive, I can see if they’ll pay me for the dog walking. Or I could raise some money from my friends.” Her lower lip started to shake. “I have friends, you know, no matter what the school counselor thinks.”

“I’m your friend too. I’m not trying to cause any trouble, but Rooster can’t stay at the hospital forever.”

“I have never been away from Rooster. Not one single day.” She spoke slowly, giving each word a chance to land and make a mark before she moved on.

I could see the conversation was at a standstill. I took a deep breath, already regretting the words before they were even out of my mouth.

“Why don’t you stay at my place?”

“With you?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning to move out. I have an air mattress I can set up in the living room for you. It would only be for a week or so until Rooster is better.”

“I don’t know.” Diana looked apprehensive. I tried not to be offended that a girl who might be sleeping in urine-soaked alleys next to strange-smelling homeless people wasn’t sure if she wanted to bunk down with me.

“Maybe we can check out other long term options for you. With the housing situation.”

“I don’t want to get my mom into trouble.”

“Fair enough, but you need a better option than just going it alone. You could get hurt living on the streets.”

“Why do you keep trying to help me? I thought we had a deal.”

“Helping someone else is a good way for me to keep my mind off my own problems, ” I said.