Lily heard the clip clopping of heels behind her. It sounded like a Budweiser Clydesdale pursuing her down six flights of stairs to the lobby. Lily stopped to get a breath before darting across to Seth. It was 4:30 p.m. People packed the lobby, apparently absconding the scene before their bosses caught them in a five o’clock strategy meeting. She hid under the desk.
The woman approached Seth and Reggie at the front desk who were busy giving a man directions to the Westin Peachtree Hotel downtown.
“Did you see a little dog?” she interrupted.
“What dog?” her brother asked, his eyes shifting from the man to the pretty young woman in front of him.
“The Shih Tzu,” she said, placing one hand on her hip. The other hand hovered inches above the counter allowing her to drum her ruby red nails rhythmically on the wood.
Inspired by the voluptuous blonde, Reggie decided to be valiant. “Oh this one, is this your dog?” he asked while dangling Lily in the air for the world to see.
Seth snatched her. “That’s Mrs. Brown’s dog, so glad you found her. We were getting worried.”
The woman looked disappointed, but flashed Seth a knowing smile. Lily had seen that smile used on her brother since he was fourteen years old. Her stalker regained her composure, chatting with the guest and security guards while scratching Lily’s ears with her acrylic nails before making her departure. Seth finished giving the gentleman directions then took the dog outside “to find Mrs. Brown who he believed was sitting by the flower boxes.” Once he went around the corner, he sat down on the edge of a flower box with his back to the street.
“Okay, you need to get out of here Lily.”
“Weah. I wanna make sure I’m home for dinner.” Larry was a good cook.
Seth snorted.
Remembering the janitor’s closet, she paused a moment and thought of a delicate way to express the state of his blazer. “Uh, I left you a surprise upstairs.”
Seth’s face lit up. “Dude, what kind of a surprise?”
“Wour jacket looks like the Incredible Hulk got it.”
“It’s okay, Lone Ranger,” he said laughing.
Maybe he had been doing vodka Jell-O shots for breakfast.
“The mask,” he said as if she should have made the connection. “Oh look, you even have a little black saddle on your back.” She nipped his fingertip. Her Shih Tzu markings did include a black mask and saddle, but her sense of humor was gone.
“Ow! Look for that stuff tomorrow and make contact as soon as you can,” he said while nursing his finger. “I’ll try to meet with Mr. Liu.”
She barked in agreement and licked his face before sprinting down Peachtree Street.
“Yuck!” Seth said.
Ewww. I need to stop this licking compulsion.
As she rounded the corner on to the Prado Northeast, she saw a “lost dog” poster on the telephone pole. Larry was probably having a stroke. The thought of him worrying kicked her into turbo drive. There were no cars in the driveway when she reached the manor. She barked and scratched at the front door before running to the backyard. Plastering her face to the glass of the sliding door, she peered inside. No one was visible through the glass.
Feeling deflated, she returned to the front mat. The temperature was in the high seventies. Flowering dogwoods, redbuds, and cherry trees lined the street sending pastel blooms into the air. A slight breeze stirred, bringing with it a plethora of irresistible aromas. In her past life, this was the kind of day she would have relished. She and Katie would have gone to drink sangrias at one of the restaurants that had seating on an outside patio.
Instead, she relieved herself in the grass then came back to rest with her beard on her front paws. She fretted over the revelations made about her deceased father. Her thoughts turned to Mr. Liu. She prayed he held the answers. Lily remembered Li Liu as a quiet, but fierce individual. She guessed he must be nearing fifty years old by now.
He
The woman approached Seth and Reggie at the front desk who were busy giving a man directions to the Westin Peachtree Hotel downtown.
“Did you see a little dog?” she interrupted.
“What dog?” her brother asked, his eyes shifting from the man to the pretty young woman in front of him.
“The Shih Tzu,” she said, placing one hand on her hip. The other hand hovered inches above the counter allowing her to drum her ruby red nails rhythmically on the wood.
Inspired by the voluptuous blonde, Reggie decided to be valiant. “Oh this one, is this your dog?” he asked while dangling Lily in the air for the world to see.
Seth snatched her. “That’s Mrs. Brown’s dog, so glad you found her. We were getting worried.”
The woman looked disappointed, but flashed Seth a knowing smile. Lily had seen that smile used on her brother since he was fourteen years old. Her stalker regained her composure, chatting with the guest and security guards while scratching Lily’s ears with her acrylic nails before making her departure. Seth finished giving the gentleman directions then took the dog outside “to find Mrs. Brown who he believed was sitting by the flower boxes.” Once he went around the corner, he sat down on the edge of a flower box with his back to the street.
“Okay, you need to get out of here Lily.”
“Weah. I wanna make sure I’m home for dinner.” Larry was a good cook.
Seth snorted.
Remembering the janitor’s closet, she paused a moment and thought of a delicate way to express the state of his blazer. “Uh, I left you a surprise upstairs.”
Seth’s face lit up. “Dude, what kind of a surprise?”
“Wour jacket looks like the Incredible Hulk got it.”
“It’s okay, Lone Ranger,” he said laughing.
Maybe he had been doing vodka Jell-O shots for breakfast.
“The mask,” he said as if she should have made the connection. “Oh look, you even have a little black saddle on your back.” She nipped his fingertip. Her Shih Tzu markings did include a black mask and saddle, but her sense of humor was gone.
“Ow! Look for that stuff tomorrow and make contact as soon as you can,” he said while nursing his finger. “I’ll try to meet with Mr. Liu.”
She barked in agreement and licked his face before sprinting down Peachtree Street.
“Yuck!” Seth said.
Ewww. I need to stop this licking compulsion.
As she rounded the corner on to the Prado Northeast, she saw a “lost dog” poster on the telephone pole. Larry was probably having a stroke. The thought of him worrying kicked her into turbo drive. There were no cars in the driveway when she reached the manor. She barked and scratched at the front door before running to the backyard. Plastering her face to the glass of the sliding door, she peered inside. No one was visible through the glass.
Feeling deflated, she returned to the front mat. The temperature was in the high seventies. Flowering dogwoods, redbuds, and cherry trees lined the street sending pastel blooms into the air. A slight breeze stirred, bringing with it a plethora of irresistible aromas. In her past life, this was the kind of day she would have relished. She and Katie would have gone to drink sangrias at one of the restaurants that had seating on an outside patio.
Instead, she relieved herself in the grass then came back to rest with her beard on her front paws. She fretted over the revelations made about her deceased father. Her thoughts turned to Mr. Liu. She prayed he held the answers. Lily remembered Li Liu as a quiet, but fierce individual. She guessed he must be nearing fifty years old by now.
He
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