She pushed away the memory as she turned down a road and approached Melody’s trim house, several blocks from the ocean.
It was a two-story cottage, really, probably less than a thousand square feet on each level, but charming, like something out of a Disney movie or a fairy tale.
Rosebushes lined the walk and cheerful blue shutters provided a stark contrast against the pale, weathered shake siding.
She pulled into the drive and turned off the engine to her crossover hybrid. “Here we are, Otis. We made it in one piece.”
Her dog flopped his tail against the wall of the crate. He grew even more excited when she came to the back and opened the door of the vehicle to clip on his leash and let him out. She held the leash with one hand and carried the crate with the other, in case he needed to retreat inside his happy place while he was visiting strangers.
“I need you to behave yourself now,” she instructed him. “It will be okay. You’ll see.”
Otis looked doubtful and she picked him up for a quick hug. “I know how nervous you get around new people. But if I can come back to town and deal with my mom, you can spend a little time with people you don’t know. I’ll be back in a few hours to get you.”
The dog gazed at her with a trust she found humbling. In the three months since they had adopted each other, she was astonished at how important Otis had become to her.
Melody came to the door before she even had time to ring the doorbell.
“Oh. I’m so happy you’re here.” Her friend hugged her tightly, and for a few lovely moments, Olivia hugged her back, feeling some of the anxiety that had simmered just under her skin begin to ease.
She cherished her friends in Seattle, she thought again, a community of caring, intelligent, funny men and women. But there was something as comforting as warm socks about being with her childhood best friend, the woman who had always known her best. It seemed to settle something deep inside her.
Melody had lost weight since she’d seen her last and she had new circles under her eyes, but her smile was bright and genuine.
“You must be so tired.”
“I’m all right,” she said. “Juliet wanted me here. So I’m here.”
“I’m so sorry she’s going through this. Your mom is so fiercely independent. This must be torture for her.”
“I can only imagine. I’m sure she’s driving the doctors and nurses crazy.”
“You’re probably in a hurry to get to the hospital. Don’t worry. We’ll have a chance to catch up.”
“Thank you. This is Otis. He’s usually a sweetheart, though a little shy.”
“Excellent. Charlie and Thor, that’s our golden retriever, will be glad for the company. They’re playing in the back right now.”
“Otis can be a nervous Nellie. He might not want to even come out of his carrier,” she warned.
“We’ll be gentle, I promise. He’ll be okay, Liv. We don’t torture fur babies around here. My boys are careful.”
She was being ridiculous, she knew. Otis was just so dear to her, her first creature since she’d become an adult. She hadn’t had a dog in years, not since her dad’s beloved border collie died of old age a few months after Steve’s death. She’d forgotten how dogs could reach in and grab hold of a person’s heart.
“Thanks.” She hugged Melody again, wondering if the weight loss was from a diet or if she had stopped eating after her idiot husband walked out on her. “I love you tons. You know that, right?”
“Yes.” Melody eased away, her eyes suspiciously bright. “I’m really sorry about your mom. But on a purely selfish note, I’m so glad you’re home for a few days.”
She was the worst friend. She should have come home the moment she heard Rich Baker had walked out on his family. Melody hadn’t told her; she’d had to hear the news from Juliet, who had sounded heartbroken.
As soon as she hung up after hearing the news from her mother, Olivia had called Mel and they had cried together for a good hour on the phone. She had tried to stay in touch since then with video chats and funny texts and even a few care packages of things she thought might cheer her up.
In retrospect, she was ashamed she hadn’t done more. Squeezing even a weekend out of her schedule to fly down would have meant more than all