One Step at a Time

Chapter One

It was a bright and shining morning in London as Tom turned a corner at the end of his street, jogging towards Hyde Park. He smiled slightly to himself as he listened to the podcast that flowed from his AirPods, while glancing down at Bobby, who jogged beside him.

"Good boy," he praised, knowing the dog loved going on runs with him on a normal basis. As they turned into the park, Tom picked up speed to a fuller run, causing the young dog to bark and pull on his lead that was clipped to his waist. "Easy Bobby."

As the pair turned down another path to a straight stretch, Tom felt Bobby pull slightly once more before hearing a faint clink of metal hitting the stone pathway.

Then Bobby was off like a shot.

"Shit! Bobby!"

Hyde Park was gorgeous this time of year, especially when the sun was shining. There wasn't always so much luck with sun here in London; the weather could take a little getting used to. Or at least it had taken Eden some time to adjust when she'd moved to London a few years back.

She'd learned quickly to take advantage of nice days, and today was one of them, so she decided to walk to the studio today rather than take the tube. Her path crossed right through the park and she took her time as she walked.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and reached inside her pocket for it. She paused her steps as she walked, reading the message. As her fingers worked to type a reply, she heard a jingling sound approaching her.

Furrowing her brows, she looked up from her phone to see a brown dog running towards her. "Uh oh," she murmured to herself, glancing around to see if there was an owner nearby. The street wasn't far off from where they were, so she chewed on her lip for a moment before she slipped her phone back in her pocket and held her hands out to try and stop the dog.

"Stop puppy, hey, come here," she called, hoping to get its attention.

Hearing a voice, Bobby skidded to a halt, panting. He looked up at the woman in front of him with a tilt of his head before sitting tiredly.

Eden smiled nervously as she crouched down, recognizing the dog as friendly. "Hi pup, good job," she greeted, carefully reaching out a hand to allow the dog to sniff her before she moved in to pet him. "You have a collar..." she murmured, spinning it to find the tag.

Bobby

If found please call

248-756-9024

"Bobby," she read with a smile. "Okay Bobby, let's call this number...". Keeping one hand gently on the dog, she pulled her phone from her pocket again and dialed the number. As she put the phone to her ear, she returned to petting Bobby.

After a few rings, a labored voice answered the call. "H-hello?"

"Um, hi," she said, her eyes turning to glance around her again. "I'm in Hyde Park and I just came across a dog named Bobby with a collar that says to call this number."

"Oh, thank god. His leash broke during our run, and he bolted. Where are you in the park?"

She looked around, trying to look for a landmark. "We're by the fountains, near the Lancaster Gate," she directed.

"Okay," he answered. "I'm not too far. I'll be there shortly. Thank you for finding him."

"You're welcome. We'll be waiting," she said before she hung up the phone. She smiled at Bobby then. "Looks like your daddy is on the way. You scared him, pup!"

Bobby only tilted his head as he panted, staring up at her, wagging his tail.

It wasn't long before a tall, lean man jogged up to Eden, slightly out of breath. "Oh, god. Thank you so much for stopping him."