Phone Tag (Shidge/Klance)

Chapter 6

"Allura, have you or anyone else heard anything from Takashi today?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say I have. We'll let you immediately know if he calls."

Katie hung up, failing to muster up an "okay," "thanks," or "goodbye." She wasn't okay. She didn't feel thankful. Nor was she willing to say "goodbye." Too close to "Good night, Pidge."

It had been a little over twenty-four hours since Takashi's last call. Maybe she'd gone too far. She'd tried to keep her bluntness in check, but sometimes it just flared up.

A paw swiped at her leg. She looked down at Rover and scratched the spot behind the base of his right ear. His ears always amused her: His left ear was always erect; the other flopped over. Her phone went off, reminding her of an important event:

Katie first found him meandering around the back of The Croissant Moon, eating a biscuit out of the cook's hand. He'd been a matted mess of a pup. She hadn't been able to even tell what color he was beneath the grime and dirt.

"Who's a good boy? You are! You are!"

Katie had always known she tended to dress like a teenage boy, but she was far above the age where people babied her. (Although she didn't look older than thirteen or so.)

The man cleared his throat. "Sorry. Talking to this little dude."

She adjusted her glasses. "So I figured." Before she'd realized what she was doing, Katie found herself petting a complete stranger's dog. "Your dog is really cute."

"Oh, no. He's not mine. I just feed the strays leftovers. Normally I just get cats, but this dude's been scaring them off." He sighed. "I don't have the heart to turn him away, but I worry about him. The cats can handle themselves just fine. But I think he's still a puppy. Just starting to lose his baby teeth." He rolled up his sleeve, revealing bite marks.

"Aren't you worried about rabies or infection?"

He shrugged. "Not unless his bites break the skin. And they haven't. Little Dude here needs a good home, but I'm not going to hand him off to just anyone."

"Can't you take him?"

"My apartment only allows cats. And I may or may not have more than I'm allowed." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I definitely have more. By like, three."

It was then Katie had decided she liked this guy. She held out a hand—a polite introduction. "I'm Katie."

He high-fived her—not exactly the hand-shake she'd anticipated. "Name's Hunk. I'm the do-it-all-yourself guy at The Croissant Moon. And this is Little Dude. The stray mutt who's eaten just about all of my peanut butter cookies."

And it was then Katie had decided this dog was destined to be hers. "Hunk, I'll take him."

Hunk crossed his arms. "I said I wasn't going to give him to just about anyone."

"As a peanut butter cookie aficionado, it would be wrong of me to leave behind another fan. And I'll stop by at least once a week—with Rover. So you two can catch up."

"Who's Rover?"

Before Katie could answer Hunk's question, the newly dubbed Rover had already found his way into her arms—and without a doubt, into her home.

And of course, Hunk had given in and agreed to those terms.

An excited bark drew Katie out of her memories and back into her apartment. "Okay, okay. We'll go visit Hunk." She glanced at the calendar hanging on her fridge.

It was June 9.

Small, local businesses often have strange rituals or traditions. A local's ice cream parlor might only be open in the summer. The local outdoor skating rink was available only in winter—save for the one day it's an open wading pool. The Croissant Moon closed its doors early on June 9 and all day June 10.