TUESDAY TALES - FROST IS THE WORD PROMPT - TWO OF HEARTS CONTINUES...

Welcome! This week the word prompt is "frost." The story "Two of Hearts" continues...scroll down to return to the excellent authors of Tuesday Tales. Thank you for stopping by.

*******************************

Jen pushed her wet hair off her face and pulled her soaked T-shirt away from her skin. She didn’t need to show strangers her boobs. Sure, April showers, but this was ridiculous. Yesterday had been the first dry day in a week. Stan had always done the morning and late-night walks with Willie. She took him in the afternoon. The poor pug was drenched. He shook off and panted, his long tongue lolling.

“Come on, boy,” she said, sprinting to the entryway of a large apartment building. She spied a man taking up most of the room. Screw him. She elbowed her way under the overhang, pulling Willie up close. Life was terrible. Everything was shit and she’d be damned if some greedy asshole was going to make her day worse.

“Willie?” The man asked, narrowing his eyes and staring first at her dog, then at her.

Instinctively she pushed at her hair, but it was too wet and matted for her to fix.

“Yeah. This is Willie. Who are you?”

“This is Queenie.”

Jen looked down. There stood an adorable pug about a third smaller than hers. The wet dog ginned up at her. She had to smile back.

“Queenie?”

“Your father usually walks Willie, doesn’t he?”

She bristled, frowning. “You mean my husband? Stan usually takes the morning and late- night walks.”

The man blushed. “I’m terribly sorry.”

“You should be.” She wasn’t putting up with anything today.

“We don’t usually talk. Just hello and let the dogs play. His name’s Stan?”

“That’s right.”

“Did he sleep in?”

“He’s in the hospital.”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I hope it’s nothing serious,” he said, touching her arm.

She shot him a frosty look and he moved away as much as the limited space allowed.

“The dogs really seem to like each other,” he continued.

Obviously this obnoxious idiot didn’t know when to shut up. “Willie likes all dogs, especially other pugs.”

“Queenie is hot, I’m told,” he quipped.

Jen gave a half smile at his feeble joke.

“Sorry. I’m not usually out this early. My wife does the early morning walks. Guess I’m not awake yet.”

“Oh, did she sleep in?” Jen shot him a hostile glare.

“She’s in L.A.”

Jen nodded.

As fast as the sky had opened up, the rain tapered off. She watched the two dogs shake off again, then sniff each other, bark and play. Her heart and head hurt. She needed to get home.

 “As much as I’d like to let Willie play with, Queenie, was it?”

He nodded.

“I’ve gotta go.” Holding her shirt away from her body, she tugged gently on the leash and Willie drew his attention away from Queenie and followed Jen.  “Sorry, boy. I know that’s your girlfriend, but I’ve got to get home.”

Thank you for coming. Return to Tuesday Tales

My website