Two things preoccupied Kathryn's mind as she drove home from the shelter: the puppy currently sitting next to her on the passenger seat and Chakotay.
She felt ridiculous being drawn to someone she had recently met but she couldn't help herself and she didn't know why. Of course it could just be the fact that he was absolutely gorgeous, but Kathryn normally wasn't drawn to men for only that reason. He had seemed sweet and caring from their brief conversation. Maybe a little distracted at first, but she couldn't hold that against him. It didn't really matter because he wasn't available anyway.
/\/\/\
After they had followed Martha inside, Chakotay had excused himself from the group and left the room. Kathryn and Edgar were left alone while Martha gathered the proper forms in the office.
"So, are you excited to be getting a puppy, Edgar?"
Edgar grinned. "Yes! I hope this doesn't take long because I want to go home and play with him."
"Oh, I don't think it will be too bad."
There was a pause in the conversation as Edgar wandered toward the wall covered in photographs of successful adoptions. Kathryn joined him, having this odd need to supervise the child. They silently observed the photos together until Kathryn spoke.
"Your uncle was telling me the puppy is going to live with him."
"Yeah, he's going to live with him and Seska." Edgar frowned. "I'll get to see him on weekends."
"Who is Seska?"
"She's my uncle's girlfriend."
"Ah."
"She's all right. She can be very…" Edgar snapped his fingers as if he was trying to remember the correct word, "mon…monot…"
"Monotonous?" Kathryn offered.
"Yes! That."
Kathryn smiled. "That's a mighty big word for a little kid."
"My mom calls her that all the time. She doesn't like Seska."
"Oh, I see."
"My mom and uncle have arguments about it a lot."
Before Kathryn could pry any further, Chakotay and Martha entered the room from different directions as if they secretly had planned their entrance.
"Sorry for the delay. We're a little short staffed this morning." Martha added. "Well, Ms. Janeway, I have your paperwork right here. Please follow me. And you two," she pointed at Chakotay and Edgar, "I'll be right back for you. Don't move."
When Kathryn left the dog adoption area, with puppy in tow, she scanned the space for any sign of Chakotay or Edgar. She had a strong desire to ask Martha about them but she thought that was way too forward. She ended up wandering to the shelter store in hopes of bumping into them there. After perusing the store for far too long and buying a couple of toys and dog food, she ended up leaving.
/\/\/\
Caught in her daydream bubble, Kathryn didn't realize she was already pulling into her driveway. She pushed her thoughts about Chakotay aside as she turned off the engine and looked over at the puppy that hadn't moved the entire ride. "Ready to go inside, little lady?" The puppy seemed to understand since she clumsily walked over to Kathryn's lap, momentarily getting her paw stuck in the cup holder. Kathryn giggled at the dog's 'Help me!' expression. "You are silly," she muttered, as she helped the puppy get unstuck.
Kathryn eventually picked the dog up and tried getting out of the car while carrying her but it was useless. "This isn't going to work. Let's try this." She attached the leash to the puppy's collar and put the dog on the ground. Kathryn held onto the leash tightly while she then got out of the car. "Much better, huh?" The pup merely blinked in acknowledgment.
Kathryn opened the car's back door to retrieve her purse and the bag of items she purchased at the shelter. She kicked the door shut with her foot and made her way up the walkway. The puppy still sat in the same spot Kathryn had placed her earlier. She had to lightly tug at the leash to get her to follow. "Welcome to your new home, Amelia."
As Kathryn approached the porch, she noticed something unfamiliar on her doormat. When she got closer she realized it was a wine bottle with a piece of paper tied to the neck. She climbed the steps and was about to pick the bottle up when she felt resistance from the leash. She turned around to find Amelia at the bottom of the steps. The puppy didn't bark or whimper; she just helplessly stared.
Kathryn laughed and jerked at the leash a bit, "Come on. You can do it." The puppy didn't budge. Kathryn tugged the leash once more but the puppy wasn't moving. "Okay…" Kathryn sighed and set her belongings on the floor. She walked down the steps and kneeled next to the puppy. As soon as Kathryn was close, Amelia sprinted up the steps, sat down by the door and wagged her tail.
Kathryn covered her face with both hands and let them slowly slide down. "Oh my-" She couldn't help but chuckle as she stood up. "This is going to be fun, huh?" The puppy barked in response.
Kathryn trudged up the steps, gathered her purse and bag, as well as the mysterious wine bottle, and unlocked the door. She crossed the threshold but the puppy didn't follow. "Not again," Kathryn moaned. She walked back out and as soon as she did the puppy ran inside. Kathryn threw her head back and groaned then walked inside and closed the door.
/\/\/\
Since Kathryn and Amelia had arrived home, everything had progressed smoothly. The puppy had briefly explored her surroundings and eventually made herself comfortable by the fireplace on the living room floor. She had fallen asleep almost immediately and that was almost four hours ago.
Every now and then Kathryn would poke her head into the room to check on her. Amelia was always asleep but in a slightly different position. She looked so cute sleeping that Kathryn wanted to pick her up and squeeze her, but she knew she needed to give her some time to adjust to her new environment.
Kathryn checked her watch and realized she had less than two hours before Phoebe, her sister, would arrive. They had a standing once a month date to catch up, alternating from each other's homes. Phoebe would visit Kathryn in Pasadena and Kathryn would visit Phoebe in Venice.
It dawned on Kathryn that she needed to buy groceries. One of the agreements between the two was that food needed to be prepared and eaten at home and not at some noisy restaurant. Take out was also frowned upon. Those were more of Phoebe's rules and not Kathryn's. Kathryn had just gone along with it to get her sister to stop talking. Unlike her sister, she didn't have the best cooking skills, but they were vastly improving. She could handle basic meals like spaghetti. She just didn't venture into the complicated recipes, she left those to Phoebe.
If Kathryn left now, it would give her enough time to run to the market before Phoebe arrived. A sudden wave of guilt ran through her. She didn't want to leave Amelia alone so soon but she really had no other choice. She walked outside to the recycling bin where she retrieved a handful of old newspapers. Kathryn tip-toed into the living room and carefully spread out the newspaper all over the wooden floor, glancing at the sleeping puppy every now and then. Kathryn made a mental note to pick up training pads at the store. She carefully made her way out of the room, grabbed her keys and purse and left.
/\/\/\
When Kathryn returned home she was hoping for the best but dreading the worst. She put the key in the slot and slowly turned the door knob. She opened the door about an inch or two in case Amelia decided to bolt outside. There was no sign of the puppy so she pushed the door open a bit further. She crept in with bags in hand, slowly pushed the door shut with her back and stood in the entryway listening. Complete silence except the subtle snoring coming from the living room.
Is she still sleeping?
Kathryn set the bags down and walked into the other room. Amelia was asleep but there were signs that she had been roaming. The toys Kathryn had bought her earlier weren't where she had left them, there was a small dark circle on one of the newspapers and upon further investigation, the bowl that had been full of kibble in the kitchen was now empty.
Kathryn laughed to herself. "When the cat's away, the mice will play."
She walked back to the entryway to get her grocery bags. She put everything away and decided she would read on the couch until Phoebe showed up. She was on her way to the living room when she detected the mysterious wine bottle from earlier. Kathryn had completely forgotten about it with everything else going on. She picked it up from the table and read the handwritten note:
Hi!
This is your neighbor from across the street (greyish house, red door). You appeared a bit sad the other day on the porch and thought you could use a little pick-me-up. I'm here if you ever need to talk.
Sincerely,
Annika
Kathryn felt delighted and embarrassed all at once. It was nice to know there were friendly people still around. But she was mainly ashamed that someone had witness her pathetic, lonely state after Mark left. She also realized that after four years living in her neighborhood, she hardly knew any of her neighbors other than a hello here and there.
She walked to the closest window facing the street and slowly moved the curtain aside, pulling her best Nancy Drew and trying not to be noticed. She spotted the house immediately. It was somewhat hard to miss a house with a red door but somehow Kathryn had managed to do so. She squinted, trying to make out any movement inside the house. She was positive she had seen an elderly lady in the garden a couple of times. Maybe that's Annika? There was also a leggy blonde, but Kathryn thought she was a visitor and not an occupant. Kathryn was so focused on observing the house that a sudden bark almost made her jump out of her skin.
"Amelia! Don't do that!" The puppy simply wagged her tail as Kathryn clutched her chest. "You scared me half to death! If you kill me, who is going to feed you?"
Kathryn composed herself and turned to the window just in time to notice Phoebe pulling up. "Your aunty is here, Amelia." She bent down and scratched the top of the puppy's head. "I can't be mad at you, you're too cute."
They both walked to the door and Kathryn opened it before Phoebe could ring the doorbell.
"Whoa! Were you spying on me?"
"Of course not!" Kathryn answered a bit too forcefully.
"Chill, big sister. I was kidding." Phoebe paused briefly. "Unless, you were…"
"You shush and get your butt inside. You have someone to meet."
"Oh? A new boytoy?" Phoebe waggled her eyebrows.
"Very funny." Kathryn deadpanned. "Nope. Someone better."
"Oh?"
Kathryn grinned and slowly turned, one arm stretched in a grand gesture. "Meet Amel-" She stopped midway, lowered her arm and frowned. "Where'd she go?"
"Who?"
"Amelia."
"Aren't you a little too old to be having imaginary friends, Katie?" Phoebe mocked concern and patted her sister on the head.
Kathryn swatted her hand away. "Oh shut up and help me find her."
Phoebe closed the front door and followed Kathryn into the darkening living room, throwing her effects on the nearest chair. "It would helpful if I knew who I was looking for."
"A puppy. Golden Retriever to be exact."
"You got a puppy!?"
Kathryn winced at Phoebe's shriek. "Yes, today. Figured it was time."
"Good! I'm glad." Phoebe clapped her hands together. "Now to find her because I really want to pick her up and cuddle her and-"
"You might want to hold off on that," Kathryn warned. "She's a tad peculiar.
"How so?" Phoebe asked as she picked up a throw pillow from the couch and glanced under it.
"She's not going to be under there, Phoebe!"
"Hey! You never know." Phoebe could feel Kathryn rolling her eyes even though her back was to her.
"Let's check the other rooms." Kathryn suggested.
Kathryn and Phoebe ventured into the kitchen where they found Amelia curled up in the far right corner of the room by her dish.
"Found her!" Phoebe proclaimed.
"I'm not blind, Pheebs. I see her too."
Phoebe shrugged. "Just checking."
"Let her relax there so we can eat." Kathryn pulled out a stool from the kitchen island and patted the seat. "Here, sit."
"Yes, ma'am."
Kathryn opened the fridge door and started pulling out all sorts of items. "I went to Trader Joe's earlier and bought some meats and cheeses. Thought we could have a charcuterie board."
"I don't want to sound like a meanie, sis, but that's not really cooking."
"True, but I know how much you love this stuff."
"Did you get prosciutto?" Kathryn pulled out a package from the fridge and wiggled it in the air. Phoebe smiled. "All right, all if forgiven."
"You're a dummy," Kathryn remarked.
"Yeah, but you love me anyway."
"Unfortunately." Kathryn began to slice the cheeses and place them on a platter. "Do you want some wine or something else?"
"Wine sounds good."
Kathryn tilted her head toward the nicely stocked wine rack as she focused on the slicing. "Choose whatever you want."
Phoebe carefully examined each bottle. "How have you been since Mark moved out?"
"Fine, actually. I mean, he technically moved out months ago. Now it's just official."
"I guess. Are you keeping the house?"
Kathryn sighed. "I don't know. We divide assets next time we meet with our lawyers. I guess either we sell or I buy out Mark's half."
Phoebe opened a drawer and searched for the wine opener. "Oh."
"Do you mind if we switch topics. Not quite fond of this one."
"Sure, sorry. Didn't mean to bum you out."
"You didn't. How's Adam?" Kathryn asked and she struggled to open the smoked Gouda's packaging.
"Oh, that. It's over. He was a cheater. Next subject."
"We are a delightful bunch, aren't we?" Kathryn snickered.
"So, you adopted a puppy? And not just any puppy, a soon to be horse."
Kathryn laughed. "No kidding."
"Let me guess, you named her Amelia for Amelia Earhart."
"DING! DING! DING!"
Phoebe chuckled as she uncorked the bottle and poured the wine. "You were always so fascinated by her."
"She was definitely an inspiration for me."
"Tell me about it. You dressed as her for that one Halloween."
"I forgot about that! Wait, wasn't that the year you went as, um…" Kathryn threw her head back in thought while tapping her fingers on the countertop. "What was that painter?"
"Salvador Dali," Phoebe mumbled, as she returned to her seat with two wine glasses in hand.
Kathryn's husky laugh filled the room. "That was a riot! Your mustache kept falling off..." Kathryn continued to giggle. "And then, you got so pissed off that it wouldn't stay in place you started to cry and ran home."
Phoebe joined her sister in laughter. "Oh, man, and we wonder why the neighborhood kids didn't care for us much."
"Right? You, consumed with art and me, consumed with science." Kathryn wiped her teary eyes. "We had some good times, though."
"We definitely did." Phoebe took a drink. "Tell me a bit more about Amelia."
Kathryn placed the finished board in front of them and gestured for Phoebe to eat. "There's a lot of speculation since she was found by the side of the road, but the shelter thinks she's about three months."
"Oh, so she was born around February?"
"Yeah, possibly. Kathryn grabbed her glass of wine and took a mouthful. "Mmmm, this is good? What is this?"
"It's a Shiraz. Impressed by your own wine, I see." Phoebe sarcastically added.
Kathryn ignored her and kept going. "They think she may have been the runt of the litter because she was smaller and calmer than her brother. She's healthy, though."
"Oh, she has a brother?"
"Well, they assume they were siblings since they resemble each other and were found together. Chakotay adopted the brother."
Phoebe's eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened. "Chakotay?"
Kathryn could feel herself blushing. She kept on talking, hoping Phoebe wouldn't register her flushed appearance. "He was there with his nephew. Little kid. Named Edgar. Cute child. Pretty smart."
"And how was the uncle, huh?" Phoebe teased. "I mean, he must have been something because you are close to matching this." Phoebe picked up a tomato from the bowl on the counter and placed it by Kathryn's head. "Actually, I think you make a better tomato."
Kathryn glared at Phoebe. "It's the wi-"
"And don't blame it on the wine because you took one sip."
Kathryn placed both hands on the counter and sighed. "Don't judge me by what I'm about to say but he was gorgeous, Phoebe. Absolutely stunning."
"Oooo, I'm liking this story already. Go on."
Kathryn snorted. "I ran into Edgar first. He told me he was there with his uncle to adopt a cat and-"
"Wait, why were they in the dog area?"
"Because Edgar is a sneaky snake."
"Oh, okay. Continue."
"Anyway, so eventually Chakotay shows up. I was wearing my sunglasses so at first I couldn't see him so well. Plus, he wasn't that close. But once I removed them…" Kathryn smiled. "I mean, he's tall and somewhat built. I don't know exactly how to describe him, really. He has beautiful skin. His hair is dark but speckled with grey and slightly long. Nicely dressed, too."
"Geez, Katie, I haven't seen you this excited about anything since the Curiosity rover thing."
Kathryn became serious. "I know. It's bizarre. He even touched my shoulder when I mentioned Mollie and I thought I was going to burst. I was able to keep calm, though. But this is the first time I've reacted to someone this intensely."
"Did you get his number?" Phoebe sneered and snuck out her tongue.
"I didn't."
"Kathryn!"
"Phoebe, it's a shelter not a dating service." Kathryn paused. "Plus, he has a girlfriend."
"So! Girlfriend doesn't mean fiancé or wife."
"I know, but no. Plus, if he was interested he could have asked."
Phoebe stared at her sister. "Not if you're wearing that." She gazed down at Kathryn's wedding band. "You need to take that off."
"I should, I guess."
Phoebe hopped off the stool, ran over to Kathryn and grabbed her hand. "Here, I'll help!"
"Pheebs, you're going to pull my finger off along with the ring!"
"Geez, Kathryn, with how bony your fingers are you would think this would slide right off." Phoebe tugged at the ring a bit more. "I know!" She pulled Kathryn by the arm toward the fridge and opened it. "This should help." She grabbed a stick of butter and unwrapped it.
"What on earth?" Kathryn was midway between irritated and giggly.
"This will help it come off," Phoebe said as she rubbed the butter over Kathryn's finger. She pulled on the ring again and it easily slid off. "See!"
Kathryn rubbed her hand. "You know, it also works with lotion or dish soap."
"True, but this was much more fun." She handed the ring to her sister.
Kathryn exhaled and wiped the ring and her hand clean with a paper towel. She shoved the ring into her jeans pocket. "Why don't we get the food and watch a movie in the other room?" Kathryn proposed.
"Sounds like a plan."
They gathered the food and left the room without Amelia ever noticing.
[TBC]
