Chapter 4

Jenny arrived at Anita and Roger's house about fifteen minutes early, but that wasn't exactly a big surprise. Their little townhouse wasn't all too far from her own and she'd been so anxious not to be late that she'd nearly left home an hour early. Deciding that was probably not the best thing, she'd tried to relax in her living room. That turned into making laps around the room, fixing and dusting here and there, until she was ready to go crazy. When the hour had whittled down to twenty minutes, she gave up and grabbed the plate of brownies-which were still warm—and bounded out to the sidewalk with the intent to at least walk at a leisurely pace.

It was a ten minute distance for most people, fifteen for some, but somehow it had only taken Jenny a bare five minutes.

So she stood outside for a moment or two, wondering if she should announce herself early—which she knew could be considered rude—or... find something to do besides standing around, staring at the house. Feeling a little awkward, she glanced around and ended up going further down the block. When she reached the corner, a snow-dusted park caught her eye.

It wasn't a large park, but it looked charming—even in the winter—and like a better place to burn a few minutes than pacing the sidewalk. So, with a glance back at the Radcliffes' front stoop, she quickly down the street to the park's gate.

There was a faint breeze in the air, which she only noticed when her curls started moving, but it made her smile. She'd always loved wind, though just less so when it was biting cold out. Now the days were growing warmer and soon she'd be able to feel the wind comb through her hair without freezing again. Now, though, it was still a bit chilly and made her tuck her scarf closer around her neck.

Not many people were in the park, though she did see a few. There was an old couple who were holding hands as they enjoyed a slow paced form of exercise. Further in, on a small pond, a group of skaters had cleared off the ice to make themselves a rink to pull tricks on. Past that, on a surprising hill, a dozen or so children were sledding with at least three parents close at hand.

She smiled as she passed each of them, her long strides making an easy circling of the pond and sledding hill. Everything was peaceful and a quick glance at her watch told her that she was now only two minutes past one. So she turned onto the most direct path towards the exit she'd come in.

"Pongo? Pongo! No! Wait—."

Jenny had just rounded a hedge (which, come spring, would be the entrance to a lovely rose garden) when she heard the shouts and seconds later was bowled over by an incredibly inquisitive spotted dog, whom happily sniffed her face before licking and turning to the covered plate of brownies she'd managed to keep safely away from the pavement.

"Pongo, you crazy nut!" the leash-barer sighed in despair.

As he quickly came over, with another Dalmatian trotting next to him obediently, Pongo turned back with a happy bark. Which, of course made Jenny giggle.

"Don't Roger and Anita tell you not to tackle people?" The man asked, then pulled his scarf down to reveal more of his face as he pulled the dog off Jenny's legs. "Very sorry, Miss," he said, carefully helping her to her feet. "Are you alright? He snapped the clip right off the strap. He didn't hurt you did he?"

Jenny was still laughing, the whole situation struck her as incredibly bizarre. "No, no, I'm fine," she said, dusting herself off as he tried to reattach the rogue dog to his leash. "He must have been after my brownies—."

Her sentence broke off and a deep blush filled her cheeks as the stranger looked up again and she recognized his face.

"Mr. Bennett!"

By the size of his eyes, he'd recognized her too.

"Miss Doe!" Dan Bennett gasped. Then he promptly tripped over Pongo's leash as he attempted to climb out of the snow, to which Jenny instinctively reached forward to steady him.

Pongo, for his part, barked happily to the other dalmatian, who seemed to be giving him an reprimanding look as the pair of humans regained their footing.

"Err, sorry about that," Dan mumbled, his cheeks and ears a bright red, though partially from the wind.

"Oh, uh, it's ok," Jenny said, her face just as pink as she smiled at him. "So... you said Roger and Anita—Did you mean Radcliffe?"

Dan returned her smile with one showing that he was grateful that she'd supplied a topic. "Yes, actually," he said, adjusting his hold on the leashes. "This is Perdita—and the rascal you already met is Pongo."

Jenny turned her smile to the dogs and crouched down to pet them on the head. "Yes, a brownie lover, I see," she said as Pongo's nose started toward the covered plate again. She quickly moved it to her other side and turned to the dog's wife, who pressed the crown of her head into Jenny's hand. "And I hear you're going to be a mommy soon, Perdita."

The dalmatian perked up and Jenny could almost swear she would have smiled.

"Are you ready for it?" Jenny asked, petting Perdita's head again.

Instantly the dog shook her head, making Jenny laugh.

"Don't worry, you'll be great," she assured her. "Plus, Anita will help you keep the puppies in line."

Next to the females, Dan and Pongo looked on, both delighted that Jenny was taking the time to converse with a dog in near complete understanding. But then, as a social secretary, she'd picked up quite a few interesting traits along the way.

"I'm heading to the Radcliffe house, actually," Jenny said as she stood up again. "I just wanted to see the park first."

"Got there too early?" Dan asked, a knowing look in his eye.

"Yes, actually," she admitted, giving him a suspicious glance.

He grinned. "So did I. That's how I ended up taking Pongo and Perdita out for them."

Jenny's eyebrows shot up her forehead, then she laughed and his chuckles joined in. The dalmatian pair watched them in high amusement, exchanging thoughtful glances.

"Well then," Jenny said as their laughter subsided, smiling up at him. "I guess we better get going before we're more than fashionably late."

"And what a surprise that would be," Dan agreed, giving the leashes a gentle tug. "I'm sure they'd think I'd gone missing."

"Me too," Jenny said as the dogs led the way out. "Anita's always telling me that I show up almost too early every day."

"My cousin says the same thing," Dan said, staring at the giggling girl next to him in wonder as they unconsciously made their way back down the block.

A/N: Aww aren't they so cute ^_^ More characters to be spotlighted soon! And then some more solid plot other than setting up Jenny's surroundings!