Chapter Three: New Horizons

"Natalie!"

I'd just made it outside the office building when I heard my name and turned back. It was Willis.

He was looking a bit thinner than when I'd seen him last two months ago. His golden brown hair was closely shaved along the sides of his head but longer on top - more so than the typical Marine haircut, but still within regulations. His face was smooth, and his hazel eyes looked...weary. His wedding ring was still absent from his finger as well, as it had been on both our parts for a few months now.

Emotion swelled inside me. A lot had changed, and dammit if he wasn't the exact picture of just how much it had.

Yet again I swallowed down the feelings while I stood there and waited for him to walk up to me. I wasn't sure how prepared I was for this reunion, or what to expect. Certainly things inside the meeting had been...cordial and frosty. But that was business - a sad one. This was just us. Natural.

He stopped in front of me, giving me more space than he normally would have, and flashed a shadow of a smile - a little quirk of the lips that was gone as soon as it had appeared on his face. "Hey."

"Hey," I returned softly.

"How's...everything? It's been a while."

I shrugged. "You know, busy." Then I snorted. "Or I guess it's supposed to be. I've had a little too much time on my hands lately."

"The hearing?"

I nodded. "Coming up in a few days. They put me on leave until then. I don't know if you heard."

"I did." His expression softened. "I'm sorry. That must be...difficult."

"It is what it is. No going back now."

He took in a deep breath. "You didn't have to give up the house, you know."

"It's not for me. It was for us and the kids." I let out a sigh. "If I'd insisted on it, they would've wanted us to sell it and split the profits down the middle to do it fairly. I don't want that. They've had enough turmoil lately to lose their home, too."

"I hope you know I didn't ask for the extra money for me. I just couldn't afford that place on my own."

"I know. No hard feelings."

He swallowed then. "It's good to see you, Coop."

"You, too, Will."

"Maybe we can...I mean, if you have some time..."

I glanced down at my boots for a moment. "I've got some errands I need to run today. Later in the week?"

"Sure." He hesitated, then said, "The kids are with my parents right now. Should I tell them to expect you, or did you want to start now with the new arrangement?"

"We can start now if you want," I said, although it would hurt deeply not to see them. "Two more days?"

"Yeah." He paused again. "I'd like to bring them over to your place myself this time, if that's okay."

"That'll be fine."

"Good. We'll see you then. Take care, Cooper."

"You, too."

It was all I could do to remain silently in place as he walked away. I didn't know how it was for him, but I missed him often. It was painful to watch him leave again.

I just wasn't sure how all of this was going to end up for me. And if I ever stopped to think about it for too long, I found the idea frightening.

Now more than ever I knew getting a four-legged companion was a needed solution to...at least some of my many problems. So that's where I went to next, since I was already downtown anyway.

"Lori's Pet Shop!" had a brighter sign than what I was feeling inside at the moment, having just seen my estranged husband for the first time in several weeks, and being reminded of how much emotional baggage remained between us. I needed a pick-me-up, and so maybe this was exactly the right time to be doing this.

I stood outside the shop for a bit, looking at some of the animals they had in the window. Mostly reptiles, birds, and fish on one side, and smaller pets like hamsters and gerbils and rabbits on the other. Everything looked either too cheery or too cold. It solidified my choice in getting a dog over anything else, and I finally felt prepared to walk in.

The pet shop employee behind the counter was a young high school kid, but he seemed attentive enough. He glanced up when I came in, noted the uniform, and said, "Hi, ma'am. How may I help you?"

"I'm looking to get a pet," I said. "Specifically a dog."

"Well...we've got lots in the back. I'll show you."

He came out from behind the counter, and I followed him through aisles of pet supplies and various holding tanks and toys.

"We keep all our most popular pets over here," he explained. "The cages are too big to fit up front, and we've got a space in the middle where you can sit with any animal you like and have them get to know you a bit before you decide. Cats are on the left of the play space, dogs on the right." He stopped and looked at me then. "Are you looking for a particular breed, or..."

I shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. What do your customers usually go for?"

He chuckled. "Well, ma'am, that very much depends on taste. Do you like big dogs, or small dogs?"

"Big."

"Okay. Do you have a large yard? As you probably know, big dogs won't do well in small places."

"Yes." I didn't have my own yard at the apartment, unlike the main house that was now no longer mine, but there was a fairly large communal space that should be appropriate enough for a pet - and plenty of parks around besides.

"Great. Our selection is a bit limited due to size, but I think maybe you'll find one of these guys or gals to your liking. We've got eight on hand right now - a Great Dane, a couple of German shepherds, three Labradors, a golden retriever, and a rottweiler." He glanced at me again. "You have kids?"

"Yes, four."

"Hmm. You'll want something more docile, then. Labs and retrievers are good family dogs. German shepherd if you want one that can double as a guard dog, too."

We went up to the cages on the right, and he introduced me to the dogs one by one. "This is Susan, the Great Dane. Jackie, the golden retriever. Hatchet, the rottweiler. The two yellow labs are Gordon and Musket. The German shepherds are Wolf and Ulysses. And then finally, we have our chocolate lab, Chief."

At that I grinned. "Chief, huh?"

I walked up to the cage to look at him. He was a beautiful dog; his dark brown coat was shiny, his same-colored eyes kind, and he looked healthy and trim. "Sounds like we have a lot in common, buddy," I said to him. "I'm the leader of my pack, too."

The young pet shop employee smiled. "Chief's a good dog. We just got him in a week ago. Family that adopted him wasn't able to keep him anymore, so they brought him over to us to help find him a new home. He's two years old - still young, but over that difficult puppy stage, and he's been trained and fixed." He turned back to me. "Do you want me to get him out for you?"

"Please."

Chief was released from his cage in a moment, and he immediately went crazy, bounding over to me in one big leap and hopping up on my chest with his front paws, eagerly wagging his tail. I knelt down closer and he licked my face and barked a happy yelp, and that's when I knew it was him.

I was already smiling a lot more than I ever had since getting back from Puget, and the hideousness of humans I'd experienced there. It'd be nice to have an animal friend now instead - someone I could really rely on and love, and who could perhaps help both me and my kids to heal from what we'd all gone through lately. I gave Chief a tentative hug, which he seemed very receptive to, as he barked happily again and wagged his tail even faster.

The employee was beaming now, too. "Looks like you found your friend, ma'am."

I laughed for the first time in ages, feeling pretty content at the moment as well. "Yup. Looks like I did."

"Let's get you two some supplies," he said then. "You're going to need a collar, a leash, some dog food, a bed, a water and food bowl, some toys, anti-flea medication..."

I could already tell I was in for a big expense with my new buddy. But I knew it was going to be worth it.

Especially with what awaited me in just four more days.