Beta'd by cejsmom and preread by Twi-mom12292005
Chapter 7
BPOV
Monday I leave for Italy for a couple of weeks. I'm a writer and I love to travel and through some connections I have managed to merge the two into a career; I'm a travel writer. I travel to an area, stay a few weeks, learn from the locals and then write about the region from their perspective. My articles are published in many travel magazines and recently I was approached to write a book, a compilation of my past articles. Although a book deal is a great opportunity, it seems rather ominous right now. It will take some research and organization of my past works to do the idea of a book justice. Working on the book will also prevent me from traveling and writing new articles. I'm not sure I want to give that up yet.
I really enjoy what I do. It gives me freedom to see the world, learn about different cultures and express myself through words. I've seen some beautiful places and met some amazing people. Learning about the different regions in Italy has been the most interesting for me. The food itself is enough to keep me going back.
When Buddy wandered into Jake's cafe a few weeks ago, I agreed to take him on one condition. So, per our agreement, Jacob will to take care of Buddy when I'm traveling. However, when Jacob is at the cafe, our recently widowed, elderly neighbor, Angela, has agreed to take him.
Jacob and I live on the same street, only a few houses apart. Angela's house is between ours. She's very lonely without her husband and she and Buddy have seemed to bond. He is good for her. He keeps her company and entertains her. As long as he doesn't get too excited and chew up her house, they should do just fine while I'm gone.
Although I know Jacob and Angela will take good care of Buddy, my concern when I'm gone is that his owners will come to claim him and I'll never get to say goodbye or see him again. Jake and I have put up signs and I've placed ads on Craigslist; no one has even called yet to inquire about him. The longer he's with me, the more attached I become. I would be heartbroken to come home and find he's been claimed by his real owners.
Thankfully, the rest of my weekend is less eventful than my experience at the dog beach. I cringe at the thought of how I looked when I returned from the beach that day. The memories are anything but pleasant, yet I find myself thinking about it frequently. Or more specifically, thinking about him, cute abs guy. The no eye contact, dog walking, smirky, hot guy with the camera.
Maybe getting out of town is just what I need to clear my head of these thoughts. Why put any thought into it at all. I have no chance of ever seeing him again, and I don't know if I want to anyway.
A/N
She is thinking about him too...
Who, if anyone, will come and claim Buddy?
The next two weeks are going to be nuts. The chapters are written and beta'd and I will upload them in advance and post on schedule. I will be reading every single review, but may not be able to respond. In case you're wondering, I'm going to the BD2 premiere in LA, along with some other fun LA events leading up to this.