Beta'd by cejsmom and preread by Twi-mom12292005
You all know who owns these characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 13
BPOV (Ads and emails are in bold and italics)
I can't believe how many personal ads there are on Craigslist. Some of them are decent, but most of them make my skin crawl. I picture some lecherous old guy sitting in his tighty whities typing SM25seekingSF14-17- ewww.
I found it!
Looking for girl; pretty, long dark hair, with Jack Russell Terrier "Buddy" at the Huntington Beach Dog Beach on Saturday, June 9th. I have something you might want.
My heart is pounding, because this seems to be about me. I'm thinking it could only be from one person, Cute Abs Guy. There is a generic Craigslist email to respond to. I'm too tired tonight, maybe sleeping on it with help. Do I want to respond? My physical reaction to this ad says yes, but my brain says it's probably not a good idea.
Although I'm exhausted from traveling, I have a fitful night of sleep. The haunting eyes are still there, coupled with my mind questioning whether or not I should respond to the ad; made it hard to get any real rest. When I wake up I decide to answer the ad. What do I have to lose? Besides my dignity?
I make coffee, and get my laptop set up and start typing my response.
I was at the dog beach with my dog Buddy that day. *boring* delete
Who is looking for me? *accusatory* delete
? *vague* delete
I think you might be looking for me. *short and to the point* I press send.
I check my emails, read over some of my trip notes, check my suspect emails and there it is.
From EC_ssarc
The email address gives me no clue about this guy.
Dear fellow dog beach goer,
If you are who I'm looking for, you had a difficult day at the beach that Saturday. I seem to remember sand flying, a lost dog and a real mess. Does this sound like you? EC
Well, it sounds condescending like him. EC, is not even a name. This guy is giving me nothing to work with here.
EC,
If it is me, why would I want to be found by you? Who are you? And why are you looking for me? IS
Two can play at the vague game.
IS,
Is that your name? I feel bad about your issues, at the dog beach. EC
Oh, no, he didn't just ask about my name. I'm not giving him any information until he does.
EC,
No, that's not my name. Thanks for your concern, but why? IS
IS,
It was your first visit to the dog beach, right? There is a certain "etiquette" for the dog beach. I should have warned you. EC
EC,
Ok, so now that you found me, what do you want? IS
I'm starting to feel really embarrassed and defensive. There was a part of me that hoped he didn't see my whole disaster play out, but apparently he did.
IS,
I was taking some photos that day and I got some good shots of your dog. Can I send them to you? EC
He did catch it on film, yeah.
EC,
Sure, thanks. IS
IS,
The photos are attached, let me know what you think. EC
The photos are amazing. There are a few cute ones of Buddy frolicking on the beach, one of me and Buddy, our first photo together, and one of just me. He has a good eye for photography. I look good for such a stressful day at the beach.
EC,
Thanks for sending the photos, they are great! IS
Seeing the photos does make me feel a little better about my dog beach experience, but I'm no closer to learning anything about the cute photographer.
What I do know; his email address, he takes good photos, he has a lot of dogs or is a dog walker, he goes to the dog beach frequently, so he must leave close by. He has great abs, amazing eyes and he's hot.
What I don't know; his name, his story, his everything.
Not knowing bothers me, and I don't like it. I don't like not knowing more about him and I don't like that I care. Ughhhh
I try to focus on writing my piece on Italy. I end up staying shut-in for a few days doing nothing but writing. My porch is the perfect spot for inspiration and peacefulness.
I know I should try to talk to Jacob again, but I'll leave it alone for now. Every time I see him I hope he has met someone special and moved on from me. Sometimes I think if I keep my distance this would be more likely to happen.
The days fly by between catching up on sleep, getting the house back in order, and writing.
I am actually getting out of the house today to meet a new friend for lunch. I met her in Italy and she is a bundle of energy. Surprisingly, we live only a few beach cities apart. What are the chances of that?
A/N
So... how did their email conversation go? They are both so guarded.
Who is she having lunch with?
BD2 is amazing, shocking, epic!
Thanks for all of your kind words and reviews. I hope to be back on track now and responding to your reviews.