EMILY

I pulled my jeep into my driveway Thursday afternoon. The only person I saw outside was George, as always, puttering away in his garage. Walking around to the passenger side, I opened the door and out jumped Lucky, my new best friend. He waited for me to take hold of his leash and we headed over to meet George.

George walked out of the garage and headed toward us with a huge smile on his face.

“What do we have here?” he asked, stopping before Lucky and extending his hand. Lucky sniffed a few times and sat down, lifting his paw for a shake. George was accepted.

“George, this is Lucky. My new roommate. Lucky? Meet George.”

Lucky calmly looked up at him, waiting.

“Where did you find him?” George asked, as he scratched behind Lucky’s ears and checked him over.

“I went online Sunday after talking to you and looked at all the local shelters. His picture jumped out at me. He is a Golden Retriever, Shepherd mix, four years old, completely trained, and just waiting for his forever home,” I replied happily.

Lucky’s coloring was pure golden red except around his eyes, which were dark and looked like a raccoon, and his pointed ears were darker at the tips. I stepped back and admired my new companion.

“I think he is rather striking myself,” I stated.

Lucky glanced up at me as if to agree, then went back to scouting out his new surroundings.

“Do you know the history at all? He looks like a great dog. Very well-mannered.”

“A couple had him since he was a puppy, then had a kid two years later, and Lucky was delegated to the backyard. They finally surrendered him a few weeks ago because no one had any time for him.

It made me mad when people bought a dog, then ignored them when life got too busy. But their loss was my gain. Since I did most of my work from home, I had a lot of time to spend with Lucky. I loved to run and he needed lots of exercise. I also figured a big dog would deter whoever had been throwing things at my house and harassing me. One look at Lucky and they should think about leaving.

As long as the bad guys didn’t have treats in their pockets, that is.

“I think it’s a great idea. Being part Shepherd, he’ll be protective of you. Really good when you’re out running by yourself.”

Lucky stood up and walked over to me. He circled around me once and sat down right at my feet.

“See that!” George pointed out. “He already understands who he needs to protect! Good boy,” he praised Lucky, giving him a good rub on his back. “Good boy!”

“Have you heard anything from Officer Campbell?” I asked him.

“No, nothing yet, but I have seen patrol cars going through a lot more often. They’re keeping an eye on things. Have you had any more trouble?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, it’s been really quiet the last four days.”

“I’m hoping more police presence around the neighborhood has scared them and they’ve stopped the shenanigans.”

I nodded in agreement with George.

“I’m going to take Lucky over and get him acquainted with his new home. I’ll check in with you later.”

Lucky and I headed back to my house. I hit the opener for the garage door and grabbed a large bag from the back of the jeep. Dog food, treats, and other supplies for my new friend. I let Lucky into the house and unhooked his leash so he could sniff out every corner of his new home.

Setting the bag on the counter, I pulled out a water dish and filled it. I put his food into another dish and set them both on the floor in a corner by my kitchen table.

Lucky greedily began to lap up his water. I was glad I bought the biggest dish I could find. He wasn’t really large, sixty pounds. There were other dogs much larger and meaner looking, but when Lucky stared at me with those beautiful green eyes of his, I knew he was the one for me. He looked so darn lost in his kennel. Instant love on my part and he seemed to be taken with me too. I felt good. I knew I made the right choice. Lucky was my family now.

He disappeared into my bedroom. When I walked in there a few minutes later, I found him curled up in a sunbeam of light on the floor right next to the side of my bed where I usually slept. I was amazed by how smart he was.

I had a little dog when I was growing up. She usually slept on the bed, much to the dismay of my grandmother. We tried getting her to sleep in a dog bed on the floor but it never worked.

I thought about taking Lucky out for a run, but he looked a bit tuckered out so I figured we could go later. I needed to get some work done anyway.

I headed into my office and flipped my laptop open, and starting with my emails, I got down to business. I had one book almost finished editing and another waiting. The first was a final edit before I sent it back to the author for publishing. The other was a first time edit. A brand new author and a first book. What I had read so far, I loved. This one would be fun. There was something so satisfying working with a writer who finally found the ambition to finish a story, then the courage to move forward and actually put the book out there.

I wanted to do that someday. Write my own instead of just editing for others. I had pages of ideas needing to grow into stories. I just needed to work on myself—discipline, among other things.