On Sunday morning, Nora was baking chocolate chip cookies when she heard a dog bark. As the barking intensified, she slid the last tray of cookies into the oven, wiped her hands on her apron, and made her way to the back porch.

Peering through the blinds, she gasped. A chubby ball of fur had lodged its head in between the patio deck rails.

“Oh, you poor thing,” she said, unlocking the door and rushing outside.

The dog whimpered and moaned as he thrashed about. Concerned that he would break his neck with his flailing, she knelt in front of him. He stopped for a quick beat to give her a doleful look and then went back to flailing.

She put her hands around his face. His eyes were the same light gray as her beloved childhood Pitbull, Astro. When she looked into the depths of his eyes, her heart skipped a beat. His aura felt like Astro’s and it seemed like he was trying to communicate with her. But he had worked himself into such a tizzy over his predicament that he was unable to do so.

She gently popped his head out of the railing. Flopping onto the deck next to her, the dog gazed at her, his large eyes beaming hope. He had a shaggy white coat except for a large splotch of gray extending from his belly up the left side of his face.

He was killing her. She would love to have a dog. For Ben, and for her too. But they were renting and she wasn’t sure how Steph would feel about a dog. Besides, they didn’t have a fenced in yard and she wasn’t sure she could afford one right now.

She rubbed his neck—no collar or tags—then eased onto the floorboards with the dog in her arms. He—she lifted his leg to check, yep, he—sagged in between her legs, loose and limp…and disconcertingly quiet. She lifted his chin, gazed into his eyes, and connected with him.

It’s me, the dog said telepathically.

Gasping, Nora touched her head to his. “Astro?” she whispered, as shock and awe, love and gratitude rushed through her.

The gray and white pup bobbed his head up and down, nuzzling his soft, fuzzy forehead against hers. Told you I’d come back.

A tear of joy slid down her cheek as she flashed back in time. She’d found the tiny Pitbull pup on the roadside shortly after her Pap had died. She had fought her mother tooth and nail to keep him and had worked whatever jobs her neighbors would give her in order to feed and care for him. He had been an angel with paws, guiding her through her horrific childhood with unconditional love. He’d lived for over ten years, until one day out of the blue he’d told her it was his time. He’d died in her arms, and despite his promise that he’d return one day, she had grieved for over a year.

“You came back,” she sniffled, pressing kisses over the top of his head.

Of course. Can you keep me? Astro’s warm eyes glistened with hope.

“Oh, Astro, yes!” She kissed him again. Her heart floated with joy, light and puffy as the clouds overhead.

Then she glanced at the other half of the duplex, and her heart sank a little. Would Steph be open to a puppy? Nora lifted one of the dog’s enormous paws and sighed. Even worse, a pup that looked like he would grow into a really big dog.

“Why didn’t you come back as a Pitbull?” she asked, rubbing his adorable gray and white belly.

I always wanted to be a sheepdog. He gave her a doggie grin. You know like Sam.

She smiled. Sam, the Kent’s sweet sheepdog, had been enormous. “How big are you going to get?”

Ninety, maybe a hundred pounds. His doggie grin expanded.

Nora pressed a hand to the back of her neck. “We’ll need a fenced in yard.”

He licked a paw, then stared at her expectantly.

Anxiety churned in her gut. “I’ll have to ask Steph.”

Please, she pleaded mentally. She loved living in the duplex and being neighbors with Steph, but now that she was reunited with her beloved Astro, there was no way she could give him up.

“Ask me what?” Steph said, stepping outside.

Nora turned with the pup in her arms. All of the sudden he became a normal dog again, whining, woofing, and thrashing about.

Steph laughed. “Ah, a puppy.” She sat down next to them and Astro 2 licked her face. “You’re a cutie-pie.” Steph rubbed his head, then glanced at her. “Where did he come from?”

“I found him,” she said.

No, silly. Astro 2 gave her a look that said she knew better. I found you.

“Astro, I’m talking to Steph,” she said before thinking, and then with warm cheeks flicked her head toward Steph. “Um….” She trailed off, unsure of how to tell her friend that this was her former dog without sounding like a nutcase.

But her worries were for naught.

“This is your Astro?” Steph asked, without disdain, and just like Hud, without even a tad of disbelief. “You sure it’s him?”

Nora was so stunned at Steph’s easy acceptance, all she could do was nod. After a long moment, she cleared her throat and found her voice. “It’s him. We connected.”

Steph bent down and kissed Astro 2 on the head. “What a good boy, coming back to Nora.”

“If you’ll let me keep him, I’ll put in a fence.” Not that Nora could afford it, but she’d find a way. She glanced up at Steph hopefully.

Astro 2 tipped his head and gave Steph a puppy-dog plea.

“Maybe I could put in some overtime,” Nora said, holding her breath.

Steph rubbed a hand on her arm. “Of course, you can keep him.”

Relief whooshed out of Nora.

Astro 2 licked Steph’s face again.

“It’s his way of saying thank you,” Nora said. “And thanks from me too.” She smiled. “Ben will be over the moon excited.” She squeezed the dog in close and he flopped his head on her knee.

“Anything for my grandson,” Steph said making Nora laugh.

Nora rubbed Astro 2. “You’ll need a new name for your new self. What about Cosmo?”

The dog woofed in response.

“I think he likes it,” Steph said, pushing back a strand of her copper hair. “Cosmos as in the universe, or Astro and Cosmo as in you have a thing for the Jetsons?”

“I love the Jetsons.” Nora scrunched the dog’s face. “But you can’t be as grumpy as Cosmo Spacely.”

Cosmo thumped his tail and gave her an I-got-this look.

“You can keep sweet Cosmo,” Steph said, “but I’ll put in the fence.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Nora said, both surprised and touched by the offer.

“How about you work the bar for me on Thursday night and we’ll call it even?” Steph scratched Cosmo’s ears. “Anna’s heading home for a long weekend and I forgot to find someone to cover.”

“Sure, but that’s hardly even.”

Steph waved off her comment. “I’ve been thinking about putting in a fence anyway to give us more work-home separation.”

Nora nodded in agreement even though she knew Steph was doing it to help her. “Thanks, Steph. You’re an angel. I’ll call Lucas’ dad to see if Ben can stay with them on Thursday night.”

“Or he could stay with me,” Steph offered. “I can never have enough time with my grandson. Besides, he could pop over to check on Cosmo.”

A warm joy blossomed inside of Nora. Her beloved Astro was back. She reached over and pulled Steph into a hug as Cosmo woofed happily in between them.

Steph chopped vegetables for her soup as she watched Nora and Cosmo run gleefully through the back yard. Over the last few weeks, she’d become very fond of Nora. Nora was smart, funny and a hard worker. She’d been a great addition to the OTR team. She’d felt an inexplicable connection with Nora the moment she’d met her. After learning Ben was her grandson—and how wonderful was that?—Steph realized the connection had been a sign from the universe.

She had taken Nora under her wing just like she had with the rest of her employees. They were all more like family than staff. Even so, Nora was different and even more special. Because she was Ben’s guardian, she was almost like a daughter. Steph could acknowledge part of it was that she needed to feel successful as a parent, something she had yet to achieve with Davey. Because Nora yearned for a mother-like figure every bit as much as Steph yearned to be one, they were a good match.

She moved to the stove and dropped the vegetables into the soup. Cosmo’s happy bark and Nora’s laugh carried through the air, making her smile. Nora deserved this happiness. Steph wondered how Nora had turned into the positive, big-hearted woman she was considering the perpetual negativity and constant berating she’d received from her mother.

Another woof sounded, followed by a sharp mew. Taz sat at full attention at the sliding glass doors, his face in a scowl, his tail twitching wildly.

Stepping over, she laughed. “Oh, Taz.” She bent down and rubbed her cat’s head. “Cosmo lives next door now. You’re going to have to get used to him.”

Taz glowered at her with a you’ve-gotta-be-kidding-me-we’ve-lowered-to-a-dog look.

Steph picked up her cat and moved away from the glass. “It’s good for Nora.” She sat down and plunked Taz on her lap. “Don’t worry, he’ll stay on his side of the house.”

The cat broke into a loud purr.

Half an hour later, just as she pulled a loaf of rosemary bread out of the oven, the doorbell rang.

“Come on in,” she called out.

When Nora appeared, Steph pulled off the oven mitts and hugged her. “You’re looking happy.”

Nora grinned. “I still can’t believe Astro is back. Ben’s gonna be so excited. He’d been asking Lynn for a dog for a long time.” A delightful aroma of spices wafted through the air. “Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.”

“It’s my veggie soup recipe, olive-oil rosemary bread, and that juice we talked about yesterday.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Nora said. “Can I help with anything?”

Steph poured two glasses of juice, containing freshly squeezed lemons and oranges, fresh berries, local raw honey, ginger, and cinnamon. She had created the recipe when she’d lived in Arizona and had been drinking it ever since. Her sister had dubbed it ‘health in a glass,’ but it was delicious too.

She handed the glasses to Nora. “Take these to the table and I think we’re set.”

Nora took the glasses to the table, but instead of sitting in a chair, she flopped onto the floor next to Taz. The cat had taken an immediate liking to Nora which had been unusual. Taz typically wasn’t fond of visitors, but Nora seemed to have a way with animals.

As Steph carried a tray of soup and bread to the table, Nora pressed a hand to her belly and laughed.

“You got it,” she told Taz, then rose, still laughing. “He told me to keep the mangy mutt on my side of the house.”

Steph glanced down at her cat, who lifted his chin in the air and strutted out of the room like a lion. Shaking her head, she sat at the table. Nora took the seat next to her.

Nora sampled everything and declared it all delicious. “Can I have your soup recipe?”

Pleased, Steph nodded. “Of course.”

“And the juice recipe?” Nora took another sip. “This is really good. I bet it’s healthy too.” She put her glass down and angled her head. “You never told me why you became a vegetarian, only that it was for health reasons. Did you just decide you wanted to be healthier?”

Steph put down her spoon. She didn’t like to think about those days, even though she was proud of what she had overcome. She preferred to look forward, not backward, directing her thoughts toward what she desired. But she had grown close to Nora and she found herself ready and willing to share.

“It was after I’d been diagnosed with cancer,” she said quietly.

Nora’s jaw dropped as she gaped at Steph in shock. “Oh my God, Steph.” She reached over and put her hand on top of Steph’s. “Are you okay now?”

Appreciation flooded Steph as she nodded. “Eleven years ago, the doctors gave me one year to live.” Now pride mixed in with the gratitude. “I moved to Arizona with my sister and completely changed my diet and my life habits. I’ve been in remission for nine years now.”

“Wow.” Nora’s voice was full of awe. She squeezed Steph’s hand. “That’s amazing.”

“Yes.” Steph lowered her head for a moment, in honor of what she had achieved and in tribute to those who hadn’t won the battle. “I was lucky, but I had a lot of help. My sister stood by my side and her minister helped me too.” That had been a dark time in Steph’s life. Thinking about it now made every muscle in her body constrict. The cancer diagnosis, her divorce, the beginning of her estrangement with Davey. “It was a rough time in my life.”

“Oh, Steph.” A glint of light appeared in Nora’s green eyes. “That’s why you left, isn’t it? You didn’t abandon Davey, you went away to heal.”

That pretty much summed it up. Steph picked up her glass and took a long sip of juice. She wasn’t angry with Davey for his perspective. Not now, anyway. Guru Bob had helped her work through a myriad of emotions to the ultimate understanding that in order to heal she needed to forgive Davey and, more importantly, she needed to forgive herself.

Besides, when she put herself in Davey’s shoes, she understood his point of view. He’d been fourteen when she had divorced Tuck. She’d wanted to fight for joint custody, but Tuck had challenged her to show how she could support Davey’s racing career. Of course, she couldn’t. She didn’t know anything about the sport. As she attempted to figure that out, Davey told her he never wanted to see her again. She wouldn’t have let that stop her but before she could come up with a mutually agreeable plan, she had been diagnosed with Level 3 pancreatic cancer. She’d begun immediate treatment, but the medications and treatments had only made her sicker. When her sister had invited her to move to Arizona to meet with her holistic therapist, she’d had no other viable choices. It was that or die.

“I had to leave in order to heal,” she said. She had attempted to keep in touch with Davey, but he’d never once responded to her letters or packages. She had hoped she could show him her love through the mail until she could move home. Instead, his unresponsiveness had broken her heart. “By the time I moved back to Serenity, Davey and his dad were long gone.”

But hope sprang eternal and Steph was an optimistic soul. Over the years, she had followed Davey’s career, nurtured her hopes, and visualized a reunion. Now that Davey was back in Serenity, her hope had taken on a new and expanded life.

“Why don’t you tell him now?” Nora suggested. “Surely, he’d understand.” She leaned toward Steph. “You’re an amazing person. I’d’ve killed to have had a mom like you.”

Steph was moved by Nora’s words. “Oh, sweetie, you’re too kind.” She reached over and squeezed Nora’s hand. “And we’re practically family now.” She took a bite of bread. “But, enough about me. What about you? Tell me about your dreams.”

Nora lowered her gaze and took a bite of soup before she answered. “I want to give Ben a better life.”

Clearly Nora didn’t realize she already had. “I think you can check that off your list,” Steph said.

Nora’s head snapped toward her, as if she was surprised.

Steph wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “You’ve found Ben a place to live in an environment with no drugs.” She took another piece of bread, then pushed the plate toward Nora. “You’ve found Ben’s dad and his grandma.” Slathering vegan butter on her bread, she smiled at Nora. “Not bad for a month’s work.”

“Thanks, Steph.” A smile creased Nora’s lips. “I needed that.”

Steph suspected Nora had suppressed her own dreams for quite some time. It was admirable that Ben was her primary focus now, but surely she’d had other goals before she’d become Ben’s guardian. And if Steph were honest, she also had bottled-up dreams.

“You’re doing a great job with Ben.” She nodded at Nora’s glass. “More juice?”

Nora nodded. “Yes, please. It’s delicious.”

As Steph rose and made her way to the refrigerator, an idea formed. She retrieved the pitcher of juice, carried it to the table, and filled both of their glasses.

When she eased down, excitement mounted. “When I was in Arizona, Guru Bob helped me create a vision board.” Thinking of her former minister and all of his love and guidance made her smile. “Mine was a fridge board. I was overly focused on food at the time so we put my pictures on the refrigerator door.” She steepled her fingers. “We should both make one now.”

Nora angled her head. “What’s a vision board?”

“You find pictures of your deepest desires and put them someplace where you’ll see them on a regular basis.”

Nora looked uncomfortable, but Steph pressed on because she wanted to help her new friend, and perhaps in the process, herself too. “When I had cancer, my pictures were about vibrant health and rewarding work with people I loved. It all came true.”

Nora raised a skeptical brow. “So you put pictures on a board and it all magically comes true?”

“There’s a little magic,” Steph conceded, “but there’s science too. When you look at your pictures each and every day, signals go to your brain outlining your desires. A seed is planted in your subconscious and its reinforced every time you look at your board. Looking at the pictures also puts vibrations of your wishes into the universe so the universe can begin its magic to help you.” Excitement bubbled inside Steph. She hadn’t thought about her vision board in a long time, but there was a reason why she was thinking about it now. It was time for her to put her most intimate desires out there once again. It was time to ask, believe, and receive.

“It’s worth a try, don’t you think?”

“I guess,” Nora said with a half shrug.

“Give it a try,” Steph urged. “It’s a great way to map out your hopes and dreams.”

Steph planned to create her vision board that evening. She hoped Nora would create a vision board of her own. It was time for both of them to reach for the stars.