Chapter Four
The next morning, Nick woke up with a paw to the spleen as Magnum the dog pranced across his abdomen to signal his need to go out to do his dogly duties.
“Yip!” said the little dog.
“Nope!” answered Nick, rolling over to pull the blanket over his head and catch another ten minutes of shut-eye, only to be rewarded with a doggie jujitsu leap to his lower back.
He squeezed both eyes shut hard at the idea of being gotten up this early on a Saturday, then remembered that this was the morning he’d promised Emme he’d help out with the St. Paw’s parade float build-out.
With a sigh he swiveled out of bed, tucking Magnum under his arm like a football. He padded carefully over the cold terra-cotta tiles to the living room of the tiny cottage that on the DeLuca Estate that was the housing that came with his internship and looked out the window to verify the decorative white picket fencing would actually keep a Westie inside it. Satisfied, he let Magnus out the back door to the small fenced-in patio.
“Knock yourself out, man,” he said to the little dog, mentally noting that he might need to buy Great Aunt Chi Chi a new rose bush.
After a quick shower and throwing on jeans and a sweatshirt, he loaded Magnum into his doggie carrier and drove over to the storage warehouse over on the other side of St. Helena, where the Operation Deck That Float was in full swing.
He noticed a set of three holiday bedazzled elderly ladies directing their way-too-overdressed-for-float-building granddaughters on another float, and quickly steered Magnum’s leash in the opposite direction.
He had to smile as he caught sight of Emme, looking hot in a tight black t-shirt that said “Pit Happens” with a cute cartoon of a bull terrier puppy. She held a clipboard and was directing volunteer traffic, pointing two smitten-looking guys that Nick didn’t like the looks of to large buckets of floral material and craft supplies.
Then she looked up and beamed at him, then her lips turned up in a sarcastic grin. Which meant he’d gotten caught looking at her headlights.
“This is Rose Parade-worthy,” he said as Emme set her clipboard aside and led him to a folding table where she filled up a large coffee for him and and pointed out a tray of chocolate breakfast éclairs from the Sweet and Savory Bistro.
“Here, I’ll trade you,” she said, handing him the coffee cup and taking Magnum’s leash. She cuddled the little dog before popping him inside a small fenced-in area, “not safe for you in this big warehouse, buddy, you’re gonna need to stay cooped up.”
“I didn’t want to leave him at home,” said Nick. “He started barking every time I tried to leave. Figured he’d rather come chew on a float, anyway.”
Emme grinned. “He’s fine in there, and he’s safer with all the trucks and supplies going in and out of here. He just wants to know he’s near his people.”
“Come on!” she said brightly. “Let’s go build a float!”
Nick and Emme joined the other volunteers, including a girl named Stacy and who Nick assumed must be her boyfriend, Joe.
“Stacy is an animal-whisperer,” said Emme.
“More than you?” asked Nick.
“Well, that’s hard to say,” said Emme, quirking her eyebrow. “But seriously, she’s got an amazing way with abused animals. She’s working with one for the shelter right now, it was a pretty sad case. Folks like that are special.”
The group worked through the afternoon, fashioning chicken wire onto a flatbed truck with the help of a computer-generated design that tech guru Anna had whipped up with some design software based on Shay’s concept.
“This is some design,” said Nick, admiring the larger-than-life animals. “Is that a llama?”
“Shh, no, you idiot, it’s an alpaca!” hissed Emme. “Frankie’s your cousin, you should know better. And she and Nate each donated $100 earmarked for float materials when Shay did her “Benjamins for Animals” fundraiser last year. “They gave $100 for the float, and a lot more for shelter improvements, which was extremely cool of them.”
“So what is this thing you’re going to without me tonight?” Nick bantered, pretend-jealous.
Except, as he sucked in a breath, he realized there might be some real-life jealousy wrapped up in there, too.
“Oh, it’s called a Blue Shawl Crawl,” said Emme with an infectious grin. “It’s a Girl’s Night, for this girl Jenna, who’s best friends with my co-worker Anna. I think they organically invited every woman in St. Helena. Shay and Anna told me to come. It was sweet of them to ask me.”
“So I understand the Girl’s Night before the wedding – and don’t get too crazy, you! But what’s with the blue shawl?”
“Oh, it’s this funny tradition this group of friends has! One of them got married, and the something blue I guess was this amazing-gawful hilarious knitted blue shawl from her grandmother. So, they’ve continued the tradition as each girl gets married. Her something blue will be the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen. Well, you won’t see it, come to think of it. Because you’ll be at home, with Magnum, and I’ll be out partying!” she said in a teasing voice.
“I can’t sneak in?”
“No, silly, it’s a Girl’s Night!”
Nick leaned in and planted one of his confusing is-it-real-or-is-it-fake kisses on her, grazing a hand down her back as he did it.
“You’ll be drinking, though, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“How about this? Text me when you’re nearing the last location, and I’ll be your designated driver.”
“Nick, thanks, that’ll be great.”
“Well, what are friends for?” he asked, leaning in to linger for another kiss.