One by one, Brooke added more people, every single one of them full time. Yes, there were a few bad hires, “near misses,” Peter called them. Whatever the reason, they didn’t last. Brooke vowed to never be like Marion, the real estate lady who, on the day of Brooke’s three-month review, said, “Your fired.” Brooke […]
Book
Chapter 19: A Day of Rest, Reflection, and Relatives
It’s now official. Soña is part of the team. But anything she does for Barking Out Loud is temporary, only until she goes back to the ballet company. Each day, Soña joined Justice to meet the next Customer and their not always eager dog. Soña limping along. Justice helping with the equipment. They never talked […]
Chapter 18: A Plan Comes Into Focus
Brooke and Soña finally had coffee at The Clover. Geoff should have done what his wife asked, but instead, he had waited to tell Blair, who told Brooke, who then called Geoff, who told Soña how Brooke was interested and wanted to talk. Soña could have gone back through the process but instead merely called […]
Chapter 17: Word Begins to Spread
Brooke typed his name and number into her phone, being sure to spell out JUSTICE in all caps so she’d remember it wasn’t Justin. That was embarrassing. The two set a price for his help, and now Justice was on most of the shoots. Brooke wasn’t sure why it took her so long to realize […]
Chapter 16: And Justice Shall Triumph
Brooke and Peter still didn’t have a name for their new business. Mel’s idea of “Barking Out Loud” was good, but Brooke wanted to use only the initials. After all, BOL was in every story Peter wrote. Peter’s sense of humor was off a few degrees, so the things he wrote were funny, in the […]
Chapter 15: Brooke Gets a Head’s Up
There was Peter, in his usual spot. Brooke walked over before even getting coffee, pulled up a chair and sat down, one foot on the floor while the other, attached to its long leg, made a wide arc before coming to rest close to its mate. Now her legs were crossed as she tilted her […]
Chapter 14: Out of Depression Comes Inspiration
Dorothy was having coffee while Brunswick stretched out under the table when Brooke walked in. The painter pushed out a chair, “I’m sorry, Brooke,” said Dorothy as she reached for Brooke’s hand. “Maggie’s just has so much to offer my Brunswick, you know how it is. I’m sure there will be days the two of […]
Chapter 13: The Rise and Fall of the Dog Walker Lady
Everything changes. The tall, athletic young woman with long strides and a patch of silver hair used the early morning for her run (like a cheetah!). Then it was a quick stop at The Clover for breakfast and on to the new job. At nine, Brooke shouldered her red backpack, gathered her dogs, and headed […]
Chapter 12: Salvation via Fried Chicken
Brooke slowed her pace to a walk for the last block, needing to cool off. The rain had picked up toward the end of her run, and even though the miles counted double, she was happy to turn left into the courtyard, a warm shower would feel good. As she started to climb the fire […]
Chapter 11: Life on the Run
When the day came for her three-month review, Marion invited Brooke to lunch. The owner tried to be nice, because of Brooke’s mom and her nine-holers, but the review wasn’t good. For one thing, Brooke had often broken Marion’s rule of never driving on a street with a “For Sale By Owner” sign in a […]