Blindsided by Karis Walsh

Author:Karis Walsh [Walsh, Karis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626391215
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2014-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Lenae took a seat near the front of the bus and felt Baxter wedge himself underneath her. Out of habit, she checked to make sure his paws were safely tucked out of harm’s way. She chatted quietly with him as they rode, telling him they were on their way to meet Cara and Pickwick for their one-month evaluation. She wasn’t sure he’d be able to hear her over the roar of the diesel engine, but at the mention of Cara’s name he raised his head and licked her hand. Maybe he was excited to see Cara—he always responded to her name or presence with more excitement than Lenae was accustomed to seeing in her serious dog. He even seemed to enjoy the antics of Pickwick, although he’d never seemed particularly fond of wild puppies.

On the other hand, maybe Baxter was trying to comfort her with his wet nose and rasping tongue. She was unaccountably nervous about seeing Cara again. Their conversations had been growing increasingly personal, and even though Lenae was coming to appreciate having Cara as a friend, her old habits of privacy and recalcitrance were difficult to overcome. She couldn’t help but worry that secrets told in confidence might come back to haunt her someday. She’d become preoccupied with Cara’s revelations as well. There was something touching about Cara. She seemed successful in the media world, unsurprising given her breeding, but she was more in touch with her inner self than Lenae had expected. An entire family of actors. Lenae had lived with one fame-hungry woman, and had worked among countless others, but she couldn’t imagine growing up in a home full of people so adept at putting on an outward show. Had Cara been nurtured as a child, or prepped for the cameras?

Despite her growing interest in Cara’s life and upbringing, they weren’t strictly Lenae’s business except where Pickwick was concerned. And Cara had surprised Lenae in that regard also. She was taking the puppy-walking job seriously, and applying everything Lenae taught her with diligence. At first, Lenae had thought she might be working hard only so she looked good on the news spots, but now she knew better. Knew Cara and her motives a little better. Cara hadn’t brought the cameras along when she came to the center with her students, or the day of the class field trip to Olympia. Instead, the trip had been a time of quiet revelations for them both. And the day with Cara’s students had been a peaceful one with undocumented work and friendly kids. The dogs at the center had loved the attention of the college students, and Lenae had been left with patched fences, an aerated and seeded lawn, and the enticing scent of herbs from Cara’s hanging basket. Rosemary for remembrance. Lenae couldn’t walk through the office door without plucking off a leaf and letting the smell bring her day with Cara vividly back to mind.

A friendship was nice, but Lenae couldn’t be sidetracked by Cara. She had her five-year plan for establishing her business, and Cara had other career goals to follow.

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