Free Romeow and Juliet by Kathi Daley

onto the ledge when a playful sea lion came up out of the water and nipped me in the butt.
    “Stop that,” I admonished.
    The sea lion barked at me but didn’t swim away as I’d hoped he would.
    “I suppose I’m in your napping spot?”
    The fact that the sea lion dove down didn’t comfort me because I could almost predict what would happen next. I quickly grabbed for the ledge, which was just beyond my reach when the sea lion resurfaced and shoved me off my perch.
    After swimming to the shore and pulling myself out of the water, I called Danny and left another message about the whale watching tour and then went home and took my third shower of the day. I changed my clothes and pulled my hair back into a braid, then headed to the grocery store, where I bought a week’s worth of groceries for Mr. Parsons, as well as dog food, a dog bed, a dog bowl, and several dog toys. I loaded everything into my car and drove over to pick up the dog and then back to Mr. Parsons’s, where I hoped to find him open to my offer of a job.
    I’d left the kitchen door unlocked, so I put away the groceries before I went in search of my neighbor and my dog. I found them curled up on the sofa watching a movie together. Of course the minute I walked in with Rambler, Max jumped off the sofa to come over to greet his canine friend.
    “Who do we have here?” Mr. Parsons asked.
    “This is Rambler,” I answered. Thankfully, Rambler was a quiet and well-mannered dog who walked politely across the room to greet the elderly man.
    “I actually brought him by to meet you because I’m in a bit of a tough spot and could really use some help.”
    “What kind of help?” Mr. Parsons asked.
    “A friend of Marley’s asked me to watch his dog for the summer while he’s fishing in Alaska,” I offered as a half truth. “I told him I’d do it, but now with Maggie being sick, I just don’t know if I can handle the extra responsibility.”
    Rambler placed his paw in Mr. Parsons’s lap. Mr. Parsons smiled and began petting him behind the ears. I took that as a good sign.
    “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in helping me out.”
    Mr. Parsons paused. I hoped he was considering my request.
    “And all I’d have to do is let him stay here with me?”
    “Yep, that’s it. You have plenty of room and a large yard. Rambler is well behaved. I don’t think he’ll be a problem.”
    “I guess I could do that. For you.” Rambler put his head in the man’s lap. “You’re always so thoughtful, bringing me your leftovers. I guess it’s the least I can do.”
    “Excellent.” I sighed in relief. “The owner sent along some food and supplies. They’re in the kitchen; I put them away when I first got back. You have my number, so call me if you need anything. I’ll be back to visit on Friday, like I always do.”
    “I’m sure we’ll be fine. You and Max can hurry along now.” Rambler had crawled onto the sofa and was lying next to his new dad. “I’ll see you both on Friday.”
    I smiled as Max and I made our way back to my car. There’s no better feeling than putting two souls who need one another in touch for the first time.

Chapter 8
    Later that evening I began closing windows in preparation for bed. I’d had a long day and I was exhausted. Between my early morning wakeup call, my run-in with the fisherman, my unfortunate swim in the ocean, and my afternoon arguing with Maggie about going to Seattle for medical testing, I found that I was ready to put the stress of the day behind me. Max had been following me around the cabin as I worked, but so far I’d seen no sign of Romeo.
    “Oh Romeo, sweet Romeo. ‘Wherefore art thou Romeo?’” I called.
    No answer.
    I tried again. “It’s time for bed. You like the fuzzy blanket under the comforter,” I reminded him.
    I looked at Max. “Do you know where our little Casanova went off to?”
    Max tilted his head as if he was considering the question but seemed as stumped as I was. Romeo