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despite all her pronouncements of how happy she was, Natalie could relate to both.
    “We’re kindred spirits, aren’t we, buddy?” she whispered to him. He looked up at her and smacked his lips, making her grin.
    v
    • 42 •
    FINDING HOME
    “Oh, my God, I think I’m in love.” Andrea sat lounging on Natalie’s futon in the small living area of the apartment above Valenti’s. The dog was lying along her leg, his head resting on her torso in a pose that was both relaxed and protective. Andrea stroked her hand along his soft and silky fur.
    “Isn’t he amazing?” Natalie squinted at the monitor of her laptop, editing text on the ß yer she was making. The ginger-peach candle that glowed softly next to her on the marred desk Þ lled the room with a warm, cozy fragrance.
    “I think you should just keep him.”
    “Much as I’d like to, I can’t do that.” Natalie grimaced because keeping the dog, which she had affectionately begun calling Chino in honor of Mrs. Valenti’s color perceptions, was exactly what she wanted to do. He was sweet and lovable and she instantly enjoyed having him around. She suddenly felt needed.
    Guilt hung over her like a cloud because she had yet to call any of the local animal shelters to see if he’d been reported missing, even though she knew she should. But when she felt the guilt was about to get the better of her, she thought about when she found Chino a few days earlier and how skinny and hungry and dirty he’d been, how frightened and hesitant he’d been to have anything to do with a human being. He was obviously neglected, had been on his own for a while, and with no collar or tags, it wasn’t likely that his owner was all that concerned about recovering him. Still, she felt she had to do something .
    “What happened here?” Andrea ran gentle Þ ngertips over Chino’s back leg where a strip of gauze had been wrapped lovingly around it.
    “When I got him in the tub, I noticed that. It’s a cut or a bite of some kind. I wonder if he got into a Þ ght or something.”
    “Did you call a vet?”
    “Not yet. It wasn’t that deep, just needed cleaning.” She grimaced. “And vets are expensive.”
    “Mmm.” Continuing her petting, Andrea remarked, “I can’t get over how soft he is.”
    • 43 •
    GEORGIA BEERS
    “Isn’t he? Once I bathed him and brushed all the snarls out of his coat, he just glowed.” She watched as Andrea stroked him and Chino burrowed closer to her. “He likes you.”
    “Of course he does.”
    Grinning at the unspoken “duh” in Andrea’s tone, she continued to work as Andrea hummed softly along with the Diana Krall CD emanating from the small stereo on the bookshelf.
    Finally Þ nishing with an exaggerated ß ourish, Natalie announced,
    “There. Done. What do you think?”
    “Can’t see it.” Andrea grunted and pretended to crane her neck, but made no real move to get up and look.
    “You’re such a lazy ass.” Natalie sighed and carried the laptop over to the futon where she knelt down next to it.
    “I’m not lazy. Look at this.” Andrea gestured to Chino, who had stretched his back legs out behind him and was sleeping comfortably against her. “Would you move if you were me?”
    “No, probably not.” Natalie stroked the dog’s back as she held the laptop for Andrea to see.
    The ß yer was simple but complete. The phrase “dog found”
    was printed at the top in big, black capital letters across the top.
    Beneath it was a vague description of Chino, along with the general vicinity where Natalie had discovered him. She purposely left off such pertinent information as his eye color and small size.
    “Where the hell is his picture?” Andrea asked. “Did I lug my digital camera over here for nothing?”
    “Yep. Sorry about that. I decided not to include a picture. If his owner wants to claim him, they should be able to describe him to me well enough to prove to me that he’s theirs, you know?”
    “I guess that makes