Page 58 of Beau

Beau found another bowl, filled it with water and set it beside the food bowl the dog was still working on. When he straightened he glanced at Aurelie. “What now?”

“I’ll stay with her through the night,” Aurelie said. “She’s got to be frightened.”

Beau sighed. “We’ll do it together.” He gathered blankets and made a pallet on the floor in the living room.

Aurelie monitored the dog while she ate, checking around the kitchen and laundry room. She discovered a small doggy door that had been cut out of the laundry room door leading out onto the back porch. She must have gotten in that way.

She placed an old laundry basket in front of the doggy door to keep the animal from exiting the way she’d gotten in. Now that people had returned to its home, she would be taken care of. The family might want to adopt it if it had belonged to Mr. Pearson.

Once the dog had eaten all the food in the bowl, it drank for a long time and then collapsed on the cool tile floor.

Aurelie gathered it in her arms and carried it into the living room where Beau had made a pallet for them on the floor with blankets and pillows. She gave him a grateful smile and stretched out across the blanket.

“She’s probably still got fleas,” Beau said, dropping down beside Aurelie.

“I don’t care. She’s been lost for long enough.” Aurelie tucked the dog close to her body, curling her arm around her. “I wonder what her name is?”

“I wouldn’t get too attached,” Beau warned. “If she was Pearson’s dog, the family will want to take responsibility for it.”

Aurelie frowned. “Then why didn’t they do it sooner?” She curled her body around the animal and lay her head on the pillow. “What if they just abandoned her?” She smoothed her hand across the dog’s back. “It’s okay. You’ll never be hungry again, my little cutie pie,” she whispered into the dog’s ear.

“Cutie pie, dog, it.” She stared across at Beau. “She needs a name.”

“Dog isn’t good enough?” he said, his lips twitching.

Aurelie frowned. “She was someone’s pet. She has a name, but what is it?” She stared at the pooch. “Maybe she’ll respond to a name if we try a few?”

“How about Fifi?”

The dog didn’t move or flick an ear.

“Marley,” Aurelie said.

Nothing.

“Teddy,” Beau tried. “Fred.”

Aurelie’s lips pressed together. “She’s a girl.”

“What?” Beau held up his hands. “A buddy of mine named his female retriever Fred.”

Aurelie focused on the dog contentedly curled against her, eyes closed, breathing deeply. “Are you named after a flower? Rose, Daisy or Lily?”

The dog didn’t lift her head or open an eye.

“Now that she’s clean, she’s white. What’s white that would make a cute dog name?”

“Clouds, the moon, cotton?” Beau said. “Whitey?”

“Okay maybe they named her after someone famous like Betsy Ross or Harriet Tubman.” She looked for any sign from the sleeping animal. “No?”

“How about someone in the movies? Pearson was old so maybe older movies?” Beau suggested.

“Betty Davis, Sophia Loren, Debbie Reynolds.” The little dog didn’t budge.

Beau’s lips twisted. “How about a singer?”

“Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Olivia Newton John.” Aurelie sighed. “She’s not responding to anything.”