Page 69 of Echoes

“Where’s Apollo?” Rachel asked.

“Oh, I see. You’re just here to hang out with my dog, and I’m the only one here who has opposable thumbs to work the doorknob and let you in,” she teased, and Rachel laughed as she walked in. “You should know that he has a doggy door, so if you really just want to see him, go around to the side gate and into the backyard. Then, just call him literally any name, and he’ll come running.”

“I’m here to see you, too,” Rachel said. “But I assumed a dog would be jumping all over me by now.”

“He’s waiting in the kitchen. I didn’t want him to give you the impression that he has no manners.”

“He’s just waiting?”

“We haven’t gone to obedience school yet, but surprisingly, he’s a very good dog.” Violet motioned for Rachel to follow her through the foyer and into the kitchen, where Apollo was chewing on a giant bone that the vet also recommended for the health of his teeth. “And he chooses bone over visitor every time.”

Apollo looked up when he heard her voice, and his tail started wagging.

“He’s so cute. Look at those ears.” Rachel laughed a little.

Apollo moved from lying on the bed she had for him in the kitchen to a sitting position and tilted his head.

“He’s wearing a tie.” Rachel pointed at him.

“He’s a gentleman,” Violet shared. “Come on, Apollo. No jumping,” she told him.

But he quickly bounded over to Rachel and instantly jumped up.

“Well, we’re clearly still working on some things.” She shook her head at him.

Rachel knelt down to rub the puppy’s ears, letting him sniff around her and jump back on her legs again, knocking her back a little. Violet worried he’d bowl the woman over and cause her to smack her head against the kitchen floor or something, but Apollo was gentle enough, and Rachel was laughing as he continued to move around her, sniffing and licking. Then, the dog started running around the open living room, which connected to the kitchen, and back to Rachel before he took off again. Rachel sat up and laughed at the antics.

“Coffee? Tea?” Violet asked then.

“Puppies are the cure for everything, aren’t they?” Rachel said, not answering the question.

“They are pretty great, yeah. I think I got the jackpot with him. He’s such a well-behaved dog, and now that he can run whenever he wants, the massive amount of energy he used to have when I got home from work has tempered a bit, which is nice. So, coffee?” she repeated.

“Sure,” Rachel replied. “Can I come over and play with him and help with any excess energy? I’m still in an apartment, and it’s on the sixth floor and is a small one-bedroom. I don’t want to get a dog because I work late, but also because it’s a tiny place, so they wouldn’t have any space to run. Plus, I know I’d be too tired to take them up and down six floors to go outside.”

“You can come over here whenever you want,” Violet offered and smiled as she poured two cups of coffee. “Just go through the back gate. He’ll probably be out there, or you can call him, and he’ll run out.”

“I wouldn’t come over without you being here,” Rachel replied. “You’re half the draw of this clearly nice house.”

Violet turned and saw Apollo was nowhere to be found.

“Did he run outside?”

“Yeah,” Rachel said. “Just booked it.” She laughed. “It was cute, like you said it would be.”

Violet turned to look out the window and found him running toward a toy, tossing it into the air and then chasing it down and doing it again.

“He’s a classic only child, isn’t he? He can play by himself and probably make up whatever game that is,” she suggested.

“What are the rules?” Rachel asked.

“No idea.” Violet laughed. “Your coffee.” She handed Rachel a mug. “And I’m onlyhalfthe draw of this place?”

“At leasthalf. And that’s pretty good. I mean, heisan adorable puppy,” Rachel teased.

Violet smiled at the woman and motioned for her to sit at the table.

“You can watch the adorable puppy from here, and he’ll be back inside soon,” Violet said and sat down.