Good.
I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing, but whatever it is, I’m not playing along.
Chapter Sixteen
Stevie
The morning of Bean’s first competition blooms like a bright, beautiful wildflower. The sky is a pale blue, showcasing the dandelion yellow sun, and the grassy park where the Colorado Canine Challenge is being held is a vivid green thanks to some rain the last day or two.
The Denver Disc Dogs club members, me included, are gathered together under a couple of tents near the competition field, and Bean is living up to the caffeinated variety of her name. She can’t sit still, constantly moving at the end of her leash. She watches the groups of dogs and humans as if she would love to herd each and every one.
“Looks like she’s excited.” Jude nods toward Bean.
He’s especially cute today in a tight-fitting shirt and jeans. His dark hair is getting longish. I think about curling a lock around my finger, but I abort mission at the last minute, when I feel Logan’s eyes on us. Why does he seem to be watching me so much lately? Especially with Emmy here?
“I’m going to warm Bean up,” I tell Jude.
I can’t quite put Logan and our problems out of my head as I dig in my bag for one of the discs I brought. It’s been really awkward between us since the unplanned double date. And I can’t exactly avoid him all the time. At least he seems to be spending more time with Emmy, who really is great.
Our captain is already warming up, throwing the disc for Meadow. The border collie is doing her dead-level best to show the competition they have no chance. Which they probably don’t. I watch them for a moment, marveling at how athletic Meadow is, how smooth and even Emmy’s throws are, and what a great, in-sync team they make.
I sigh. Bean and I are nowhere near their level. But that’s what novice means, and at least we’re here, she’s super excited, and the club has checked off items seven and three on my list: learn to do something new and travel somewhere new. I’ve never been to this particular park in Littleton. It might be stretching things a bit to call a suburb of Denver a “new” place, but I’m allowing it. Hey, it’s my list, after all.
Bean and I find some space among the human and dog teams. “Ready to train, Beanie Weenie?”
I start by throwing the disc a few times at short distances to focus her. I’ve found she does better when I give her a chance to warm up and adjust to the activity. I try to keep a similar warm up routine every time, even using the same words before we get started so she knows what’s in store for her. She gets treats after she retrieves the first few throws to reinforce the behavior, and I keep the warmup easy. She needs to save her best sprints and catches for the actual competition.
The youth division will compete first, then the novices, and finally, the stars: the advanced catch and throw group and the freestylers. Emmy will team with Meadow for the advanced group and Jude will partner with her for the freestyle.
Bean only has me, poor thing. My throws still tend to go a little wild, but she’s patient with me. And at least she’s having fun. She practically grins every time she brings the disc back to me. We’re working on commands like drop, and I’m trying to teach her to recognize a signal of when to start running by pulling the disc behind my back before throwing it. I forget sometimes and she doesn’t listen or pay attention other times, but we’re starting to get the hang of it.
“Stevie!” Logan calls my name. “Stevie, over here!”
I crane around to see him. Logan stands beside a very familiar couple. The guy has dark, wavy hair that brushes the tops of his shoulders, and she’s slim, blonde, and has a wide smile. I wave, leash Bean, and walk over to say hello.
“Travis! Amelia! I didn’t know you’d be here,” I say.
“We’re the official mobile veterinary clinic for the competition,” Travis says with a wink before hugging me. “Hey, Bean, how are you, girl?”
Bean dances in a circle on her back feet. She loves both Doctor Travis, her vet, and Amelia, his fiancée and assistant. Like, almost as much as me or Logan.
That might have to do with the fact that she’s never needed any real veterinary treatment outside of her puppy shots and regular exams, or it might be that they keep a steady supply of treats nearby when they do see her, so she’s associated them with a yum factor. It could also be that they’ll swing through Park Hill to visit her when they can, so every time she sees them isn’t associated with something sharp, scary, or otherwise off-putting.
Whatever their magic sauce is, I wish I had some. She barks excitedly and darts a few times around their legs. Travis laughs and tries to slow her down long enough to pet her.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I ask. “I got the save the date notice for December. I’m so incredibly happy for you two!”
“Thank you!” Amelia answers. “It’s been a ton of work to plan on top of trying to grow the practice, but we can’t wait any longer.”
Travis and Amelia have been engaged forever. Or at least it feels that way. They’re finally tying the knot at a fancy dude ranch owned by one of their clients, and I can’t wait to go. I’ve already booked a room at the ranch as a Christmas gift to myself. They had a cheaper lodging option, but this seemed like a great way to relax and celebrate the holiday season. I got double beds and mentioned the weekend to Logan—he knows Amelia and Travis, too, thanks to their visits to the house. But now . . . I’m not so sure.
“Expand the practice?” Logan asks.
Travis nods and tries to thrust his hands in his pockets before apparently remembering he’s wearing scrubs that don’t have them. He laughs and crosses his arms.
“Yeah, we’re so busy, we’re starting to have to refer new patients, so we’re thinking about buying a second RV and hiring another vet and assistant team to join the practice.”
“Where is the Love & Pet mobile?” Logan glances around. “Never mind, I found it.”
The RV is hard to miss. Parked over in a side lot, the clinic on wheels is an eye-popping shade of turquoise blue with the Love & Pets Animal Clinic logo on the side. I’m proud to say I designed the logo for Travis and his grandma Jo a few years ago when they started the practice. They were my clients first, and now Bean and I are his. I even went to Jo’s funeral when she passed away soon after Travis and Amelia met.
“How are you two?” Amelia asks Logan and me.
“Yeah, good.” I avoid Logan’s eyes. He doesn’t say anything at all.
When I twitch and smile awkwardly at Amelia, her own happy expression slips. She glances between Logan and me, but thankfully she doesn’t say anything.
“What brings you two here?” Travis asks from beside Bean. She’s on her back now, legs splayed for a belly rub.
“Competing,” I say. “This is Bean’s first.”
Travis’s eyes go wide. “I didn’t know Bean was a disc dog.”
“She is as of this summer,” I say. “We joined a local club, and we’ve been getting great instruction.” When I look to Logan for confirmation, he looks annoyed. But why? Emmy is an amazing teacher.