Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Even though it was a taboo subject — something she avoided talking about even with Megan and Emily (despite their many attempts to get her to open up) — everyone close to Julie knew relationships terrified her. All of them. Didn’t matter if they were platonic or romantic. Nobody was surprised by it. They all knew that the second she had to face her own feelings, she turned into this pathetic little shaking chihuahua baring its teeth. And maybe, to some extent, they understood why she was like that — she’d stopped hiding just how deeply life had traumatized her.

What they didn’t fully understand was why she avoided romantic relationships so intensely. They probably assumed it was simply because she couldn’t trust another person enough to fall in love with them. And sure, that was true. But Julie was also someone who analyzed everything around her, memorized every detail, learned from other people’s mistakes. She’d already been through enough in life. She didn’t need more reasons to get hurt.

How was she supposed to trust someone and fall in love when, in her entire life, she’d only ever seen two genuinely good relationships with her own eyes? The third one she only knew through stories.

Her grandparents. They’d spent most of their lives together and, even through the rough patches, they were practically inseparable. If it weren’t for his illness and death, they’d probably still be spending every free moment in the garden they loved taking care of, feeding every stray animal they came across, mumbling under their breath about how much the other annoyed them while never straying farther than arm’s reach apart — because being close to each other was where they were happiest.

Emily and Joel. To Julie, they were proof that the saying “marry your best friend” actually made sense. Emily was a deeply social person — close with her father, with Julie, with Megan, even Didi — but Joel was undeniably not just her partner, but her best friend. The person she missed after a single day apart. The person she wanted to tell everything to at the end of the day. The person she could rely on because they truly saw each other as equals.

And of course… Victoria and Charles. Sometimes Julie regretted never meeting him while Victoria was still alive. She would’ve loved seeing them together. She genuinely liked listening to him talk about her. There was no denying the deep understanding, respect, friendship, and love they shared. Even after her death, he still spoke about her like she was the most incredible person he’d ever known.

And yeah, those three relationships fascinated Julie. Sometimes thinking about them filled her with this sharp little ache of jealousy and sadness, this growing need to experience that kind of love herself.

But those were only three good relationships in an entire ocean of hopelessness.

She’d lost count of how many awful relationships she’d witnessed — relationships so miserable they made her wonder how anyone could choose to stay in them. It started in high school, watching her friends stumble into their awkward first relationships. Somehow college was even worse. And then she became a detective making a living mostly by following cheating husbands around. (Sometimes wives, too.)

Things weren't much better in her immediate circle:

Her father and mother. Her mother trusted him enough to have two children with him, believing he’d be honorable enough not to abandon them. But he did. Without much hesitation.

Her mother and Apollo. Honestly… that entire relationship had been one giant question mark to Julie from the very beginning.

Her sister and her husband. They weren’t toxic or abusive, but they definitely seemed happier spending time apart than together. The things keeping them together were: their daughter, the mortgage, the house, and convenience.

Charles and Mona. Charles temporarily lost all ability to think rationally because of her, only for her to constantly prove she didn’t respect his boundaries or traditions. And in the end, she selfishly chose herself while trying to convince him it was somehow the best decision for both of them.

Megan and… every single one of her partners. Somehow each new one was worse than the last, and Julie was starting to lose faith that she’d ever be able to help her. The only thing she really could do was sit beside her with a bottle of wine and let Megan cry on her shoulder.

Statistically speaking, Julie’s chances of ever ending up in a healthy, meaningful relationship were pretty slim. Let alone one built on genuine love and friendship instead of comfort and routine.

What scared her most was the idea that one day she’d tear down the walls she’d built around herself and actually trust someone. Fall in love. Only for that person to treat her like an unwanted dog and throw her out of their life. The image terrified her — herself as this whimpering, wounded puppy staring up with huge love-filled eyes at someone walking away and never coming back.

She’d been incredibly proud of herself when she managed to push those thoughts aside for a moment and finally worked up the courage to ask Didi out. Somewhere deep inside her chest, this tiny spark of hope appeared — maybe life had finally handed her a chance. She already knew Didi well enough to know how honorable and caring she was. And most importantly, Didi knew her. And despite everything, for some reason, she still wanted to try. Despite all the lies, accusations, and drama.

Julie had never been that nervous before a first date in her life.

But it was… good nervousness. Exciting nervousness. Every organ in her body felt squeezed tight from anxiety to the point she felt nauseous while waiting for the other woman at the bar.

And then Didi actually showed up and smiled the second their eyes met.

And Julie felt relief. Something close to euphoria.

That image of the little puppy appeared in her head again — this time bouncing excitedly, tail wagging wildly, happy to finally see its owner.

The feeling stayed with her for the next few hours, only growing stronger.

But Julie’s own mind was her worst enemy.

She knew exactly when the magic shattered and all her fears came rushing back twice as hard.

They were slowly finishing their fourth drink. Didi was halfway through telling her a story about booking her very first tattoo appointment. She sat across from Julie with only the narrow, slightly sticky table between them. She was laughing at herself so hard she could barely get the words out.

Julie’s cheeks already hurt from smiling so much.

And then Didi lifted a hand to wipe tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, and Julie was suddenly overwhelmed by this intense urge to reach across the table, grab her shirt, lean in, and kiss her.

Or just jump over the damn table, land in her lap, crush her in a tight hug, bury her face against her cheek, sink into her soft hair.

She did neither.

Instead, she wrapped both hands tightly around her glass.

She knew the smile vanished from her face the second she dropped her gaze to the table. She couldn’t look at Didi’s beautiful face anymore.

Statistically, they had no chance of creating something incredible together.

And Julie didn’t want Didi to become just some brief fling or a one night stand to satisfy her needs. With Didi, it had to be everything or nothing.

So much had changed in Julie’s life in such a short amount of time. She was working on herself, but she still had a very long way to go. And now she was more vulnerable than ever before. If she opened her heart to Didi, let her settle inside it, and then eventually ruined everything and drove her away…

Well, it would destroy her completely.

The puppy stopped wagging its tail and curled back into itself, whining softly.

And Didi… Didi noticed the change immediately.

The second Julie’s smile started fading, she felt that familiar stab near her heart. The same feeling she’d had when she realized Julie was Julie — not Emily Nieuwendyk. She knew that sudden shift meant the end of their… date. Probably the only date she’d ever get with this incredible woman who still remained such a mystery to her, a woman who somehow only fascinated her more and more.

She finished the rest of her drink in one gulp and quietly suggested they should probably head out. Julie agreed with a small nod.

They left the bar in silence, Didi carefully keeping a safe distance between them. Only once the doors shut behind them and they stopped on the sidewalk did Julie finally speak.

“Didi, I… I really don’t think I’m…” she started quietly, arms wrapped around herself, staring down at the pavement.

“Froggy, please, stop.” Didi interrupted gently. She took half a step closer, then immediately realized she probably shouldn’t have when Julie hugged herself tighter. Didi stepped back again, increasing the distance between them. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

“I know, but you should know that… I…”

It was hard watching a woman who usually carried herself with so much confidence — someone who genuinely believed in her own judgment most of the time (and honestly, usually had every reason to) — suddenly become unable to even finish a sentence.

“Julie.” Didi interrupted again, still speaking softly, careful not to make her panic even more, but firm enough that the words would actually get through to her. “Everything’s okay. We tried, and that’s what matters. It was just a date, Jules. You’re allowed to not want another one. I have no reason — and no right — to be angry at you for that.”

Julie nodded several times, breathing heavily.

“Hey, seriously, it’s okay. And you should know I had a really good time with you.” Didi smiled faintly and, unable to stop herself, reached toward her. When her hand rested on Julie’s shoulder, Julie finally looked up at her. “Believe it or not, I actually like being around you.”

Julie’s gaze was unexpectedly soft. Frightened, too. Like a puppy’s. For a moment, her eyes wandered across Didi’s face, and every single time Julie looked at her lips, Didi felt like her heart was jumping straight into her throat.

“Didi… I don’t want us going back to what we used to be. I don’t have the energy for more misunderstandings and fights with you,” Julie admitted quietly. She let go of herself and lightly curled one hand around Didi’s elbow. “But I can’t offer you friendship either. After everything that’s happened lately… I don’t think I can handle another change.”

That hurt. Badly.

That familiar ache in Didi’s chest came back with twice the force. But she truly meant what she’d said earlier: Julie had every right not to want more. And now she’d openly set her boundaries. Didi had to respect that.

“We don’t have to be friends,” she admitted, squeezing Julie’s shoulder one last time before letting go and stepping even farther back. “But we also don’t have to keep fighting or misunderstanding each other.”

“Thank you, Didi,” Julie mumbled, lowering her eyes again.

“You don’t have to thank me, Froggy.” Didi forced out a short laugh, trying hard to make it sound convincing. “Say hi sometimes if you stop by Pacific View. See you around, Julie.”

And with that, Didi simply turned around and slowly started walking down the sidewalk. Neither of them really had the strength to keep the conversation going. It was easier to just let the night end.

She shoved her hands into her pockets, clenching them into fists. Took a deep breath and counted to ten, trying to get rid of that awful feeling inside her chest. For over a year, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about this woman because some tiny voice in her head kept telling her not to give up. At some point, that voice had even started sounding suspiciously like Megan.

But now she needed to finally get herself together and move on with her life.

It wasn’t the first time she’d had feelings for someone who didn’t feel the same way.

At least they tried.

At least now she knew there was no reason to hope for anything more.

⋆˚🐾˖°

Julie pulled into the driveway in front of her mother’s house. She turned off the engine and leaned her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes. It had been a rough day, and it didn’t look like the next few would be any better.

Over the past few months, she’d almost managed to get her life together.

She’d learned how to talk to her mother and spend time with her without every conversation turning into an argument or guilt trip. Somehow, she’d balanced work and personal life enough to build real friendships not only with Megan, but Emily too. She’d been going to therapy once a week. And somehow, Charles had convinced her to come over every other Saturday for dinner and card games with Calbert — Julie had actually started looking forward to those evenings and genuinely enjoyed herself.

Of course not everything was perfect. Every time she briefly stopped by Pacific View, she couldn’t stop thinking that if she’d gone out with Didi now, things between them probably would’ve turned out completely differently.

(She’d reduced her visits to the retirement home to an absolute minimum because she couldn’t get that thought out of her head.)

And now, within just a few hours, her life had changed all over again in ways she had absolutely no control over.

“So, do you know what you’re gonna do yet?” her mother asked from the passenger seat.

Julie let out a deep breath and opened her eyes, turning toward her.

“No. And honestly, I don’t even want to think about it tonight.”

“If I could, I’d take him myself, but my landlord doesn’t allow pets.”

“I know, Mom.” Julie sighed again. “But you work all day too. You’d have the exact same problem I do.”

A reddish, slightly graying dog head suddenly appeared between the seats. Julie didn’t even have the energy to get annoyed when drool started dripping from his open mouth onto the armrest. Her whole body ached from packing up all her grandmother’s belongings and carrying heavy boxes around. She’d been awake since five in the morning, and now it was almost midnight.

“We all knew this day would come eventually. That someone would have to take care of her. But I guess none of us really thought about what would happen to him,” Vanessa said softly, scratching the dog behind the ears.

“That’s not entirely true,” Julie replied, glancing at him too. “A year ago, my sister and I agreed she’d take Nana in when the time came. I assumed that arrangement included this mutt too. Sophie just conveniently forgot to mention it didn’t.”

“We can’t expect your sister to take on every responsibility, Julie. She already has a lot on her plate. Both she and her husband work full-time, they’re raising a daughter… and now they’re taking care of an elderly woman too. It’s not surprising they decided they couldn’t handle him as well.”

“Yes, Mom, you don’t have to keep repeating that. Sophie already made it very clear that I’m supposed to contribute too.” Julie rolled her eyes. “And I’m not even upset about that. I just would’ve preferred to know earlier that I’d need to rearrange my life again. Instead, I found out today.”

“I already said that—”

“That if you could, you’d take him. I know, Mom.”

The dog awkwardly squeezed between the seats, trying to climb into Vanessa’s lap. She burst out laughing, helping him up before hugging him tightly and kissing the top of his head.

“He’s adorable. Who knows? Maybe taking care of him will end up being the best thing that’s happened to you, sweetheart.” Vanessa giggled when he bumped her chin with his wet nose.

“I know he’s adorable. Reminder: I’m the one who taught him tricks when he was still a puppy,” Julie muttered, reaching out to pet him too.

But the dog immediately pulled away from her touch, only interested in her mother’s attention.

“But he’s a ten-year-old senior dog who needs medication and routine. I’m gonna have to twist my entire life into knots to make this work.”

“Well, you could always drop him off with other seniors sometimes.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think your friends at Pacific View would be thrilled to spend time with him every now and then.”

“Oh yeah, I can totally picture that. Didi would probably snap my neck if I added this mutt to the chaos already happening at Pacific.” Julie snorted sarcastically. “She already doesn’t like me.”

“Really? I thought you two went on a date?”

“How do you know we went on a date?” Julie froze, staring at her mother.

“Because I actually talk to your friends, and for a while it was apparently the most fascinating topic imaginable.”

“Fantastic,” Julie muttered, rolling her eyes again. “Then you should also know it was our first and last date. Didi has every right not to be my biggest fan. There’s no universe where I walk into Pacific and offer to let her army of horny residents play with my geriatric dog.”

“Well then, you’ll have to come up with something else.” For some reason, Vanessa still looked amused. “You’ll figure it out. But don’t think about it tonight. Go home and get some rest. You earned it.”

Her mother leaned over and kissed her on the cheek goodbye. Then she grabbed her purse from the backseat and got out of the car, leaving Julie alone with softly whining Charlie.

The dog put his front paws against the door and watched Vanessa disappear into the darkness.

“I think Poppy would laugh his ass off if he knew you ended up with me,” Julie muttered, absentmindedly twirling the tip of his tail between her fingers.

Soft music still played through the speakers, and Julie groaned in irritation when she recognized the opening lines of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by Joan Jett. Without thinking, she switched stations — only to immediately hear the chorus of “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine.

“Why are there so many songs about dogs?!”

Mumbling angrily under her breath, she shut the music off entirely.

⋆˚🐾˖°

When Julie called Megan the next morning to say she’d be working from home that day, Megan was only mildly surprised. She knew Julie had spent the weekend helping move her grandmother into her sister’s house, so she probably assumed Julie was still exhausted and needed a quieter day.

Julie didn’t correct her because, honestly, she didn’t feel like explaining over the phone that her entire life had suddenly shifted again. She already knew Megan would have at least fifty questions. And right after that, she’d probably have to repeat the exact same conversation with Emily.

Julie spent most of the first day nervously following Charlie around the apartment.

Every time she lost sight of him, she immediately started running from room to room screaming his name. Her brain kept throwing horrifying scenarios at her — that she’d forgotten to close the door and he’d somehow escaped outside, or that the sudden silence meant he’d already died somewhere under the couch or the bed.

Sooner or later Charlie always turned up, looking deeply annoyed that her screaming had interrupted his nap.

Every time he even walked near the hallway, Julie panicked that maybe he was trying to tell her he needed to go outside, so she’d immediately take him for another walk.

Which meant they were going outside roughly every two hours.

By the fifth walk of the day, Charlie didn’t even bother sniffing around anymore. He just stayed close to her side.

But the real problem — and the real panic — started at feeding time.

Her grandmother had insisted he wouldn’t be difficult at all. Said he always had a huge appetite and food disappeared the second it hit the bowl. Said he didn’t even fuss about taking pills.

Julie believed her because she’d seen it herself plenty of times while visiting.

But when she put the surprisingly good-smelling pate into his bowl and placed the pill on top, Charlie simply stared at her accusingly before laying down on the opposite side of the kitchen.

“That’s for you,” Julie said, nudging the bowl toward him.

No reaction.

With a heavy sigh, she moved farther away, wanting to keep an eye on him while still giving him some privacy.

Fifteen minutes later, absolutely nothing had changed. They were both still sitting in the exact same spots and the food remained untouched.

“I’m actually gonna lose my fucking mind,” she muttered, crouching beside the bowl. She pushed it closer to him again. “What exactly is your problem? Apparently you like this stuff.”

Charlie simply stared at her with those dark eyes.

“Umm… you’re not hungry?” she asked more gently this time. “Or… do you miss Nana?”

The dog lifted his head, one ear tilting sideways like he was genuinely listening and understanding her.

“I get that this might be hard for you, but we both need to get used to this arrangement,” Julie explained, reaching a hand toward him.

Charlie stood up, tail wagging uncertainly, and slowly walked over. He sniffed her fingers, then looked toward the bowl.

Julie immediately pushed it under his nose hopefully.

“It’ll be easier for both of us if you at least try to eat.”

She nearly squealed in relief when Charlie actually took the first bite into his mouth — pill included.

But her excitement died instantly when, instead of chewing and swallowing, he spit the entire thing onto the floor.

“For the love of God, Charlie!” she groaned, grabbing a chunk of food with her fingers and holding it toward his mouth. “Just eat it!”

This time, Charlie not only ate it, but licked her fingers completely clean.

Julie grabbed another piece with her hand.

Same result.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. Do I seriously have to hand-feed you?” she muttered, continuing anyway.

Within a few minutes, the bowl was empty.

Except for the pill, which Charlie still stubbornly refused to take.

“If you don’t take your meds, you’re gonna die really fast,” Julie informed him after he spit the pill onto the floor again. “Honestly, that would make my life easier, but Nana would disown me for failing to take care of you.”

The second Charlie looked at her again, guilt hit immediately.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean that. I don’t want you to die. That’s why I’m begging you to eat this.”

The slobbery pill landed on the floor again.

Julie stood up and started pacing around the kitchen, opening cabinets. Finally she grabbed a jar of peanut butter and scooped some onto a spoon. Then she opened the capsule and sprinkled the medicine over it.

Charlie licked his mouth eagerly, tail wagging while he sniffed the spoon with curiosity.

But he still refused to eat it.

Julie scooped a little onto her finger instead.

That worked instantly.

Charlie happily started eating from her hand again.

“Fantastic… is this what every single day of my life is gonna look like for the next few years?”

She sighed dramatically in defeat — but immediately chuckled when Charlie awkwardly climbed into her lap.

By the second day, when Julie called Megan again with the exact same excuse, her friend sounded noticeably more concerned — though she still didn’t ask too many questions. Julie got out of the conversation as quickly as possible and hung up.

Just like she’d expected, feeding Charlie turned into the exact same hand-feeding ordeal again.

At least she’d stopped following him around the apartment nonstop.

Instead, a new thought had taken over her brain: what if her apartment simply wasn’t suitable for a dog? Maybe he was bored. Maybe he couldn’t find a comfortable place for himself there.

Her grandmother had given her all of Charlie’s things, sure. But maybe it wasn’t enough.

Around noon, Julie gave up trying to ignore the thought. She grabbed Charlie, shoved him into the car, and drove to the biggest pet store in the city.

She bought everything that seemed remotely reasonable:

Two dog beds — one of which supposedly had a special orthopedic mattress.

Several food and water bowls, because apparently the two she already owned might somehow not be enough.

Wet food and kibble specifically made for senior dogs, because maybe he simply hated the food she’d been giving him.

Several packs of treats the employees recommended.

And since she knew that despite his age Charlie still liked to play and occasionally got random bursts of energy, she also bought interactive toys, stuffed animals, and squeaky rubber toys.

As she tossed a ridiculously soft dinosaur plush into the cart — one Charlie would probably gut by the end of the night — she heard squeaking near her feet.

When she looked down, Charlie was already staring up at her, tail wagging furiously.

He held a hotdog-shaped toy in his mouth, chomping on it enthusiastically and looking delighted every time it squeaked loudly. Apparently he’d grabbed it himself from the lowest shelf.

“So that’s the one you want?” Julie laughed.

Charlie squeaked it even harder.

“Fine. But if you wake me up with that thing in the middle of the night, you are sleeping on the balcony.”

One of the new beds ended up beside her own bed in the bedroom, the other in the living room.

With all the new stuff scattered around, the apartment suddenly felt smaller and messier. Every time she tried to go to the bathroom or kitchen, she nearly tripped over some toy.

But at least Charlie seemed a little happier.

By the third day, Julie could hear genuine panic creeping into Megan’s voice.

Honestly, she was starting to panic too.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone three straight days without showing up at the office. (Five if you counted the weekend.)

She trusted Megan and Charles enough to know they hadn’t burned the place to the ground, but the urge to just get up and go to work for a few hours kept growing stronger.

Still, she decided she needed some kind of plan first. Some explanation before she told them that now she had additional responsibilities.

She had technically worked from home a little, so at least she didn’t feel like she was completely lying to Megan.

But most of the day was spent doom-scrolling through the internet, desperately searching for solutions for Charlie.

Maybe she should enroll him in dog daycare?

Hire a dog walker?

Her frantic research was constantly interrupted by Charlie climbing onto the couch beside her and attempting to lie directly across her lap regardless of the fact she was holding a laptop.

Late that evening, while Julie was deep in a spiral convincing herself she’d probably have to shut down her entire business just to care for her geriatric dog, loud knocking suddenly exploded from the front door.

Not knocking.

Straight-up pounding.

Charlie launched himself off her lap — claws digging painfully into her skin — and sprinted ,barking before Julie could even react.

When she opened the door, she wasn’t remotely surprised to see Megan and Emily standing there.

“So I miss work for three days and you immediately stage an intervention?” she asked, amused, leaning against the doorway.

Neither of them even reacted.

Because both were already staring down at Charlie, who was circling around their legs excitedly.

“That’s a dog,” Emily said in visible shock.

“Congratulations, you are very observant, Em. Wow, maybe I really should fire your dad and hire you instead.”

They ignored her completely and simply shoved past her into the apartment.

Within seconds they’d both settled onto the living room rug with Charlie sprawled between them on his back, exposing his stomach and happily allowing them to pet him wherever they wanted.

Julie collapsed dramatically back onto the couch, watching them.

“Considering your apartment suddenly looks like a pet daycare, I’m assuming this is your dog,” Megan finally said, glancing around at the toys scattered everywhere.

“Yep.”

“And it didn’t occur to you to tell us?” Emily looked at her accusingly.

“What was I supposed to do? Text the group chat ‘hey just so you know, I own a dog now’?”

“Yes. Exactly that,” both of them answered simultaneously.

“Well. I own a dog now.”

“We’re gonna need a little more information than that, Jules,” Megan said, smiling softly when Charlie started licking her hand.

“His name is Charlie and—”

“Charlie?” Emily interrupted, raising an eyebrow pointedly.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I didn’t name him. He belonged to my grandparents.”

“Your grandma can’t take care of him anymore? That’s why he ended up with you?”

“It’s… more complicated than that.” Julie sighed heavily and slid off the couch to sit beside them on the rug.

Charlie looked absolutely thrilled, still lying between the three of them like the center of the universe while six different hands scratched and petted him from every possible angle.

“You said you were moving Nana in with your sister,” Megan said carefully, concern written all over her face.

“And we did that this weekend. She’s getting really old. She can’t live alone or take care of the house anymore. I offered to get her a place at Pacific View and even cover most of the costs, but Sophie insisted Nana should stay with her.”

“So you knew Charlie would become your responsibility?”

“Nope. Found that out during the move itself. My brother-in-law suddenly announced he has allergies and they couldn’t take him. Then my sister basically implied I should contribute something too.”

“Vanessa couldn’t take him?”

“She wanted to, but her landlord doesn’t allow pets. My brother-in-law made it very clear — either I take Charlie or he goes to a shelter. Honestly, I don’t think my sister had much say in it. And I didn’t really have a choice. I’ve known this mutt since he was a puppy. I wasn’t gonna let that happen. Especially since…” She paused briefly. “Grandpa was the one who brought him home before he got sick.”

“Oh, Julie…” Emily sighed quietly, squeezing her shoulder supportively.

“So that’s why you haven’t been coming into work,” Megan finally said, all her questions answered.

“I can’t leave him alone all day. It’s not just the walks. He’s old, he needs medication several times a day. And honestly, he’s used to having people around. I don’t know, maybe he’d get depressed if he suddenly spent all day alone.”

“You could maybe—” Megan started.

“I can’t bring him to work. At least not when we’re working a major case and I need to leave the office constantly. Plus Charles is allergic to dogs. That could end really badly.”

“I think sometimes you could take him to—” Emily began.

Julie instantly slapped a hand over her mouth, glaring at her threateningly.

“If either of you says the words Pacific View, I swear to God—”

“Oh Jules, I think Didi would—”

“Hey Megan? Remember the rule I made? We don’t talk about Didi.”

“For someone who insists she ‘doesn’t have feelings for that woman,’ you’re acting extremely weird,” Emily muttered after pulling Julie’s hand away from her face.

“I just don’t like talking about her.” Julie crossed her arms. “Also, can we focus on one problem at a time? Specifically this problem.” She pointed toward Charlie, who had already started dozing off while looking weirdly like he was smiling.

"We'll figure something out, Julie, it's not the end of the world. Don't panic, many people combine demanding professional lives with having pets." Megan continued to stare at Charlie as if he had suddenly become the love of her life.

“Megan’s right,” Emily added while gently playing with one of Charlie’s paws. “But Julie, just so you’re aware, I think we’re gonna start visiting you a lot more often now.”

And yes — Julie was painfully aware that her life was somehow about to become even fuller and even more chaotic than before.

⋆˚🐾˖°

During thirteen years of working at Pacific View, the longest vacation Didi had ever taken lasted ten days.

And she hadn’t spent it relaxing somewhere tropical — she’d spent it taking care of her sick mother.

She’d never really understood the need to escape somewhere for weeks at a time just to “rest.” She wasn’t like people who wanted to forget about work. Even when past girlfriends tried convincing her to take proper vacations, her mind always wandered back to Pacific View anyway.

Which was exactly why the next several weeks terrified her.

Her bosses had finally lost patience, called her into a meeting at headquarters, and practically held her hostage in the office until she agreed to take some actual time off.

Five weeks out of the ten she technically had available.

At least she’d managed to negotiate it down to only five.

For the past few days, she’d been obsessively trying to organize everything so the place would continue functioning like clockwork during her absence — or as close to clockwork as Pacific View could possibly get.

She had a feeling Pilar was deeply sick of both her voice and her face at this point. Training her to temporarily take over the position basically meant they’d spent every waking hour glued at the hip.

Didi was fully aware that with every day bringing her closer to vacation, she was becoming increasingly irritating and demanding.

And somehow, despite that, Pilar and the rest of her friends still voluntarily spent time with her.

Tabitha had even started bringing lunch for all of them, which meant that for at least half an hour every day they stopped talking about work, schedules, responsibilities, and organization. Instead they simply sat together in Didi’s office — an office that would become Pilar’s for the next five weeks.

“You know we’re gonna miss you,” Tabitha suddenly said as Didi poked at her salad with a fork, for some reason having no appetite.

Didi speared a tomato with her fork and laughed honestly.

“Tabi, I seriously doubt you’ll have time to miss me. I have a feeling the residents are gonna react like children left unsupervised in a classroom and immediately turn feral. Honestly, I wouldn’t wanna be in your shoes.”

“Thanks for the support, Di,” Pilar muttered, rolling her eyes. “And for the thousandth time — we’ll survive. Try trusting us a little.”

“Oh, I trust you.” Didi waved her fork toward the glass doors where Virginia was very visibly peeking inside with intense curiosity. “I don’t trust them.”

“Listen, if it turns out we can’t survive without you, maybe headquarters will finally appreciate you enough to give you another raise,” Penny chimed in with amusement, also glancing toward Virginia, who was practically pressed against the glass.

“Yeah, but then we’ll have to go clubbing and Didi will need to buy us drinks as a thank-you,” Tabitha declared, giving Didi a meaningful look. “But seriously, Di. We are gonna miss you. I’ve gotten used to seeing your pretty face here no matter what day or time it is.”

“Oh, for the love of God.” Pilar shoved her lunch container away and leaned back in her chair with crossed arms. “She'll only be gone a few weeks. She’s not quitting or dying. And we own these magical little devices called cell phones. We can still talk to her. Stop panicking.”

“Pilar…” Didi sighed dramatically and put on the saddest expression she could manage while staring at her friend. “Are you saying you won’t miss me?”

“Seriously, Pilar,” Penny clicked her tongue disapprovingly while Tabitha burst out laughing, “I get that you’re terrified of all the extra responsibilities, but you don’t have to be so mean to her.”

“When I’m in charge, all of you are banned from this office,” Pilar shot back, glaring at them.

Didi was already opening her mouth to respond when loud cackling erupted from outside the door, immediately followed by Susan’s even louder voice:

“As President, I refuse to allow—”

“I think that’s our sign lunch break is over,” Penny said, standing first. “They always know the perfect moment to interrupt us.”

Tabitha jumped to her feet too, but instead of following Penny toward the exit, she leaned over Pilar’s shoulder with a mischievous grin.

“You know, Pilar, sometimes you really do start sounding like President Susan,” she said before immediately sprinting for the door laughing as Pilar turned toward her looking deeply offended.

Didi watched them leave with an amused smile but only spoke once the door clicked shut behind them.

“Maybe you hurt my feelings by claiming you won’t miss me. But I’m a good friend, so I’ll reassure you that you’re still very far from becoming Susan.”

“President Susan, Di,” Pilar corrected her, already smiling.

“Ah, right.”

“And I never said I wouldn’t miss you,” Pilar added, tilting her head slightly while studying her carefully. “I’m gonna miss you more than all those idiots combined. And not just because I’m about to drown under all the responsibilities you deal with every day.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard. Go ahead, now admit I’m your best friend.” Didi grinned teasingly, leaning farther across the desk.

“Don’t push your luck. Some things don’t need to be said out loud.”

They both laughed at the exact same moment.

But Pilar quickly turned serious again, and when she looked at Didi this time there was unmistakable concern in her eyes.

“Jokes aside, we both know everything at Pacific will be fine. I’m more worried about you. Especially considering…”

She trailed off awkwardly and pointed vaguely toward Didi’s desk.

Or rather, beneath it.

Didi knew exactly what she meant.

She couldn’t stop herself from immediately grimacing.

Grabbing the nearest folder full of paperwork, she started flipping through it while pretending to be deeply interested.

“Why are you worried? I finally have some free time. Maybe I’ll actually relax for once.”

“Didi… don’t brush me off.” Pilar sighed heavily.

“I’m not brushing you off! I genuinely don’t know what—”

“Didi. We’re best friends. Stop bullshitting me.”

“Okay, fine.” Didi raised her hands defensively before nervously running fingers through her hair. “You don’t need to worry about me. My mom died years ago and… well, I learned how to deal with it. Even during the anniversary.”

“You usually deal with grief by burying yourself even deeper in work.” Pilar looked even more concerned now, which only made Didi squirm harder in her chair. “I still remember how I had to come back here before midnight last year just to drag you out of this office. Tabitha said it’s always like that on this day…”

“And I appreciate the concern. I really do. But you honestly don’t need to worry.”

“Oh really? This time you won’t even have work to distract yourself.”

“I’ll manage, Pilar.”

“Do you even know what you’re gonna do for five weeks?”

“No. But probably nothing exciting. Maybe I’ll finally watch all those shows Jaylen keeps rambling about.”

“I think you need something more engaging than that, Didi.”

“Maybe… I’ll figure something out.”

The noise outside the office started rising again, and with a defeated sigh Pilar slowly stood from her chair.

“I’m gonna go see what’s happening. Give you a moment of peace,” she said gently, finally looking away from her.

The second Didi stopped feeling Pilar’s eyes on her, she relaxed slightly.

“Think about what I said, Di,” Pilar added, stopping by the door with her hand on the handle. “I think you need something to keep both your time and your mind occupied. Think about what might actually make you happy. And if… if you need anything, you can always call me, okay?”

“I know. Thank you,” Didi answered quietly. “I promise I’ll take your advice seriously.”

“Good.”

“Hey, Pilar.”

“Yeah?”

“You know I love you, right? Platonically.” Didi grinned at her.

“Bleh.” Pilar made an exaggerated disgusted face before snorting with laughter. “Confessions like that at work? Highly inappropriate, Di.”

“Oh, are you gonna report me? Trying to get me fired? I always knew you were after my position.”

“Obviously.” Pilar finally opened the door, glancing back over her shoulder. “Love you too, doofus.”

⋆˚🐾˖°

Over the next few days, Didi kept thinking about Pilar’s words.

But she still did absolutely nothing to actually organize her plans for the next few weeks.

She justified her inactivity by telling herself she was still busy training Pilar.

But when that cursed Monday finally arrived — her first actual day off — and she somehow managed to complete every possible household task within a few hours, panic immediately set in.

She dropped onto the couch, pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head, and sat there motionless for a while muttering insults at herself under her breath.

Eventually she unlocked her phone and opened the calendar app.

She needed to plan something for the next thirty-four days.

Maybe Pilar was right. Maybe she really did need some kind of regular activity to fill at least a few hours every day.

The internet was apparently obsessed with “grandma hobbies” lately.

Maybe she should try knitting again. Maybe this time it would go better than when her grandmother tried teaching her years ago.

Or maybe pottery.

Or watercolor painting.

She could always ask Beatrice for advice.

Though that would inevitably lead to an endless avalanche of texts and phone calls from her, and despite genuinely liking Beatrice, Didi desperately needed a break from the nonstop flood of words that woman produced.

Besides, Didi knew herself.

If something was going to truly consume her attention and make her stick to it consistently, it couldn’t just be a casual hobby.

She needed something that felt like an actual responsibility. Something with consequences if she neglected it.

The phone in her hand suddenly vibrated several times.

The second she looked at the notifications, she smiled immediately.

The Real Emily: Bitch, why didn’t you tell me your vacation starts TODAY???
The Real Emily: I was at PV with Dad and the first thing everyone did was swarm us to inform us you weren’t there
The Real Emily: So? When are we hanging out?

 

Dee Dee: Sorry, Em
Dee Dee: Depends on you. Turns out I’m a loser with no hobbies
Dee Dee: I’m available for the next 34 days

 

The Real Emily: Stop being dramatic, you’ll find something to do
The Real Emily: I talked to Meg yesterday, apparently she already has an entire list of places she wants to drag you to now that you finally have time for us

 

Dee Dee: Reminder that I’m the one on vacation. Meanwhile Meg works for someone who’s just as much of a workaholic as I am
Dee Dee: She should shorten that list significantly

 

The Real Emily: Fair point
The Real Emily: But if we plan stuff as a group of four, they’ll have to free up at least a few evenings

 

Dee Dee: You know I’m open to that idea
Dee Dee: But Jules made herself pretty clear…

 

The Real Emily: LMFAO
The Real Emily: Julie is dumb
The Real Emily: Don’t worry about her, let me and Meg handle it

 

Dee Dee: Don’t annoy her too much.

 

The Real Emily: Annoying her is one of my favorite hobbies
The Real Emily: Chill
The Real Emily: So? Seriously no plans for the next few weeks?

 

Didi bit her lip, thinking for a moment before replying.

The idea of spending more time with Emily and Megan — something they’d both been promising ever since she told them about her vacation a month ago — was one of the few things genuinely making her happy right now.

Honestly, if she simply admitted what the actual problem was, they’d probably rearrange their entire lives just to make sure she saw them several times a week for the next month. Megan would almost certainly make some kind of shared calendar for all of them.

(And she’d probably give Julie access to it too, hoping she’d take the hint.)

But Didi still needed something more.

She clicked on Emily’s contact and lifted the phone to her ear.

Emily picked up almost immediately.

“Hey there, self-proclaimed loser.”

“Hi, Em.” Didi snorted softly, rolling her eyes. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Of course not. For the last few minutes I’ve just been texting you while watching Joel attempt, once again, to explain to our sons how the dishwasher works. Every day I become more concerned about those children…”

“That sounds like a perfectly normal day in your house.”

“You’re joking, but it genuinely is.” Emily sighed dramatically, and something rustled on the other end of the line like she’d also just collapsed onto a couch. “So… what’s up?”

“I kinda need to talk to you about something… honestly, I think out of all our friends, you’re probably the person most capable of helping me with it. But… could this conversation stay between us? I feel like the others might… worry.”

“My lips are sealed, Di. What do you need?” Emily's voice was tender, and Didi immediately believed her that she wouldn't tell anyone. Not even Megan. (Or Julie.)

“Obviously you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but… Em, how do you handle the anniversary of your mom’s death? What do you do to keep your mind occupied?”

“Oh, Didi…” Emily sighed deeply and fell silent for a moment.

Didi closed her eyes, pulling the hood tighter around her head.

“It only just hit me that you’re gonna have to go through that day in a few weeks,” Emily said quietly. “And this time you’ll actually be off work.”

“Yeah, I… usually I stay at work even longer that day. I try to help everyone as much as possible for as long as possible. But now… well. Now I can’t work.” Didi laughed weakly. “Pilar suggested I find some other way to keep my brain busy. But honestly? I have no idea what that I should do. So I thought maybe… you’d inspire me.”

“It’s not just the day itself that’s hard,” Emily admitted softly. “That’s the peak of the sadness, sure, but the days before and after aren’t exactly fun either.”

“Yeah…”

Another pause.

“A few days before the anniversary, I start painting,” Emily finally admitted. This time she sounded like she was smiling. “I start thinking about the painting, gathering materials, sketching ideas… and then on the anniversary itself, after I spend some time with Dad, I lock myself in the garage and paint until I physically can’t anymore. It feels like Mom’s there beside me, helping.”

“Emily, that’s honestly really sweet.”

“Well, I’m nowhere near as talented as she was,” Emily laughed quietly, “but the point isn’t whether the painting turns out good. It’s more about doing something I used to do with her. Especially when I was a kid. I think it helps because it keeps my mind occupied while also making me feel like I’m still connected to her somehow.”

“That… actually makes a lot of sense, Em.”

“Maybe you should find something like that too? Some childhood memory you can recreate? Something you used to do together that made you happy — and that could keep you busy now too.”

“My mom spent a lot of time with me.” Didi smiled faintly. “I’ll have to think about it, but I’m sure I’ll find something that fits.”

She could already feel herself smiling more without meaning to.

“Thank you, Emily.”

“No problem. And if you ever need to talk about this more, call or text whenever you want.”

“I know, Em. Thank you.”

“And hey, if you can’t come up with anything, you could always volunteer at Kovalenko Investigations for a few days. Dad and Megan would lose their minds from happiness.”

“Yeah, and their boss — my almost-girlfriend — would probably have a panic attack.”

“Eh. Nothing new there. Just another normal day.”

Didi burst out laughing.

Maybe she’d never admit it out loud, but she genuinely appreciated that both Emily and Megan still occasionally brought Julie up around her.

Since the date, Didi had only seen Julie every now and then whenever she briefly stopped by Pacific View to drop off Charles and say hello to Calbert.

Their conversations usually lasted somewhere between five and ten minutes.

A few times, purely for her own entertainment, Didi had actually timed them.

Julie always found an excuse to cut the small talk short and escape the building as quickly as possible.

Without her friends, Didi honestly wouldn’t know anything about what was going on in Julie’s life.

Though maybe she shouldn’t be grateful for that.

Maybe it was exactly what kept her from finally forgetting about her.

Well, maybe that should be her hobby/duty for the next five weeks—coming to terms with the fact that they'll never be together. She really needed to accept it eventually.

She was truly turning into some hopeless loser with a crush.

But that wasn’t today’s problem.

Thinking about Julie wouldn’t help her survive the next several weeks.

Right now, she needed to think about what Pilar and Emily had said.

The idea hit Didi on a Thursday afternoon.

After spending most of the day sprawled across the couch in nothing but underwear and an oversized t-shirt. She’d just finished another documentary about lions on the savannah and threw on some random Spotify playlist while stuffing handfuls of salty chips into her mouth. The second she heard the opening line of “Me & My Dog,” something in her brain finally clicked.

For the past few days, she’d been trying to figure out what she used to love doing with her mom. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she told Emily they spent a lot of time together.

That’s why Didi could cook or bake basically anything she wanted now. Why she still genuinely enjoyed doing puzzles — even if these days she mostly helped Pacific residents with them instead of doing them at home.

They took care of houseplants together, watched the stars at night, picked up pretty rocks during walks, and always came back from the beach with their pockets stuffed full of seashells they later kept in glass vases all over the house.

But now she realized which memory could actually help her.

Didi had always loved animals.

Even though they could never really afford a pet of their own, her mother always encouraged her fascination with anything alive. And once Didi got old enough to prove she was responsible, her mom started letting her earn extra money by taking care of neighbors’ pets.

Didi honestly didn’t care what kind of animal it was. Feeding an elderly neighbor’s parrot sometimes? Fine. Helping her uncle clean his giant aquarium? Great — especially since he always taught her weird fish facts while they worked. Stopping by the young couple’s place across the street to clean litter boxes and refill food bowls for their army of cats? Also fine.

But her absolute favorite thing had always been taking care of dogs.

The walks she took them on were usually as long as she could possibly get away with. She often came home sweaty, dirty, and exhausted from playing with dogs that were taller than her when they stood on their hind legs.

Her mom was never mad about it. Usually she’d just laugh and tell her to go shower immediately.

Sometimes she’d even come find her at the park in the evening and join in, joking that maybe someday they’d finally have a pet of their own.

Now, as an adult, Didi still couldn’t realistically have a dog or a cat. Partly because of the life she’d built for herself. How was she supposed to properly care for an animal when she spent most of her life at work?

But the love for animals never disappeared.

Whenever she walked through the city, she smiled every time she saw a dog. The weirder-looking or more chaotic, the better. Whenever she visited Tabitha, she constantly had to be reminded to pay attention to the conversation instead of petting her cat. And whenever Didi had a reason to stop by a resident’s room, she always lingered a little longer if they had a pet.

She suddenly sat upright and grabbed her phone, brushing chip crumbs off her shirt with her free hand.

Dee Dee: Okay, I think I might have an idea
Dee Dee: Tell me honestly if this sounds stupid

The Real Emily: I’m listening

 

⋆˚🐾˖°

Over the last few days, the only thing saving Julie’s sanity was the fact that things at Kovalenko Investigations had been relatively quiet.

Sure, they still had work to do, but most cases could be handled by her and Megan without even leaving the office. Internet access and a few phone calls were enough. Charles had decided to use the opportunity to visit family in Sacramento, which honestly made things easier for Julie. For a few days at least, balancing work and taking care of Charlie felt slightly more manageable.

To her surprise, Charlie adapted to being at the office way faster than he’d adapted to her apartment.

All it took was one day of sniffing every possible corner before he decided his favorite place in the entire building was the couch in Julie’s office. Though honestly, it was probably Megan’s presence that made him so content.

And Megan herself acted like she’d never enjoyed work this much before in her life. She talked to the dog more than she talked to Julie, behaving like Charlie was genuinely responding to her. By now, Julie had gotten used to the sight of Megan sitting on the couch with Charlie’s head resting on her thigh. The dog stared at her with complete adoration and slowly drifted off anytime Megan’s hand touched any part of him, petting him softly.

Julie couldn’t even blame him.

More than once, Megan’s mere presence had calmed her down during some of the worst moments of her life.

“You know,” Megan said suddenly, staring lovingly at Charlie’s fluffy face as he let out a long groan before nudging her hand for more attention, “I honestly wouldn’t mind if you decided Charlie should become our new coworker. I kinda like this new office dynamic. But next week we’re starting the Wyatt case… and it’s looking like we’re gonna be swamped.”

Julie sighed deeply, leaning her elbows against the desk. She rubbed her temples with her fingers, already feeling a migraine forming.

“Yeah, Meg, I’m aware,” she muttered bitterly. “Charles and I are gonna have to do fieldwork and you’ll be stuck at your desk…”

“Which is exactly why you need to decide what you’re gonna do, Jules.” Megan finally looked away from Charlie just to give Julie a pointed stare. “I get wanting to make sure he gets the best care possible. But honestly? I’m starting to think you’re nitpicking every tiny detail just so you can reject every solution I suggest.”

Yeah. Julie was definitely ending this day with a full-blown migraine.

“Megan, you know perfectly well I won’t hire just anybody. Especially when that person would have to be inside my apartment several times a day. I only recently started letting you and Emily inside. Charles has literally only seen the building from outside. And you think I’m gonna let some random stranger into my home?”

“You could always put him in doggy daycare.”

“Oh sure, great idea. Charlie and a pack of random dogs.” Julie snorted. “He needs routine. Walks. Medication. I don’t trust daycare staff to actually handle that properly. And I’d still have to pick him up afterward, and you know what our workdays look like sometimes. We stay here for twelve damn hours.”

This time Megan sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. She started petting Charlie a little harder now, like the repetitive motion against his soft fur was the only thing keeping her calm.

For the last week, Megan had patiently helped Julie figure out possible solutions every single evening. She’d gone through dog walker ads with her, listened to her complain, tried helping her build an actual plan.

Julie knew Megan’s patience was running dangerously thin.

And honestly, she should probably thank her for putting up with all of this. Maybe she should just give Charlie to Megan at this point. The dog clearly seemed to love her more than he loved Julie.

(Not that Julie was jealous.)

“So unfortunately, Julie,” Megan continued, “you’re gonna have to suck it up and hire somebody eventually. We looked through dozens of listings, and some of them were genuinely reasonable. Just pick someone! You still have a few days — meet a couple people, see if anyone feels right.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Julie scoffed sarcastically, immediately turning back to her laptop keyboard. Several tabs with dog walker ads were still open in her browser. “Which listings exactly were ‘reasonable’? Should I trust some teenager who probably can’t make a sandwich without his mommy’s help? Or someone who ‘wants to make extra money caring for dogs while between jobs’? Or maybe the one who misspelled the word opportunity three separate times in their ad?”

Megan didn’t answer.

She just rolled her eyes again and reached for the laptop sitting on the coffee table.

For the next few minutes, neither of them spoke. The only sounds in the office were fingers tapping against keyboards and Charlie’s soft snoring.

Julie tried to ignore the fact that Megan’s phone suddenly started buzzing every few seconds. The woman was physically shaking as she tried to hold back laughter while texting someone.

But when Megan finally let out a loud snort, Julie couldn’t take it anymore.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, glaring at her over the top of her laptop.

“Oh, nothing, nothing. Just Emily.”

“Let me guess… you’re making fun of me?”

“How did you know?”

“Because I know both of you,” Julie muttered through clenched teeth, looking back at the listings she still hated. “Honestly, I think I’d rather not know what embarrassing thing I did this time…”

That only made Megan laugh harder, and this time she managed to annoy not only Julie but Charlie too. The dog woke up from his nap because of her shaking, hopped off the couch, stretched, and slowly wandered across the office. He stopped under Julie’s desk, licked her bare ankle, then curled up into a ball by her feet.

Julie immediately crossed “giving him to Megan” off the list in her head. She was getting used to the fact that every single item of clothing she owned was covered in fur no matter how aggressively she attacked it with a lint roller, and that whenever Charlie was nearby, some part of her body ended up covered in dog saliva.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that if she wanted him properly taken care of, she needed help.

“Check the chat,” Megan said after finally calming down enough to focus on her screen again. “I sent you another link. Fresh post — it was uploaded like an hour ago. I think you might actually like this one.”

Julie nodded silently and clicked the link immediately. The second she read the listing, she nearly wanted to jump up in excitement. It seemed almost perfect.

Granted, the bar was incredibly low…

At least whoever posted it could spell properly. Was an adult. Clearly organized and professional. The listing was straightforward and clear, without unnecessary oversharing.

There was just one problem.

“They are only available for the next month,” Julie sighed, wrinkling her nose. Of course her problems couldn’t be solved that easily.

“Yeah, but maybe you should take the risk. At least Charlie would be taken care of for a month, and you’d have time to figure out what to do after that.”

For a moment, Julie just stared at the listing, letting Megan’s words sink in. Like usual — Megan was right.

She looked over at Charlie, who had somehow rolled over in his sleep and was now lying there twisted weirdly onto his back, stomach exposed.

“Let’s risk it,” she said quietly, opening her desk drawer. She pulled out the phone she used whenever she didn’t want people having her real number.

She copied the number from the listing and sent the first message.

⋆˚🐾˖°

The next afternoon, Julie nervously walked through the gates of a nearby park, Charlie proudly trotting beside her on his leash.

She’d left work early on purpose. It was still bright outside, sunset was hours away, and the park was packed with people walking and playing with their pets.

Since the night before, she’d exchanged dozens of messages with the woman who posted the ad. She was almost sure now that her first instinct — and Megan’s — had been right. The woman seemed genuinely put together, patiently answering every question, request, and concern Julie threw at her. She was professional, but funny too, and Julie found herself weirdly enjoying texting her.

Though admittedly, Julie had almost had a heart attack when she found out her name was Debbie.

She immediately grabbed her personal phone and compared the number to Didi’s. Thankfully, they were completely different. Besides, Julie knew Didi would sooner tell every gossip living at Pacific View all her deepest secrets than let anyone call her Debbie.

And there was no way Didi had time to take care of someone else’s dog anyway. Just like Julie, she practically lived at work.

It had to be an unfortunate coincidence.

Still, ever since finding out the name, Julie’s thoughts kept drifting back to Didi every time Debbie texted her.

Honestly, she was starting to feel relieved the arrangement would only last a month if she actually hired her.

Not thinking about Didi was basically impossible.

At least this Debbie wouldn’t call her “Froggy.” And she didn’t even know Julie’s real name anyway, since Julie had immediately given her a fake one. Well… not completely fake. She’d used her middle name.

Maybe meeting another responsible, funny Deborah living in San Francisco would actually be good for her. Maybe she’d finally stop acting like Didi was one of a kind.

Still, despite all that, Julie felt nervous walking to meet her for the first time.

Charlie’s favorite toy — a stupid squeaky hotdog — was sticking out of the pocket of her denim jacket, and she was starting to regret not stuffing something in the other pocket for herself. A stress ball or something she could crush in her hand right now.

On the way there, Charlie kept stopping every few seconds to sniff every dog they passed. Usually after a few seconds he’d decide he hated his new friend and start growling, forcing Julie to drag him away while giving apologetic smiles to the owners.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Julie had the amusing realization that maybe she and her furry roommate were more alike than she thought.

Both grumpy. Both antisocial.

Despite Charlie’s behavior, they arrived at the meeting spot a few minutes early. Julie sat down on a nearby bench, taking deep breaths while nervously bouncing her leg.

“Pray this goes well,” she muttered to Charlie, gripping the leash tighter. “Otherwise I really won’t have a choice and you’ll end up at dog daycare surrounded by dogs you hate…”

Charlie rested his head on her shaking knee and looked up at her, blinking slowly.

Who was Julie trying to fool?

She’d sooner carry him around in a backpack while working cases than leave him somewhere he’d be uncomfortable.

Walking through the park, Didi reread the message describing exactly where she was supposed to meet Camila and her dog. If she wasn’t mistaken, she was already close.

For some reason, she was more excited than she expected to be.

Maybe because texting the woman had actually been surprisingly fun. Even if she did seem ridiculously bossy and demanding.

Or maybe because Didi genuinely loved corgis and hoped the dog she might end up taking care of was as adorable as the ones in the videos she watched every night before bed.

She turned down another path and immediately spotted the bench someone was sitting on.

She was approaching from behind, so all she could see were the woman’s long dark hair and the back of her figure. But honestly, she stopped paying attention almost immediately because the fluffy dog under the bench had clearly sensed her arrival.

The second he noticed her, he crawled out from beneath the bench and stared at her curiously, tail wagging softly.

He was exactly as adorable as she’d imagined.

White and ginger fur, ridiculously oversized ears, and legs way too short for his body. Definitely not a purebred show dog, but that only made him cuter.

The closer she got, the harder his tail wagged until finally he launched himself toward her, yanking the leash straight out of his owner’s hand.

Like a tiny furry missile, he sprinted over and immediately started jumping around trying to lick her hands, acting like they’d known each other forever.

“Hi there, you must be Charlie. You look like a chubby little fox,” Didi laughed, kneeling down in the grass to pet him.

She laughed even harder when he tried licking her face.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the woman from the bench stand up and walk toward them.

“Didi?”

The laughter died instantly in her throat when she heard that painfully familiar voice.

She shot upright and found herself face to face with Julie “Froggy” Kovalenko.

Julie looked horrified, like she’d just seen a ghost. She stood there staring at her with parted lips and flushed cheeks.

Of course the bossy, demanding woman Didi had been texting wasn’t some fascinating stranger.

It was The-Woman-Who-Didn’t-Want-Her-But-Who-She-Still-Couldn’t-Stop-Thinking-About.

Didi didn’t even have the energy to get upset anymore. The whole thing was way too absurd.

Slowly, she smiled.

Then almost immediately the smile dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. She doubled over, shaking.

“There’s no fucking way,” Julie muttered quietly.

Eventually Didi managed to straighten up again, still trying and failing to stop laughing, and held out her hand toward her.

“Hi Camila, I’m Debbie. Still wanna hire me?”

For a second Julie just stared at her in disbelief.

Then she threw her head back and let out a long, loud “FUCK!” — loud enough that passing strangers turned toward them with judgmental looks.