Chapter 1 - The Laminated List
When I pulled up that evening, Corey and Priya were already on their way to the airport. The dogs went wild the second I opened the door. Bear lumbered toward me, tail banging against the wall, while Nell skidded to a stop just before the kitchen tiles.
For about thirty seconds, everything felt completely normal.
Then I walked into the kitchen. The spare key sat on the island beside a laminated sheet of paper. Corey had actually laminated it.
At first I assumed it was the dogs' feeding schedule. Then I read it.
Coffee: $0.60 per cup. Bread: $0.40 per slice. Eggs: $0.50 each. Laundry, including detergent and electricity: $2 per load.
Then came my favorite. Showers longer than ten minutes: $1.50.
At the bottom, in Corey's handwriting: Just keep a running total and we'll settle up when we're back!
I stood there with my overnight bag still hanging from one shoulder until Bear nudged my hand. "Apparently your dad thinks I'm running up a hotel bill," I muttered.
Then I called Corey.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Did you leave something on the kitchen island?"
"Oh, the list?" He laughed. "Yeah. You found it?"
"I found it."
"Don't make it weird. It's just so nobody ends up out of pocket."
I stared at the laminated sheet. "I'm doing ten days of unpaid work in your house."
"You're staying rent-free in a four-bedroom house, Julia."
I pulled the phone away from my ear for a second. "I was asked to dog-sit, not rent a room."
"And I'm not charging you rent, am I? Just for what you use. That's fair."
Then I heard him turn away from the phone. His voice became muffled, but not muffled enough. "She's doing the thing. No. She's doing the thing."
I knew Priya was beside him.
"The thing?" I asked. "What?"
"You just said I'm doing the thing."
Corey sighed. "Julia, we're literally at the gate. Can we not turn this into some giant drama?"
"I'm not turning anything into anything."
"Good. Then just keep track. It's pennies, basically."
"Right."
"Bear's medication is in the fridge."
"I know."
"And Nell sometimes won't eat unless Bear starts first."
"I know that too."
"Great. Thanks again. You're saving us a fortune."
May you like
That sentence landed very differently the second time. Before I could answer, he said they were boarding and hung up.
For a few minutes I seriously considered packing my bag and leaving. But Bear needed his medication that night, and whatever I thought about Corey, the dogs hadn't laminated anything. So I stayed.
