12 Days of Mistletoe

11. Bonnie

ELEVEN

bonnie

For the first time in three years, I walk Noel out of the front of the building on her leash rather than rushing her through the back doors. Two people—Mrs. Bell, who might be the one person who knew about Noel, and Raquel Winters, the teenage girl who lives on my floor, both stop and ask if they can pet Noel.

She is a service dog— my service dog. And when it’s stated so clearly on her back, like it is now, people are more hesitant to touch her. It’s understandable—she’s on call, at all times, but Noel loves being loved on. I don’t mind people showing her affection. And as long as she’s near me, I believe she’s aware of me and my needs.

We walk out to my Chevy Malibu, the car that Meg, my sister, bought brand new in her first year of teaching. After a few years, she decided to sell, and I was first in line to buy her car. I walk Noel over to the driver’s side door and Elliot stands across from me at the passenger door.

“What are you doing?” I ask him, my eyes falling to his hand on the door handle. “You aren’ t driving with me.” I keep my voice stern, but I’m not gonna lie. A whole lot of hate melted off of me when I caught Noel and Elliot nose to nose. The way she settled in his lap and the way he looked at her gave me all the facts. This man is not a dog hater. Not even a little bit. And I can’t chide him for loving his grandmother.

“Why not? We can talk along the way and?—”

I huff. Sure, the hate is gone, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to be besties. “Elliot, this is already more than I bargained for.”

“For me, too, but we still need to get to know one another.”

My phone pings in my pocket, and at the same time, a buzz sounds on Elliot’s side of the car. We blink at one another before turning to our cells.

There are two unknown numbers attached to a new text thread. Along with one text that reads:

After you two finish at the senior center, come back to my place. We’ve got some planning to do.

-Gran

“Um.” Elliot’s eyes blink up from his phone. “Is this you?”

“Of course it’s me. Are you in multiple mistletoe schemes with your grandmother and unsuspecting girls?” I grind my teeth—I’m not exactly thrilled that May just gave him my number. But then, I suppose we’d have to swap numbers at some point.

“Uh, nope. You’re the one and only.”

I sigh and watch as he taps his phone closed.

I slip into my car and Noel hops over to the passenger seat. Elliot opens the door and No-No smiles up at him. I bite my lip and contemplate making him sit in the back. That is Noel’s spot. And he did attempt to evict her.

Elliot glances at me and I twist my hands, already attached to the steering wheel.

“Can she sit on my lap?” he asks, surprising me again with his softness.

Maybe it’s that he didn’t even consider booting her to the back that has me saying, “Noel, back seat.”

She doesn’t mind making room for Elliot—and yet, she’s my girl. She can tell, with the scent of my stress hormones and the tone of my voice, that my anxiety levels are higher than normal. She won’t be going too far from me. I appreciate it.

“Thanks,” Elliot says, climbing inside.

But Noel’s fluffy head perches on the center armrest console, her nose nuzzling my elbow.

“She likes you a lot.” He smiles down at her between us. “And she listens like no dog I’ve met.”

“Noel isn’t like any other dog,” I say. And she loves me. She loves me like I love her. If I had to take one of those ethical tests and answer the question, ‘Would you save one relative or five strangers?’ I’d probably choose the strangers. It would be difficult. But I would still understand that I’m trading five lives for one.

And yet, if someone gave me that same test, only the question read, ‘Noel’s life or five strangers?’ it would be an impossible decision. I’m not sure what I’d do.

And if that makes me a horrible person, then I guess I’m a horrible person.

“I think you’re right,” he says, watching Noel as her nose brushes the back of my arm. “What is she doing? ”

I clear my throat. I’ve talked a lot about my anxiety since joining the board for Canine Compassion. I believe in the cause, and if sharing my story means helping others, I’m in.

Still, Elliot is tall and built and stupidly cute. He was sweet to his overzealous mother and hugged both his sisters goodbye. He loves his grandmother dearly—that’s clear after seeing them together once. Sure, I didn’t decide to not hate him until I saw him snuggled up to Noel. But the fact is, I don’t hate him. Put the whole package together—mother, grandmother, sister, dog lover, plus six-foot-four inches of yumminess—and it makes sharing my weaknesses a little more difficult.

And yet, if I’m going to keep Noel in the building, if we don’t want to lose our home, I need to make this ruse believable. That means the man will have to know a few things about me. And this is a big part of what makes me me .

“Bonnie?” he says when a minute passes and I haven’t bothered to answer him.

I clear my throat and focus on the road. At least I have the excuse of driving to avoid eye contact. I swallow. “I have anxiety attacks. Noel is good with everyone, but she is my service animal.”

He sets a hand to the dash and twists in his seat, the heat of his stare warming me. “She’s your service animal, not the senior center’s.” He shakes his head. “Why didn’t you say anything? I mean, forever ago, when I left that first note.”

“Because you were just some snitch who wanted to be the rule police. I didn’t want to tell you.”

His Adam’s apple bobs with a swallow.

“Besides, would you have done anything differently? I’ve read the lease. I know what it says. ‘No animals, no exceptions’.”

He runs a hand beneath his chin and my heart rate picks up. Noel licks the back of my arm and nudges me with her nose. “Maybe I would have. I think I would have. I don’t know,” he says. “Either way, there is an exception now. I guess my gran really liked those cards you sent her.”

“You really think that’s why we’re in the middle of this… arrangement ?”

“Honestly, I don’t know my gran’s reasons. But it’s clear she likes you. She’s willing to give you this.”

I smirk. “Yeah. As long as I’m willing to kiss her grandson.”

Big, broad Elliot Eaton goes pink at my words. Like maybe the man just ate three entire cherry pies and they’ve changed the pigment of his skin.

“She wants to talk to us when you’re finished at the center. Maybe if we explain that Noel is a service animal, she’ll make some adjustments to this deal.” He peeks back at Noel. “What do you think?”

“I heard that woman loud and clear. Did you not? No negotiations. ” I shake my head and deplete the air from my lungs. “I may not understand her reasoning, but you’re nuts if you think she’ll be talked out of anything.”