Home Is Where Your Bark Is

Chapter 26

Since moving to Chicago, Jake had been to the South Side Irish Parade more years than not. A couple of his buddies were hanging out today at a pub in the South Side a few blocks off Western from sunup till last call, but he wouldn’t meet up with them today, not with Seven in tow. He was here to see Jenna in the parade, and he’d keep as much distance from any potential craziness as he could.

While his Irish roots on his mother’s side had been muted down over the last couple generations, he adhered to the belief that everybody was Irish on Saint Paddy’s Day. Most years, he’d come dressed in green—right down to a pair of green plaid pants so tight in the crotch that every time he wore them, he swore it was his last—and drink enough Guinness to not be hungry the rest of the day.

Unlike the downtown parade that attracted a couple million attendees and participants with its impressive floats and the dyed-green Chicago River, this one was considerably easier to navigate. Even if it got a bit crazy at times—he’d fielded more than one potato being hurled his direction over the years—for the most part, families could bring their kids and canines and have a good time here. While Jake wouldn’t have set foot with Seven downtown yesterday for the big parade for anything, he was hopeful about this being a good experience for the dog.

Seven jumped down from the back seat of Jake’s Jeep—which was back from the body shop and good as new—and sniffed the air cautiously. “What’re you smelling, bud? All the chaos you’re about to be nose to nose with, or the snow up in those clouds?”

Forecast or not, there was no question a sizable snow was coming. The smell in the air, wet and crisp, was unmistakable. Anywhere from five to nine inches was being predicted, depending on the way the storm ended up moving through. The temps this morning had started out in the midforties but had been dropping steadily while the clouds darkened. Jake wasn’t going to be surprised if once the snow started, it dumped on the city fast and hard. Thankfully, meteorologists were predicting it would likely hold off until the parade was over, but if it didn’t, the one thing you could say about most Chicagoans was that they knew how to drive in the snow.

In the back of his Jeep, Jake had both a coat and the green plaid pants, and he lingered a moment, debating on each. He was wearing a long-sleeved thermal under a bright-green hoodie, jeans, and a pair of green high-top Converse Chuck Taylors. His crotch itched at the thought of the pants, and he was getting here late anyway, so the plaid pants just weren’t happening this year. As for the coat, he only planned on being out here an hour or two, and he was warm enough in what he was wearing for now, so he decided against both.

After shoving a couple waste bags in one pocket and a handful of treats in the other, Jake shut and locked the door. “Ready, bud?” Back at the condo, Seven hadn’t seemed a fan of the green-clover-print bandanna Jake had tied on him, dropping to the floor and rolling over onto his back as if it itched, but Jake hadn’t fallen for it, not with Seven’s thick coat. During the car ride here, Seven seemed to have forgotten about it, and Jake refrained from straightening it a touch over his shoulders in the event that doing so brought it to his attention once more. Against Seven’s glossy black-and-white fur, the triangular patch of green was a good complement. “You look real sharp, good buddy, though next year I’m getting you one of those leprechaun hats.”

Next year? You’re just fostering, remember?

He was just fostering, but it wasn’t his imagination that Seven was making progress. In his couple hours of unsupervised time during Jake and Jenna’s date the other night, the only thing Seven had damaged was the kitchen towel hung over the oven handle. He’d shredded that to pieces—no doubt because it smelled like food—but otherwise, Jake’s place had been unharmed. Even that tempting table leg hadn’t taken on any more damage.

There was no question about it. The dog was trainable, so long as his caregiver put in a lot of time and TLC.

Before he and Seven got too close to the crowds and the parade, Jake pulled out his phone and texted the location of his parked car to Jenna, who’d be riding home with him this afternoon. The parade had started in Beverly at 103rd and Western, but he intended to watch it a few blocks from where it ended in Morgan Park at 115th. Given how there were upward of a hundred different participant groups—various floats, bands, cars, dancers, and walkers—and Jenna’s family was toward the back, it would be a while yet before she got there.

The parade had started at one o’clock, and it was just after one thirty. While parking in the city was hardly ever a breeze, on days like today, it was a good half-mile walk from most anywhere to the parade route, but Jake hoped the trek would help Seven wear off some energy and acclimate to the noise and crowds they’d soon be in the throes of.

For the first few minutes of the walk, Jake and Seven encountered only a handful of people, and most of those were associated with the various stores, pubs, and restaurants they were passing here in Morgan Park. Jake was encouraged by the way Seven did no more than prick his ears at the people who called out to him. Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, pretty, handsome. Eventually, Seven got it all.

The closer they got to the noises of the parade, the less Seven strained against the leash to pull ahead, but his tail was still relaxed, which meant he wasn’t too nervous at the promise of what lay ahead.

As they passed a pub, a group that was clad entirely in green from head to foot and seated at a table outside next to a propane heater beckoned them over, but Jake declined. “Sorry, he’s not much for attention, and even less for affection,” he called out, raising his voice so they’d hear him over the speakers. “Life hasn’t always treated him that well.”

“Ahh, a true heartbreaker then,” an older man called back. “This is for him, but you’re welcome to wear it for him.” He tossed Jake a large green bead necklace with a pint for a medallion. “Be sure he gets some Guinness tonight, son!”

After thanking them, Jake headed on, draping it over his neck and chuckling. “You know, buddy, one of the things I love about you most is how your looks are totally wasted on you.”

It took the better part of a block for Jake to realize he’d thrown a four-letter word out there that after nearly thirty-four years on this planet, he was still quite hesitant to use: love. Given the way he’d been brought up, the odds weren’t in his favor of it ever rolling off his tongue. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d told his parents or brother he loved them—or heard those words from them either. Decades, likely.

It wasn’t that they didn’t; it just wasn’t something that had been spoken much in the Stiles household. Certainly, this had been one of Alyssa’s biggest complaints over their year together. “You’ll throw out your love for that restaurant but not for me,” she jabbed at him once, chasing the words even further down his throat.

As if he’d picked up on Jake’s line of thought, Seven turned and looked up at him, that calculating expression in his gaze.

“Yeah, okay, so maybe ‘like’ would’ve been better suited just now.” When Seven barked, Jake laughed. “Don’t blame me, bud. Aren’t you the first to show how Rome wasn’t built in a day?”

***

From where Jake and Seven were hanging back on the grass twenty feet back from the corner of 113th and Western, Jake spotted the two bead-wearing mules with spiky-green manes that Jenna had texted him about earlier when she’d gotten in line for the parade. “She’s getting close, bud,” Jake promised Seven. “Not long now, and we’ll head home.”

And it would be none too soon. It was colder than Jake had realized when he first stepped out of the Jeep, and snow flurries had started up, whipping about on the wind even though it was still a couple degrees above freezing. While Jake was damn cold and wishing for his coat, he still hoped any real accumulation would hold off a bit longer.

The thin crowd of parade goers in front of them hollered at the mules, snapped pictures, and took videos. Thankfully, everyone in the immediate vicinity had proven to be a relatively tame bunch to watch the parade with. This last half hour, Jake had gone through all the treats he’d brought along, and darned if he wasn’t giving Seven an A+ for his behavior so far.

Other than sitting at attention when Jake asked him to, Seven had remained standing, though he didn’t seem overly anxious, just alert and watchful. He’d even tolerated a dozen up-close ogles by the kids nearby, and his patience with them had worked in his favor. A toddler had spilled her take-along container of Goldfish crackers, and Seven had snarfed them up while the kids watched and laughed.

After all the treats and Goldfish, Seven had to be thirsty. A mom sitting in a camping chair nearby had offered Jake a bottle of water from her family’s cooler, but in this environment, Seven had either not been thirsty enough or relaxed enough to drink from Jake’s hand. Jake wished he’d grabbed the backpack that he’d packed with a jug of water and a bowl, but he’d offer it to Seven as soon as they got back to the Jeep.

Jake sank onto his heels and dragged a hand along Seven’s back. “How do you feel about stepping into the thick of things for a minute or two to wave at Jenna?”

Seven abruptly pressed forward and swiped his tongue straight across Jake’s mouth and nose, making Jake wish he’d hung on to the water bottle for himself, but Seven’s response seemed like confirmation enough.

Jake headed toward the family who’d given him the water. “Hey, mind if we step in front of you for a minute or two? I’d like to wave to my girlfriend. She’s about to pass by.”

The group consisted of a dozen people, young and old, standing and seated in camping chairs and wrapped in blankets, but the parade had been going on long enough that they easily made way, waving Jake ahead of them with smiles and calls of “Go right ahead.”

Keeping the leash tight, Jake led Seven in front of them, noticing the cautious way the dog first eyed the metal barricade blocking off the street. By the time they made it up there, the mules had moved on, but a handful of people on horseback were passing by. Seven cautiously stuck his head between the metal bars and barked at the horses, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end, making everyone around them laugh.

“Hey, there she is, Seven!” Jake spotted Jenna sixty or seventy feet down from them. She was with a group of people of various ages, waving to the crowd. Sam was at her side, one hand locked in hers.

Jake watched for several seconds, aware of the way adrenaline flowed through his body at the sight of her. The truth of it was, he’d have hung out here for much longer than this just for a glimpse of her. She was in jeans and an Irish wool sweater and wearing a glittery miniature-sized leprechaun hat—not that different from the hundreds of participants who’d passed in the last half hour, but sight of her still sucked his breath right from his lungs.

Even though it was unlikely she’d hear him over the group of kilted men with bagpipes fifty or so feet behind her, he began waving and calling out her name.

Seven looked up at him questioningly, as if attempting to decipher what had caught his attention. “It’s Jenna, bud. You’ll spot her in a minute.”

When she was fifteen feet way, Jake called her name a second time. This time, she looked right at him, and recognition lit her face.

“Jake!” She passed care of Sam off to an older man walking at the front edge of their family float and jogged Jake’s way, her cheeks pink from the cold and her eyes bright. Her hair was in a loose braid with green ribbon woven in and sparkly clovers pinned in several places. “I was worried I’d miss you!”

“We weren’t going to let you,” Jake said with a laugh.

As she neared, Seven barked loudly, his tail wagging.

“Oh, sweet Seven, now I don’t know which of you two to hug first,” she said with a laugh.

“Don’t be daft! Kiss the lad, lady! ” a drunken man called out, his words slurred. Judging by his over-the-top accent, he was likely not Irish, but even so, the declaration created a ripple of laughter all around.

“Oh, believe me, I plan to do just that,” Jenna shot back in the man’s direction, her blue-green eyes sparkling. Careful not to knock off her hat, she slipped off the longest necklace from around her neck. Instead of green beads, it was composed of letters, spelling KISSMEIMIRISH multiple times over. “I saved this one for you,” she said with a laugh.

As she draped it over his head, Jake pulled her in for an open-mouthed kiss, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Maybe it had nothing to do with the encouragement, but Jake pulled her closer, closing one hand around her back, and his tongue slid against hers before they pulled apart.

A few disappointed jeers rolled over the crowd as they pulled apart. “More kissing!” someone yelled.

Waving them off, Jenna kept her focus on Jake. “I’ve seen it a hundred times over the years, but I’ve never kissed anyone in the crowd before. I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

“That’s the sexiest thing you’ve said to me yet.” He pressed his lips against hers one more time. Her hands and lips were ice cold, and he wanted to offer her body heat that he suspected he didn’t have. “You’re freezing.”

“So are you,” she said with a laugh, her cheeks and tip of her nose red. “I thought walking would warm me up, but it hasn’t.” Pulling something from her back pocket, Jenna bent down to greet Seven, who’d barked again as they’d kissed. “This is for you, sweet boy,” she said, offering him a treat through the bars. “The group ahead of us is giving them out to people with dogs.”

“Nice. You still meeting me at the Jeep when you’re done? I doubt you saw where I parked yet, but getting here late like I did, I’m a ways out. I could head toward 115th and walk with you.”

“That’s okay. It’s always a swarm of people down that way as the parade dumps out. And cell service will suck. I doubt we’d ever find each other.” Jenna glanced toward the group she’d been walking with, but they’d moved on past them now. “If I didn’t need to say goodbye to everybody, I’d find a way over this barrier right now.”

“I’ll lift you over in a heartbeat, if you want.”

Jenna’s eyes seemed to say yes before she gave a light shake of her head. “While that’s the sexiest thing you’ve said to me yet, I’ve got to swing by my aunt’s car and grab my stuff. Besides, I need to say goodbye to everybody. I won’t be long though. Promise. We’ll go get the biggest hot chocolates ever.” Closing both hands over the sides of his face, she stepped in for another kiss, and the drunk Irish impersonator down the way called out for tongue. Jake felt Jenna’s laugh reverberating inside his mouth, and he wanted to remember it forever.

Lost in the adrenaline of the experience, he’d been ignoring the putt-putting sounds of the miniature cars with their lawn-mower engines as they grew louder, even though Seven had reacted badly to the first group of them that had passed by. Too late, a bugle horn blared from close by, piercing their ears, making both Jake and Jenna jump. Jake had the leash wrapped around his wrist so that it couldn’t slip out from his fingers in the event Seven caught him off guard, but in the space of the snap of two fingers, Seven bolted backward with enough force that the leash was yanked clear off Jake’s wrist.

Seven was loose.

Jake turned with a start, ready to lunge for the leash as Seven continued to bolt backward in panic, but a stranger shoved in front of him, attempting to do the same thing, impeding Jake but not moving fast enough to catch the leash.

“Hey, somebody grab that leash!” Jake yelled after Seven skittered away from the stranger who’d lunged at him.

His tail tucked tightly between his legs as he continued backing away, Seven looked at Jake for a split second before his attention was caught by several strangers abruptly closing in on him.

“Wait, give him some space!” Jake yelled when he saw the panic flooding into Seven’s gaze. Whether anyone heard him or not, he didn’t know because an entire pack of miniature cars was descending upon them on the other side of the barrier, and no one could hear anything any longer.

As Seven bolted down the street away from the parade, Jake realized just how badly he’d been playing with fire, and a fear gripped him worse than anything he’d experienced in a long time.