What did you do that for? Day 2

The sun seemed to come up really early, and really bright. Almost too bright. Something smelled like old damp dog, and I really hoped it wasn’t me. I couldn’t remember if Carol had a dog.

Sitting up in bed, I see and feel why the sun seems so much brighter, sheer lacy curtains on the window and a swimming head from too much wine. Blinking hard to try to stop the dizzies, I smell that wet dog smell again. Dropping my feet to the floor, I stand up slowly and glance around on the floor to see if it is in the room with me. So far so good, no smelly critters.

Walking out into the hallway and towards where I think I remember the bathroom being, I hear water running and steam starting to come out from under the door. Someone is taking a shower. I pass on the bathroom for now and head towards the kitchen.

Carol is at the sink, water running over a colander full of the biggest, reddest Strawberries I have ever seen. On the island between us, a huge plate of fresh French toast, a tub of what looks like fresh made butter, and the stand mixer whirring away. Giving the strawberries a shake and dumping them into a bowl, she turns and ses me in the doorway.

“Hungry?” I shake my head* “Thirsty then? Theres fresh squeezed OJ in the fridge and the water dispenser is in the door.” She hands me a glass before darting out of the kitchen and down the hall the reverse of the trek I just made.

I hear a knocking on the door, a rumbly incoherent response and her giggling for a moment. “OK then, hurry up. I’m hungry and I’ll eat without you.” She shouts behind her as she reappears in the doorway. “Some people, huh Holl?”

I smile and sip from my glass of water. This girl moves faster than I do on a Saturday night at the bar, and smoothly too, almost like she’s gliding on more than two feet. I shake my head and chide myself for such a ridiculous thought. Of course she isn’t a super, she does belong to the Fellowship too after all.

“And good morning to you.” He looked at me with eyes the color of dark caramel. “I hope I didn’t wake you up.” Unable to speak I just shook my head, and jumped as the piece of toast ripped its way free from my fork and plopped onto my plate.

Now embarrassed, I drop my head and scramble to grab the rest of my food. Once everything is on my plate, I manage a couple bites before I finally find my voice again. Something that usually isn’t a problem for me.

I take another sip of my water and start, “Hey Carol, hon those curtains are awful to wake up to in the morning. Especially if the person waking up *might* have had a glass or two more wine that she should have.” I had to laugh at myself for that one. I couldn’t help it if we’d decided that last bottle shouldn’t go begging with just a glass or two left in it.

“And, um, no. You didn’t bother me with the shower.” Now feeling I had my feet under me again, I brave another look at Carol’s hubby? boyfriend? “Oh, and I’m Holly by the way.”

He chuckled, almost another growl from deep inside, and introduced himself as Alcide and asked where I knew Carol from.

As I told him about how we met at the Fellowship Hall a few months ago, and how we’d gotten to be friends so quickly there. I also told him how I was surprised that she had someone in her life, since she’d never mentioned him before. He responded in kind that he didn’t know she’d make friends at the Fellowship or that she’d gone more than once or twice.

Carol took a big drink of her OJ and added in her two cents, she hadn’t mentioned Alcide because he’d been away in Mississippi working on construction projects and that relationships had never really come up while we were talking before. She looked sideways at him and gave him a look that said, be here more and you’d know more.

He raised his hands in submission and then grabbed the bowl of berries, giving Carol a couple before taking for himself. Carol looked at me and asked how the food was.

“Delicious. Though hey, when I woke up, besides the sun, I thought I smelled wet dog. Though maybe my nose was as tipsy as the rest of me.”

Carol looked at me sideways and Alcide just gave me a wink. They both gave a reply to my statement at the same time then looked at each other. I didn’t hear either correctly. We then finished eating in quiet, the sounds of the morning outside leaking in through the space made by the slightly open kitchen window.

Once we finished eating, Alcide gathered up our plates and shooed us out of the kitchen. Carol suggested we not waste this beautiful day and maybe get a little shopping in. I agreed but insisted I needed a shower and fresh clothes before we did anything more. I ran out to my car to grab a spare set of clothes I always keep in it and on my way back into the house noticed a track of large dried muddy paw prints on the patio that stopped just in front of the door.
Telling myself once again that I was seeing things, because there’s no way Carol or that beautiful Alcide would have anything to do
with anything supernatural. Shaking the thought, I went inside, cleaned up and spent the day happily girling it up.