“Well, she was,” he said, looking to Jessica, still sitting behind the wheel. “But remember. She’s been eating your neighbor’s pizza too.”
At that, she laughed. “I’ll come with you,” she said, as she hopped out, opened the back passenger door, and took Danny out of the car seat. Which made Kona take notice, and she jumped from the vehicle.
“Do you want the stroller?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. We’ll get a cart in the store. I think they may have small pets and fish that Danny can look at.”
Inside the store, she and Danny veered off to where the pets were, while Greyson and Kona walked to the aisles of dog food. Picking up a couple twenty-pound bags of good quality food, he loaded them into his own shopping cart. When he found Jessica again, he smiled to see Danny reaching for the glass aquarium, looking at the fish on the other side.
“They’re pretty colorful, aren’t they?” he asked Jessica, unloading the dog food into her cart, leaving his behind.
“They’re beautiful,” she replied, “but not something I’ve ever wanted to have as a pet.”
“No,” he said. “I like pets you can touch and cuddle.” He reached a hand down to Kona, who was in the store with him, something that apparently was completely okay with management. And that was a blessing because he didn’t think she would take kindly to being left in the car while the three of them strode off. “If you’re okay here, I’ll take Kona to check out collars and leashes.”
He walked Kona over and looked at the collars, settling on a good-size collar that was adjustable and would fit nicely on her neck. Leaving it on, he looked at the leashes. He tested the weight on several and chose one, connecting it to her new collar, then removed the rope from around her neck. He looped it up and put it around his arm so he had a way to carry it, then walked back to see that Danny and Jessica were now in front of a big toy house full of kittens.
“Now those are adorable,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know what Kona would think of them though.”
“And that brings up a really good point,” she said. “What will you do with Kona?”
He looked at her with surprise, then looked at the dog and shrugged. “I don’t have a clue yet,” he said. “I was told to come here and track her down, to make sure she was okay, having a good life, and, if she wasn’t, to see that she was removed, so the government could provide her with a better life. I believe the Denver couple adopted a different K9 dog instead.”
“Well, I hope you don’t take her away just yet,” Jessica said. “At least not until we find the kidnapper.” She reached down and gently brushed the top of Danny’s head. He had a few tufts of pure white hair and was completely fascinated by the kittens. He clapped his hands together, desperately wanting to hold one.
One of the staff came over and said, “Are you guys looking for a kitten?”
“No,” they both said. The woman looked at them in surprise. They smiled. “Kona is already a relatively new adjustment to the family,” Jessica said, pointing to the dog.
The staff person nodded, smiled, and said, “All pets are an adjustment.” She looked down at Kona and smiled a little more. “She’s beautiful. I love her unique markings.”
“It’s the Malinois in her,” Greyson said, and she nodded and left. “If you’re ready to go,” he said to Jessica, “let’s buy this stuff and get going.” He walked to the cash register, pushing the shopping cart with Danny and the dog food, a few treats for Kona, who was even now sporting her new leash.
Up at the front, the cashier quickly rang up their items. Once he paid, they headed back outside to the car. He loaded up the dog food in the trunk, as she buckled Danny into the car seat. Loading Kona into back seat beside Danny, they both looked happy as Danny babbled away in a cheerful voice, his hand patting Kona on the head. The big dog seemed completely content to lie there beside him. The two adults got back into the car, and she pulled out of the parking lot. “Where to?”
“Well, that was what I needed,” he said. “So how about people food?”
“Yes, we could use a bit more,” she said. Down the opposite side of the block was a large grocery store. She pulled in, and he hopped out with Kona once again.
“Now Kona’s not likely to be allowed in the grocery store,” he said with a smile. “So why don’t I walk her around the parking lot, while you go in and get a few groceries?”
“Oh,” she said, “I should have thought of that. An outdoor market is over there that’s open now.”
He walked around the corner and saw a large outdoor store that had wide aisles up and down it and big orchard boxes full of vegetables. “Well, this works,” he said. “What do you need?” He pushed a small shopping cart and loaded up on the vegetables, as she called out what they needed for the next few days. “But surely you need things like eggs and bacon and meat, right?”
“Inside,” she said. “Let’s just walk in with the dog and see if anybody says anything.” They went in and, sure enough, found a section with fresh eggs and dairy, plus all different types of sliced meats, including bacon. He found a butcher counter on the side as well. There he ordered several steaks and quite a few links of sausages.
She smiled at him. “You’re such a guy,” she teased. “It’s all about the meat here.”
“Well, I’d be good with fish too,” he said. “I didn’t see a barbecue grill or pit at your place though. Do you have one?”
She shook her head.
