Sapphire Eyes ~ 10 Chapter Challenge

Calm Response ~ Mirna

Thunk! Smack. Smack. I stop jogging and peek around the nearby bushes. Nessa turns back and gazes up at me, tilted head, cute doggie grin on her face. Kaden's brother is playing basketball in the driveway of their huge house. Oh my gosh, talk about spoiled rich!

I kneel and stare into Nessa's golden eyes. "Alright, Nestle Chocolate. It's time to see if you really are worth fifteen thousand dollars." I grab her collar and gently nudge her head toward the house. "Go bring help." Nessa takes off straight up the driveway.

Kaden's brother grabs a rebound and then spots Nessa heading straight for him. He freezes in place and watches her as she trots right by, into the open garage. She disappears through an open door. Where is she going?!

"Nessa!" I step around the bush and walk up the driveway.

Kaden's brother turns around to face me. He points at me with his mouth parted open and bounces his hand a little bit. "I thought I recognized that dog from earlier today. You came over." He gives me a big grin and I shrug. Honestly, it was hard to makemyself wait, so I came as soon as I finished showering and doing my make-up andhair. "I'm Logan, by the way," he says.

Logan. Logan. Low gun, the sharpshooter. "Logan, nice to meet you. I'm Miri." I hold my hand out.

Logan shakes my hand, then slips out and grabs my fingers, slides his hand around to lock my thumb, lets go, and pounds my fist. He grins at me.

I can't help but blush. He is cute.

"Come on; let's go get your dog." Logan leads me up the driveway and into the garage. We go through a hallway, past a washer and dryer and some stairs, into the kitchen.

My eyes are drawn to the crystal wine glasses hanging from the ceiling above the island countertop, and the microwave that matches the stove, fixed in between the cabinets, and the refrigerator with the water dispenser, and the counter with the high stools. Wow, this is really ritzy.

Logan leaves the kitchen and goes across this large room with a high ceiling. The chair, couch, and loveseat all match. I follow Logan, going past a glass hutch filled with old-looking dishes, wondering where Nessa ran off to. We go down another hallway, where Logan stops at a room on the corner filled with expensive electronics. My jaw drops at the sight of the shelves filled with Blurays and DVDs, the huge flat screen, and the two computers on the desks.

We move on to the open door at the end of the hallway, where we find Nessa curled up on the foot of a bed. With a start, I recognize Kaden tucked under the dark green comforter. Nessa is watching him sleep.

"Nessa, come," I whisper, but she only perks her ears up at me, then continues to watch Kaden snore softly. I tiptoe up to the bed and take Nessa's leash. "Come!" I tug, but she whines and holds her ground. I grab her collar and pull as hard as I can, but she scrambles around on the bed. I let her go, not wanting to wake Kaden up.

"Here." Logan steps up and scoops Nessa into his arms. She scrambles around, running in the air, as Logan turns toward the door. Then she starts to bark, something a service dog never does unless she needs to get someone's attention.

"Put her down," I snap, and Kaden's eyes open. Logan drops Nessa, and as soon as she hits the floor, she jumps back onto the bed. She paws at Kaden's arm and sniffles his face.

Kaden is remarkably calm. Nessa just sort of folds into his arms. "Oh? Hello?" Kaden mumbles. "How did you get in here?"

"That's my fault," I say.

Kaden finally notices me. "Mirna, you came over." He smiles.

"Sorry she woke you up."

"Ah, that's okay. I need to get up anyways." Kaden slowly sits up. Nessa steps back and jumps down to the floor when he stands.

"Nessa, come," I say, but she ignores the command again. It's like she completely forgot her training. This is not good.

"Hi Nessa." Kaden kneels in front of her and runs his hands through her silky fur. "Man, she's a calm dog. Is she purebred?"

"Yeah. One hundred percent chocolate lab."

Kaden stands up and looks at Logan, then back at me. "So what're you up to?"

"Nothing," Logan says in this carefree voice.

I raise my eyebrows at Kaden and tilt my head toward the door. "Should we go outside?"

Kaden shrugs and leads the way to the door. Nessa follows by Kaden's side. Without even getting the command from Kaden, she's doing what she's supposed to do. Part of me wants to call her back to my side, but I crush the feeling. She might be my dog, but I get the feeling Kaden needs her more than I ever did.