Another Door Opens

9 - First step, post-breakup - get drastic hair makeover

“You know, Pip, I am a hairdresser, and I could dye it red and plait your hair for you if you’d like to look more like Pippy Longstockings?” I offered, though in no way having any intention of following through on it. Elodie would actually kill me.

“Mummy would be even more grumpy if you did that, Aunty Eden,” Piper said seriously, though looking like she was at least a little bit tempted like I was.

“Maybe when you’re a little older and your Aunty Eden isn’t hell bent on isolating herself even more you can ask her to fix your hair like that,” Penn laughed, starting the car and looking over at me like I was in league with the Devil in trying to corrupt my niece to spite my own sister. I’m tempted alright, but the upkeep on red hair when you’re very much a startlingly light, natural blonde would be a nightmare, and I won’t be here to help her do it myself given I’m heading home later today. “But for now, let’s just get some sugar in our bellies, huh? And some more coffee for Aunty Eden.”

Piper didn’t need telling twice at the mention of sugar, so sat back and got comfortable while Penn drove us to the cafe, which lasted only as long as it took for her to spy a dog sitting by a pole outside the cafe waiting patiently for its human, who I assume must be inside. 

Piper has wanted a dog since she understood what they were. Elodie, however, seems barely able to enjoy the responsibility of a human child so refuses to cave to Piper’s ongoing requests. Her cousins on her father’s side had a little yappy chihuahua, and she was transfixed from the moment they met. I actually think 'dog' was one of her first words, and given she’s an absolute firecracker of a kid and completely fearless, a giant dog such as this one, who arguably would have weighed about five times her weight at least was nothing, and she walked slowly up to the dog waiting patiently as soon as Penn was parked and she was out of the car.

Now, I’m absolutely a dog lover, through and through. But I also know better than to allow a young kid like Piper to go up to a dog neither of us know on her own, especially when the owner isn’t around to ask whether it’s okay and if the dog is friendly and would welcome the attention. He looks like a complete sweetheart, as I assume he must be seeing as he's able to sit here unsupervised without being tied up and not run off, but when it comes to Piper’s safety, I just can’t risk it.

“Pip, you don’t know this puppy, so you can’t pat him unless his owner is here and you can ask if it’s okay first,” I said, grabbing her outstretched hand and pulling it back a fraction. By the looks of said puppy, who was smiling his big panty smile and tail wagging furiously while he remained seated, I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded the pat at all, and I cursed how responsible I was being even more when Piper’s sad face turned away from the dog and she dragged her heels inside with Penn and I, stepping inside the door held open by what looks to be the man who witnessed me laughing at him yesterday while he walked and read his book. No wonder the dog outside looked familiar to me. Had he not been wearing a shirt again right now, I would be able to confidently say for sure that it was him, such was the imprinting of those defined back and ab muscles on my memory. That, or fainted in a heartbeat having all that hotness so near to me.

“Thank you,” said Piper as she walked in past the man, who smiled down at her kindly. Turning back to me as I too walked inside the door still held open by this gorgeous man, whose eye I was purposely avoiding but whose arm I couldn’t help but brush past given how tight a squeeze the doorway was, Piper continued her complaining. "He would not have bitten me. I could tell. His tail was wagging. That is how they tell you they are happy." 

The man still holding the door chuckled to himself, and I was saved from impulsively looking back at him and how beautiful his laugh was by Penn, who had followed closely behind me inside and who I'd have butted heads with if I had stopped and turned back like I wanted to.