The Icing on the Cake Read Free

been an item for nearly a year while
in high school.  The two had made a beautiful couple—Lori, tall, platinum blond
and statuesque.  Joe, taller, dark, and built like a Greek god.  Perhaps he
hoped to pick up where he and Lori had left off years before.
    She wondered, did he still have feelings
for Lori?  She began chewing her lip thoughtfully.  Lori had been divorced for
several years and was now dating Chad Lawson, a local lawyer.  It appeared the
two had a future together, if Lori’s take on their relationship was accurate.
    “Krissy…?” Joe said, interrupting her
thoughts.
    It took her several seconds to remember
the question he’d asked.  “Sometimes she works,” she answered with a sigh. 
“Well, I really need to get moving.  Duty calls,” she added too brightly.

Chapter Two
     
    Kristine turned away from Joe and
started toward the bakery when suddenly, she heard a woman’s scream.  She spun
around, alarmed, and registered the arrival of the large dog that had caused
her fall from the ladder.  The dog lumbered toward her and rose up on its back
feet.  Its large front paws struck her chest, causing her to topple backward. 
Somehow, some way, and she had no idea how he did it, Joe managed to catch her
once again.   
    For a brief second, she was dangling in
the air, held by him, and mortified by the sight of the sidewalk inches from
her face.  Suddenly, he grasped her other arm and pulled her into an upright
position and set her on her feet as if she weighed no more than a small child. 
    “Gracie!” the woman cried in horror as
she reached Kristine.  “Did she hurt you?  Gracie ,” she moaned.  “What
am I going to do with you?”
    Joe, who was still holding Kristine
upright, watched the woman angrily.  “That dog could have killed Krissy.  Until
you can control her, you have no business bringing her downtown.”
    “Kristine.  I’m Kristine,” she said
shakily.  Why Joe insisted on calling her Krissy…?
    “I’m so sorry,” the woman said, watching
Kristine with concern. 
    “That dog is out of control,” Joe
insisted again.
    The woman’s eyes filled.  “I know!  I
told my husband that, right before she dug out of her dog run and jumped over
our six foot fence.  Funny, she’s his dog but you don’t see him chasing after
her.”  She visibly deflated before them and began to cry.  “I can’t keep her,”
she said resignedly.  “I’ve tried everything to keep her contained, but…”  She
threw her hands up in defeat.
    “She wants to be around people,” Joe
said.  “You wouldn’t enjoy being confined, would you?”
    “She’s confined only when we have
somewhere we have to be,” the woman said in her defense.  “She spends most of
her time inside the house with me.  Unfortunately, it turns out she’s a runner
and takes off at the first opportunity.  Today, my youngest opened the screen
door and she took off like a shot before I could stop her.”
    Joe spun around, attempting to spot the
dog.  He saw her standing in the doorway of the bakery, as if waiting for the
doors to open for the day.  “Her name’s Gracie?” he clarified.
    The woman nodded.  “Yes.  I figured if I
gave her a ladylike name, she might live up to it.”
    “No such luck,” Joe said, now smiling
sympathetically.  “What kind of dog is she?”
    “She’s a pitsky,” she informed, “part
American Pit Bull Terrier, part husky.”
    He nodded and eyed the dog
thoughtfully.  “She’s a beautiful dog.”
    Kristine turned to look at the dog.  Joe
was right.  Gracie, bright white with green eyes, had one orange ear and one
speckled ear, and was gorgeous.  Her face resembled that of a pit bull, but her
body was husky, though her coat was short.  She was all muscle, still a puppy,
and they soon learned, a ball of wriggly love.
    Gracie seemed to sense she was being
watched and dashed back to them.  She leapt at Joe, attempting to put her front
paws on his chest.  He