Page 29 of The Attercop

Declan called out, “I’ve laid out some clothes for you. When you’re ready, there’s someone downstairs that I want you to meet.”

The dog barked.

Charlie asked, “Uh…before that, don’t you think we should be discussing the tiny, smelly elephant in the room?”

“Oh, you mean the dog?”

“Yes. I thought Mrs B was going to take him to the pound on her way home last night.”

Declan shrugged. “Well, that was her original plan. She took him in and they scanned him for a chip, but they found nothing. As she was leaving, the little guy just started to whimper and whine…and she said it didn’t feel right to leave him there.”

“Didn’t feel right?” Charlie asked. “But it felt right to bring him back here? And when did she bring him back? We were here last night.”

Declan nodded. “Yes. Well, she said she tried taking him home with her, but her sister didn’t want the hound in the house because it wasn’t doggy-proof. Something about a lot of fine china figurines at tail and snout level. So, Mrs B wound up bringing him back here late last night. She made up a nice little bed for him on the couch.”

Declan ruffled the dog’s fur. “You must have snuck up from the office to the apartment when I wasn’t looking. Didn’t you, boy? Such a smart dog. You just missed your Uncle Charlie.”

“We are not keeping that mutt, and I am not his uncle.”

“Oh, the plan isn’t to keep it. Mrs B figures he probably lives somewhere in the neighbourhood and she’s going to put up some flyers in the hope he can be reunited with his owners.”

The dog barked and let loose with a puff of gas that made Charlie’s eyes water.

Declan grimaced. “Mrs B picked up some special food at the pound that’s supposed to take care of that. If we don’t find the owners, she said she could take him with her when she goes home tonight. Now…get yourself dressed and come downstairs.”

Declan kissed Charlie on the forehead, sighed and went down to the office.

Charlie frowned. Today was not going to be what he’d dreamt it would become. It was going to be another typical day with the man he loved, one filled with chaos. When he thought of it like that, things didn’t sound so bad.

Charlie quickly dressed and headed down the stairs. As he stepped into Declan’s office, he heard muffled voices coming from the other room. He made his way through the doorway and was greeted by Declan, Mrs B and Gwen, who all shouted out, “Happy birthday!”

“How…how did you know?” Charlie stuttered out.

“Oh, the secrets you can find in someone’s personnel record,” Mrs B replied.

Gwen walked forward holding a large cake, alight with a mass of candles.

“Happy birthday, Charlie. Now make a wish and blow out the candles before we set off the heat detector.”

Charlie closed his eyes.Please give me a lifetime with Declan,he wished,then blew out the candles.

When he opened his eyes, Declan was standing in front of him holding a small wrapped package. He smiled and said, “Happy birthday.”

Charlie gently took the package in his hands.

“Thank you,” he squeaked out.

“It’s more than just a box,” Declan said. “There’s something inside. Open it.”

Charlie tore the paper off and saw the label on the box. It said it was an Acix smartwatch. Charlie knew his digital toys, andthis was one of the best out there, but before he said anything, he opened the box, just to be sure. One Christmas he’d been fooled by a package labelled as a skate sharpener, and inside had discovered a wooden back-scratcher instead.

He took a breath and opened it. He couldn’t contain his excitement.

“It’s amazing!” he yelled out, removing the electronic wonder from its container. “This does everything! How did you know?”

Declan grinned. “I do pay attention to what you talk about…sometimes.”

Charlie threw his arms around Declan and gave him a passionate kiss as the dog barked and danced around them.