Chapter 10
Before she left the house, Lynn took a picture of her current work in progress. She wasn’t yet ready to share all of her paintings with Mike, but if he happened to ask, she’d like to have something to show him.
When she got down to the docks, Mike had already landed and was unloading Biggles from the plane.
She stared at them, an odd realization dawning on her. That was not what she expected Mike’s dog to look like. Without consciously thinking it, Lynn assumed that he would have a Doberman, or a German Shepherd, or something like it. Big, agile, disciplined.
She couldn’t have been more wrong. She watched as Mike walked around the plane, Biggles still in his arms. He was a small dog, maybe thirty pounds or so, with a wiry, scruffy look. His face was white and once he was down on the ground, he moved slowly.
Lynn stood, watching them for a moment. Biggles didn’t pay her any attention.
So he did take after his owner.
“Hey there,” she called out.
A smile broke across his face when he spotted her. “Hey! It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too. And is this Biggles?” Lynn knelt down, extending a hand to the dog. He walked toward her, sniffed her hand, wagged his tail exactly twice, and then went on to investigate a leaf that had just blown by.
“Yep, that’s him.”
She stood up. “How did he like his first plane ride?”
“He was okay with it. No protests, at least.”
“The engine didn’t bother him?”
“Ah,” Mike nodded. “Good thinking. But no, he’s deaf.”
Lynn laughed. “That makes sense. He’s cute. He suits you.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “Does he?”
“In an odd way, yes.”
He seemed to weigh this for a moment, but she cut him off before he could reply.
“Where do you want to go? There are a few parks nearby. And there’s a café with a nice patio. I think dogs are allowed.”
“That sounds great.”
They got into Lynn’s car, Biggles sitting in the front on Mike’s lap, and made the short drive to the café. Once they were seated, Lynn could no longer contain her curiosity.
“You said that you were up late working on something. Did it have anything to do with the pictures that I took?”
He smiled. “Maybe.”
“Don’t lie to me, Mike.”
“I would never lie to you.”
She clasped her hands together, pride swelling in her chest. “I knew it! See? I’ve always told you that I would’ve been a great undercover agent.”
“I completely agree with you,” he said. “You would’ve been a brilliant agent. But you lack a key quality.”
She frowned. “Recklessness?”
“No,” he shook his head. “You have a fair amount of that.”
