Avery Meets Chevy: A Special Christmas Short Story: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery Read online

  Avery Meets Chevy

  By: Mary Hiker

  Avery Meets Chevy

  An Avery Barks Christmas Season Short Story

  By Mary Hiker

  Published By:

  Awesome Dog

  Copyright © 2015 Mary Hiker

  www.maryhiker.com

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

  Cover by StunningBookCovers.com

  Chapter 1

  Where the heck is my necklace?

  After searching through every drawer in my oak dresser three times, I’d resorted to checking under my bed. I pressed the side of my face against the small bedroom rug and squinted, hoping to catch a glimpse of the shiny gold dog charm attached to the pretty chain that held so many precious memories.

  Nothing.

  Well, nothing except a few dust balls resting on the wood floor below the bed’s box spring and mattress. I ignored those for a moment, putting them on my mental to-do list for tomorrow as I continued my search.

  I could’ve sworn the necklace had been lying on top of one of the halfway unpacked boxes in the kitchen the other day. With all the commotion of getting moved, I could’ve mindlessly dropped it anywhere as we trudged back and forth, carrying furniture from the moving van to the cabin.

  I sighed in frustration. My silver bracelet would have to do.

  It wasn’t like I had a lot of choices in jewelry. I only owned a couple bracelets and one–now missing-necklace, and rarely saw the need to wear any of them. My life was simple, intentionally so. Clean jeans were about as glamorous as it got most days. Except tonight. This was one of the few occasions that warranted I dress up a little bit. It was our annual employee Christmas party, and the boss had generously planned a nice dinner for the whole staff at one of the mountain resorts. No jeans allowed.

  We were allowed to bring one guest, but I planned on going alone. Even though it had been four years since my ex-boyfriend chose to take a job in Chicago, I hadn’t dated much since. Not that I had anything against dating; I just found it easier not to.

  I looked at the time and hurried out the door, throwing on my plum colored quilted coat over the black button down blouse I wore only on special occasions. My black slacks kept my legs plenty warm on the cool December evening, and since it was a mild winter and there were only a few inches of snow on the ground, I chose ankle boots to complete my outfit.

  This should meet the dress code, I thought to myself.

  Christmas songs echoed throughout the cab of my truck, as I made my way down the back roads toward the resort. As the lighthearted Deck the Halls faded out and the switched to the old classic Jingle Bells, my heart sank with the heaviness I feel each time I hear this song.

  Jet.

  Jet was a highly professional, well trained search and rescue dog who became a puppy every time he heard the sound of a jingle bell. His favorite toy was a rugged blue ball that had a little bell inside. He was crazy about that ball and the way it ringed and dinged when he pushed it across the floor.

  Jet and I were joined at the hip for a good ten years, until this time last year, when he took his last breath as I laid on the floor next to him softly scratching his head just the way he liked it. By the time of his death, my work-a-holic border collie had aged and slowed down considerably. He lived a great life and died a natural death, but the memory of losing him still brought a tear to my eye. I missed him and whispered to myself, “Rest in peace, Jet.”

  I cracked the window to breathe in some fresh North Carolina mountain air and switched the radio station to something more upbeat. It wouldn’t do for the mascara I hardly ever wore to leave a trail down my face.

  The rumble of my truck tires running over the gravel on the edge of the road snapped me back to the present. I gave a quick yank on the steering wheel to keep my truck on the road, surprised that I had allowed my thoughts to wander so far.

  I forced myself to sing and bob my head to the holiday music on the radio, while I focused intently on the dark road. By the time I pulled in under the bright Christmas lights at the resort, I was back in the Christmas spirit and ready to have fun at the party.

  #

  Normally, my idea of a fun night with friends would gravitate toward hanging out around a campfire, wearing jeans and a fleece jacket, but I actually found myself enjoying the surroundings at the resort. The soft white light displays were beautiful and the food was about the best I’d ever eaten.

  My friend Jamie kept me laughing all evening. I set her up on a date with one of the guys from work, just so I would have someone fun to hang out with at the party. It might have been a bad idea though, since Jamie seemed to have eyes for my boss instead.

  “Avery, who’s that good looking guy in the blue suit?” she asked, while her date was in the restroom. Her eyes were shining with curiosity and interest. She couldn’t stop smiling.

  “That’s my boss, Jordon. Keep your hands off him, at least for tonight. I don’t want any drama.”

  She giggled and tossed her shiny black hair at my not so stern warning. “Okay, Avery, just for you. But tomorrow is open season, right?”

  The house band played the latest line-dancing song and the whole group got up on the dance floor. We all bobbed and clapped in unison, keeping up with the latest dance sensation. As the song ended, Mr. Goodman, my boss, strolled out on the stage, took the microphone and flashed a winning smile.

  “Ooohh, he could be a model,” Jamie whispered, all dreamy eyes again.

  I chuckled, but I couldn’t disagree. I had to warn her, ”You might not think so if you saw him at work, covered in motor oil.”

  “Oil, hmm,” was all she said and I couldn’t help but laugh at her expression.

  I forced myself to be serious as Mr. Goodman tapped the microphone, trying to get the rowdy crowd’s attention. I looked around me, at my coworkers dressed in their Sunday finest. They all looked good, not all covered in grease like a normal workday.

  I worked as the office manager down at Goodman’s maintenance shop and the guys were normally dirty from head to toe. It wasn’t the best job in the world, but glamorous jobs were tough to come by in a small mountain town, even with a college degree.

  My life was rich because I loved living in this area and hiking the national forest nearby. Besides, the people at work were friendly and Mr. Goodman gave me time off whenever I went on a search and rescue mission.

  Mr. Goodman once again tapped on the microphone with his strong mechanic’s hands and gathered everyone in front of the stage. The band played softly behind him as he spoke.

  “I hope you’ve all enjoyed the evening and I want to wish all of you a very Happy Holiday season,” he said. “Most people see what we do as just fixing a car, but I see it as protecting lives. Thank you, each of you, for making sure the cars we put back on the roads are as safe as possible.”

  A cheer went up and I was the loudest.

  Mr. Goodman held up his hand again, getting everyone’s attention. “Now, I wanted to give out a monetary prize for Employee of the Year.”

  There was another explosion of cheers and clapping. One of the maintenance guys started to walk up the stairs to the stage to claim ‘his’ prize, causing the small crowd to erupt in laughter.r />
  “Listen folks, I’m sorry that I couldn’t pick a winner,” he said and hung his head in what appeared to be shame.

  The room filled with the sound of fifty groaning adults.

  “Because everyone here does such a great job and you’re all equally important to our success,” he said. “How could I possibly choose?”

  The employees and guests responded with cheers and laughter. Mr. Goodman picked up a small glass fishbowl half-filled with small pieces of yellow paper.

  “I’ve decided to go by the luck of the draw. I’ve got every employee’s name in this bowl and we’re going to draw for the first annual Goodman’s Employee of the Year.”

  The band got louder and played a drumroll, as the crowd fidgeted excitedly in front of the stage.

  Jamie gripped both her date’s hand and mine. She gave us both a squeeze. “Good luck to both of you!”

  Mr. Goodman closed his eyes and pulled out the winning name, shook it in the air and announced to the crowd, “Our Employee of the Year and winner of a five-hundred dollars cash bonus and two weeks off work with pay, is… Avery Barks!”

  It was me. I couldn’t believe it. I stood there stunned while Jamie jumped up and down. Finally, I let out a loud whoop as the band started to play some more dance music. I got a lot of high fives and congratulations from my co-workers and a big hug from Mr. Goodman.

  As I stuffed the five crisp one-hundred dollar bills into my jacket pocket, Jamie grabbed my shoulders and shook me as she grinned. “I know exactly what you should do with that money,” she said.

  “You do?” I laughed, thinking she was about to drag me to a spa or a day long shopping trip.

  “Yes, you are going to adopt a new dog,” she said, giving me a big hug. “You won for a reason, Avery. It’s time.”

  I reached into my pocket and rubbed my fingers across the folded bills while the band broke into their rendition of Jingle Bells. I closed my eyes, a shiver spiraling down my spine as the song played. Joy and warmth filled my heart this time. It was a sign.

  “Jamie, I think you’re exactly right.”

  Chapter 2

  “Maybe you need to get the locks changed.”

  Sheriff’s Deputy Don Donaldson stood in my living room filling out a police report. I hated to admit it, but he was right. I’d lived in my cabin for only a few weeks and more of my things had already mysteriously vanished. There was a thief in my new neighborhood, and I was getting a case of buyer’s remorse.

  The bracelet I wore to the Christmas party disappeared from the kitchen counter while I was out grocery shopping, and my brand new pair of running shoes went missing from the laundry room.

  “This house used to be rental property,” Deputy Don continued. “So who knows how many people have a key to the place.”

  “This is creepy, I’m calling a locksmith.” I said, and promised to look on the internet for local options.

  “Don’t leave the windows cracked open while you’re gone and make sure they’re locked for now, just to be safe,” Don said as he walked from window to window, closing and latching each one. “Some of these window screens aren’t attached, you might want to get that fixed.”

  I wrote down the phone number of a couple locksmiths and walked Deputy Don to the door. The locks would get changed tomorrow, but I had a more important mission to accomplish today.

  #

  My adrenaline raced as I walked into the animal rescue center. I’d already visited the general store and the back seat in my truck was filled with basic dog supplies. I mentally prepared myself to select only one dog, knowing that my heartstrings were about to be pulled in all different directions. If I were to choose a dog by which one I found loveable, I would take them all. Instead, I decided to narrow down the choices to an adult dog that needed an active lifestyle. As I walked the cement floor aisles, I bounced a tennis ball and watched the dogs’ reactions.

  Two dogs were absolutely mesmerized by the yellow ball hitting the ground and rebounding back to my hand. I pet both of them through the metal link fencing and wanted to take them home.

  Remember, just one, I thought to myself. Just one.

  A sharp pain of sadness swept over me as I watched so many dogs pleading for my attention and hoping for a forever home, and I almost burst out in tears. I leaned back against the gate of a dog kennel and rubbed my forehead to help me focus on the one sweet dog that I could help today. My other hand fell against the chain link gate, and soon I felt the wetness of friendly dog’s licks.

  I turned and looked down on the cutest golden furry face I had seen in years. The dog’s eyes kept traveling between me and the tennis ball, like he was trying to ask me to play fetch. I looked at the 3 x 5 card on the gate with the dog’s information:

  Name: Chevy

  Sex: Male neutered

  Age: Estimated two years

  Other: Very friendly and loves other dogs and cats!

  He was perfect and I wondered how such a sweet dog could end up needing a home. But no matter, he had one now. I was off work for the next two weeks and looked forward to some quality bonding time.

  “Hey Chevy, you want to be my friend?” I asked the golden retriever.

  He responded with an excited bark and pawed at the gate trying to get closer to me. It was a short time and sixty-five dollars later that we were released and officially a new family. Chevy tugged on the leash as we headed out the door, straining to put some distance on his past, what-ever it was.

  I laughed and ran along as he pulled me directly to my truck, holding the tennis ball in his mouth. “We’ll have to work on some basic dog training, Chevy.” I chuckled, as he stuck his nose in the crack of the door and waited for me to open it.

  Chevy’s golden hair blew in the cool breeze as he jumped in the truck next to me with a big doggie smile. He acted just like he knew this was where he belonged, and he was right.

  Chapter 3

  Chevy and I were in front of the cabin playing our first official game of fetch as a light snow fell from the cloudy sky, when I noticed a teenaged girl walking down the country road. She waved at me and when she noticed Chevy, she let out a squeal and clutched her hands to her chest. I grabbed hold of Chevy’s brown leather collar to make sure he didn’t run down my long drive toward the road.

  She called out from the road, “I just love dogs, is it okay if I come pet him?”

  “Sure,” I called back and waved her up.

  As she ran up the drive, her long dark brown hair floated behind her and her arms stretched out toward Chevy. He took advantage of the moment and ran over to receive a big hug. As she straightened back up, the sun reflected off some jewelry hanging around her neck. It didn’t take more than a second to recognize my dog charm necklace.

  My body stiffened and anger stirred inside me. I took a deep breath and focused on appearing friendly and calm as I gathered some information.

  “Hi, I’m Avery and this is Chevy. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Chelsey, glad to meet you,” she said with plenty of youthful energy.

  “Will you take a picture of me and my dog?” I asked. “I just got him.”

  “Oh, sure,” she said and I handed her my smart phone to take the photo. “Let me give him a touch of color first.”

  Chelsey pulled a red bandana out of her pocket, folded it into a neckerchief and tied it around Chevy’s neck.

  I sat down on the front steps next to Chevy, leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she took our picture. He returned the favor and knocked me down by jumping on my lap and licking my face. Chelsey jumped into action, turning the romp into a ten minute photo shoot. I appreciated her enthusiasm and love for dogs, even if she was wearing my missing necklace.

  “Hey Chelsey, can I take your picture with Chevy since you’re his first new friend since I adopted him?”

  “Of course,” she said, and handed the smart phone back to me.

  She sat down on the cold snow cover and put her arm around Chevy
, leaning her head toward his and pouting her lips like a fashion model. I took two pictures, zooming in on the necklace as best I could without being obvious about it.

  When I finished and stood up, Chelsey stayed in place and whipped out her own smart phone and snapped some snow-selfies with my dog. After a few more pics, Chevy bounded after the ball once again and Chelsey posed for even more of her own solo selfies for good measure.

  After posting her new photos off to whatever social media sites teens gravitated toward, she bounced up, brushed the snow off her jeans, called out a holiday greeting and gave us an exuberant wave good-bye.

  “Don’t forget your bandana,” I called out after her.

  “It’s my gift to Chevy, he can keep it,” she called back and blew kisses to my dog. “It looks good on him.”

  As I watched her skip down the driveway listening to music with ear buds, I pulled out my smartphone and texted the photo of Chevy and the girl wearing my necklace to Deputy Don.

  Gotcha, I thought as I waved good-bye. As much as I wanted my necklace back, it saddened me to think this sweet girl could be our thief.

  Chapter 4

  “So this is the dog I’ve been hearing so much about.”

  Chevy jumped off the porch carrying his new Frisbee and met Don as the deputy stepped out of his patrol car. He dropped the toy at Don’s feet and pushed it with his nose. Don obliged by giving the Frisbee a good toss and Chevy took off after it, golden fur bouncing as he ran. After skidding to a stop in the snow and making a spectacular catch, my dog brought the flying toy back for more.

  “He’s been making friends all over town,” I said and smiled at the golden dog who seemed to grin back.

  “I can see why, he sure is friendly,” Don said. “If his popularity continues, the Sheriff might want to use him for his next election campaign.”