WHERE: carmen’s place. WHO: @carmenpts & emmy, ft. carmen’s adorable new puppy.
This was by far the worst part of Emmy’s job. The request had come in the previous night and she’d set the meeting for this afternoon-- a potential new customer that had welcomed a new pup into their fold for Christmas. There was always the obligatory meet and greet in the beginning because, obviously, people didn’t want to leave their pets with perfect strangers and Emmy didn’t want to be stuck with an unruly, untrained dog she was expected to control. It was a non-binding initial meeting process to make sure they were a good fit for each other. And honestly, Emmy could use the clientele.
Her GPS led her to a front door and she lifted a hand, her knuckles knocking a pattern against the wood. She wasn’t sure what she expected, honestly, but as the door opened before her, what she didn’t see was the-- annoyingly pretty-- girl in the doorway. Or rather, she did, but she was seeing her in a different setting entirely: in Emmy’s home, hanging decorations on their Christmas tree with Winnie while the two of them giggled like children. It had bothered her then and it bothered her now.
It wasn’t as if Emmy was an outwardly friendly person. She shied away from people, offered them her prickly side in an effort to keep them far away, and was relieved to find that it worked ninety-nine percent of the time. This was different, though, and Emmy didn’t really know why. It burned in her gut like smoldering coals and she had half a mind to just turn around and walk away right then. But instead, she blinked, bringing herself back to the present, her heart hammering an unsteady beat against her chest. “Um. Hi.” She glanced down at her phone, her game thrown completely off by this curveball, and tried to settle her now-frazzled nerves. “I’m Emmy, the dog walker?” She held up her phone, the Rover app pulled up to the request she’d received the previous night. And even though she knew exactly who this girl was, she asked, “Are you Carmen?”
