Page 1 of Echoes of Obsession
Chapter One
Amara
What am I doing? I’m a thirty-year-old single mom waiting in line at a nightclub. Who am I kidding? I need to go home and do the mountain of chores waiting for me while my daughter isn’t home.
But I want to feel like a normal woman for just a little while.
“I’m sorry, miss, you can’t bring your dog inside.”
I glance up at the massive man with dark skin and frown.
“He’s my service dog,” I explain. “He won’t cause any issues.”
“Be that as it may, you can’t bring him inside without him being on a leash.”
I’m fully prepared to pull Sky’s papers from his harness pocket. I hate confrontation to my core. I’ve had enough of that to last me two lifetimes.
“He’s required to be off-leash,” I explain. “He won’t be able to do his job if I have him tied to me.”
“What’s his job?” the man asks.
Legally, I don’t owe him an explanation about my service dog. Unfortunately, some people have really given service dogs a bad rap. The other day at the store, this tiny dog kept yapping at Sky while we were shopping. But Sky’s trained to handle that stuff and didn’t flinch. I tried to explain to the owner that her dog was messing with Sky’s work, but she just went off, saying her dog was her emotional support animal.
Real service dogs, though? They’re on a whole other level. They’re trained to stay focused and not bark unless it’s part of their job.
Take Sky for example. He’s my seizure-alert sidekick. When I have a seizure, he’s trained to break my fall, lay his entire weight on top of my body, and bark until another human helps.
“I have a severe case of Epilepsy,” I explain, ignoring the huffs and puffs from the people in line behind me. “If he’s leashed to me and a seizure hits, he won’t be able to maneuver around enough to catch me or to restrain my body when I’m down.”
“What’s going on here, Hayes?”
I turn to the new voice and sigh. Now, I have to start all over.
“I was just explaining to the miss here that we can’t allow her service dog to enter without being leashed,” the man, Hayes, explains. “She was telling me that he can’t be leashed in order to do his job. She has seizures.”
“You know what?” I smile. “It’s okay. I really shouldn’t be here anyway. Sorry for taking up so much of your time. Come, Sky.”
“Hold on,” the new man says. “You can come in. Might want to avoid the dance floor, though. It can get a bit crowded. I wouldn’t want you to get separated from your dog.”
“Oh,” I laugh nervously. “I honestly just wanted to get a soda and people-watch for a bit. No dancing for me.”
“Shame,” he says, not a hint of a smile on his face. “Have a seat at the bar, and Emily will take care of you.”
With that, he walks away.
“Go on in, miss,” Hayes smiles. “I promise he’s not as grumpy as he looks.”
Sky follows slightly behind me, the way he was trained to do, as we walk into the Cage.
“Hey there. Cute dog. What can I get for you?”
“Just a cola, please,” I smile at the beautiful woman behind the counter.
It’s early, so people are still finding places to sit and people to chat with. I decide to stay at the bar. Sky sits under my feet while I drink my soda and watch. I wasn’t lying when I said I only wanted to people-watch.
I don’t have enough confidence to go onto the dance floor. I’m a big girl, and my body doesn’t move as beautifully as most women.
“The lights are about to dim,” the kind woman behind the bar says. “Does your dog have reflective gear on his vest?”