The Big Chihuahua Read Online Free Page A

They have to.”
    “I am a little dog with a big heart and an even bigger spirit,” Pepe announced. “Dogs are only limited by their acceptance of limitations.”
    Just then my cell phone rang. It was Lily from the Dogawanda Center calling to say there had been a last-minute cancellation. Was I still interested in registering for the weekend?
    “Of course!” I said.
    “Great! I’ll e-mail you a map and a list of what you need to bring,” she said. She hung up before I could ask if it was OK to bring a dog. I assumed so, since the whole thing revolved around a dog.
    “Since when have you been a devotee of Dogawanda?” Felix asked as we headed back to my condo. We had given up on training Pepe. Felix had tried all the techniques he knew, but Pepe seemed to be impervious to all of them. He made it clear that he was going to do the opposite of whatever Felix wanted him to do, bacon or no bacon.
    “I’m not a Dogawandan,” I told Felix. “It’s just that Pepe and I have to deliver a message to a woman who’s up at their ranch.”
    “Just be careful,” said Felix as we headed up the stairs and into my condo. “I know someone who got involved in one of these cults in L.A. It’s much easier to get in than it is to get out.”
    “I don’t know why everyone’s so worried about me,” I said, a little more sharply than I intended. I closed the front door and hung up Pepe’s leash and harness on the hook on the back of the door. “It’s not like I’m that gullible.”
    “No, it’s just that you always see the best in everyone,” said Felix, pressing me up against the wall and delivering one of his great kisses. Combined with his body pressed against mine, it was doing amazing things to me.
    “Geri, I would not do that if I were you,” said Pepe.
    “What? Leave me alone!” I managed to murmur.
    Felix stepped back, a hurt look on his face.
    “I wasn’t talking to you,” I said, drawing him back toward me. “I was talking to Pepe. He was complaining about something.”
    “You are so attentive to his needs,” said Felix. “What about mine?” And he moved his body against me in ways that made it clear what his needs were. In fact, it made it clear what I needed. It had been way too long since I had gotten any action. Felix and I were always being interrupted just as we were about to tumble into bed.
    “I am trying to tell you, Geri. Somebody is on the front porch,” Pepe said.

Chapter 5
    He was right. When I opened the door, there was a man on my front porch, holding a six-pack of beer. I recognized him instantly as Felix’s brother—they have the same wide grin. He was dressed in worn jeans and a T-shirt but seemed fine despite the misty rain. But his female companion wasn’t prepared for the Seattle weather. She wore a flimsy dress and was shivering, her arms wrapped around her body.
    “Whoa! You startled me!” said the man. “I haven’t even rung the doorbell yet. You must have ESP.”
    “No,” I said. “I have a dog.”
    “Geri, this is my brother, Tavo,” said Felix, clapping him on the back.
    “Short for Gustavo,” said Tavo. “I was named after our grandfather. But please never call me that.” He smiled and offered me his hand. “It’s good to meet you, Geri.”
    “And this is Chloe,” said Felix. She had long blond hair, big brown eyes, a pretty upturned nose, and a pretty downturned mouth.
    “Chloe’s the star of the film we’re working on,” said Tavo. “You might recognize her. She was the star of Zombies Gone Wild .”
    Not very likely. I do like horror movies, but I hadn’t seen one since my divorce. Too scary to watch alone. And Pepe refuses to watch them. He prefers telenovellas and reality TV shows.
    “Glad to meet you,” I said.
    “Tavo!” said Felix. “I thought I was supposed to pick you up.” He checked his watch. “Did I get the time wrong?”
    “No, I managed to get a seat on an earlier flight. Chloe was on the same plane and so I invited her