Water's Edge Read Online Free

stomach growl.
    As soon as he opened the door, Tom was greeted by the throaty bark of a large, mostly brown dog that Clarice insisted would easily win the ugliest dog in Atlanta contest. Tom acquired the furry animal when a girlfriend prior to Clarice dragged him to the local humane society one Saturday morning.
    While Tom waited at the shelter, he stood in front of a cage that contained a brownish-black animal with long legs, floppy ears, square jaw, furry tail, and black tongue that protruded slightly from the right side of its mouth. The dog looked at Tom with bloodshot eyes that would have shamed a drunk.
    “What is it?” he asked a middle-aged woman serving as a volunteer.
    “It’s your dog,” she responded brightly. “See the way he’s looking at you? He’s been neutered and had all his shots.”
    Tom shook his head. “Neutering him was a good idea. Puppies that look like that wouldn’t be good for the canine gene pool. Is he housebroken?”
    “Probably, although we can’t guarantee that sort of thing. Dogs respond well to routine. Do you see the nose and ears?”
    “They’re hard to ignore.”
    “Based on those features, I suspect he has a significant percentage of bloodhound. The black tongue and furry tail most likely come from a chow. The brindle coat doesn’t go with the solid-brown head, so that part is a mystery. I’ll bring him out so you can get a closer look.”
    “No thanks.”
    “At least let him lick your hand.” The woman reached for the latch on the cage. “Dogs in this area are scheduled to be euthanized on Monday.”
    Tom muttered while the woman opened the door of the cage. The dog ambled over and sniffed Tom’s hand, then leaned against his leg. Tom reluctantly rubbed the top of the mutt’s head, causing the animal to emit a low moan of pleasure.
    “I already have a cat,” Tom said to the volunteer.
    “Cats are great pets, but a dog like this will be devoted to you forever and ask for nothing except love in return.”
    Tom’s girlfriend returned with a frisky golden retriever on a leash.
    “What’s that?” she asked when she saw Tom and the ugly dog.
    “Ask her.” Tom pointed to the volunteer. “She can tell you all about him while I fill out the adoption paperwork.”
    The first time Tom brought the dog home, the beast put his nose to the floor and began crisscrossing the living room like a four-legged vacuum cleaner. Whiskers, Tom’s calico cat, retreated to the top of the sofa with intense suspicion. As he watched the dog’s antics, Tom considered naming him Vacuum, but a more suitable name immediately came to mind.
    “Rover,” he said with a satisfied nod of his head. “If a dog ever deserved that name, you’re it.”
    Rover turned out to be thoroughly housebroken, never jumped on the furniture, ignored Whiskers, and didn’t chew Tom’s shoes. However, for all his good qualities, Rover had one bad one—he couldn’t keep stray drops of drool from leaking out the side of his mouth. Every so often, Tom had to do a quick run through the apartment with a damp mop to remove the residue.
    The girlfriend and her golden retriever left Tom’s life shortly after Rover entered it. Dragging Tom to the humane society was the best thing she ever did.
    ______
    Rover sniffed the paper bag in Tom’s hand before leading the way into the small kitchen. Whiskers didn’t move from her spot on top of the sofa. Tom placed the food in the oven on low to keep it warm, then changed into exercise clothes for a fast thirty minutes on the treadmill. Rover lay in the corner of the spare bedroom with his head on his paws and a look on his face that questioned Tom’s sanity for running in place.
    When he saw the lights of Clarice’s car flash through the windows of the kitchen, Tom took the food out of the oven and lit a candle in the middle of the tiny round table where he and Clarice ate their meals. The front door opened. Rover woofed but didn’t leave Tom’s side.
    “Yum. I