Page 67 of A Nest of Magic

“Let the forest bathing man stay in costume,” Rosemary said.“He’s enjoying himself.”

This was true.Corinthia could not argue it.But as romantic as the flowered clearing was, she could not help but think that either of their green cottages might be much more comfortable.“We should celebrate,” she said, standing up and helping Rosemary to her feet.“Let me get you something to eat.”

“You mean the loaded hot dogs and the frothy, creamy orange drinks you were telling me about?”

“The very same.”

“Mmm!Almost as delicious as—” She stole a kiss, and it turned into mutual theft which lasted a minute or two.

“The nice thing,” Corinthia said, cherishing how she could say this softly into her beloved’s ear, “is that we get to have both.”

The walk back to the Shadow Ridge Library had the air of a triumphant recessional, the birds playing them out with jazzy panache.Corinthia and Rosemary emerged into the bustle of the Wildlife Festival and were faced with almost too many activities to choose from, although any activity could have made it the most perfect day ever, because they had each other.

So they giggled their way through the scrub jay presentation; rode the eco-buggy with the wind in their smiling faces; and admired the native plants display, arguing cheerfully over which was the prettiest.They both got into a photo with scrub jay George.They found Stevie, who gave Corinthia a covert thumbs-up, and all of them went together to Drew’s food truck.

Frothy, creamy orange drinks had never tasted sweeter.Loaded hot dogs had never tasted more savory.There were more educational presentations to be seen, and a few more rides on the eco-buggy to be had, before the festival finally drew to a close.

Slowly the crowd dwindled, and the sun sank toward the horizon, and night threw its coverlet over the sky, until at last everyone but Corinthia and Rosemary had packed up and stolen away into the small town of Shadow Ridge, where (almost) nothing ever happened.

Then they walked into the Refuge together, where there were stars all around.

And they were extremely happy.

26

Beaufort's Epilogue

Therewereregulardays,which in Beaufort’s experience included a great deal of lounging, scratching, sniffing, and the occasional stroll down the street; and then there were days that didn’t match up with anything in his dog years of experience.Today was such a day.

The backyard, which had been acceptably grassy not too long ago, and soft on his sensitive foot pads, had been transformed into a scent-filled paradise of new plants.The grass had been replaced with twisty pathways of white sand, which were great fun to explore, even if the sand tickled, and occasionally got tracked into his little bed, which his beloved Corinthia would then have to shake out.

And now the backyard had even more new things.Someone had placed great heaps of food on a table, including a towering cake that smelled so much of sugar, fresh butter, and vanilla that Beaufort could not help but lick his chops every time he caught a whiff of it on the air.

But every time he tried to climb up for a better sniff, and maybe a taste or two or four, someone shooed him down.So he wove his way through feet and ankles, old instincts of the hunt converted to modern use looking for dropped morsels.

The guests were showing their teeth quite a lot.Beaufort had learned that this meant happiness, and as such he had no fear, only canine curiosity, as he made his way through the small crowd.One of the guests laughed, spilling a splash of her drink, and the sparkling gold liquid fell in a rainshower of shining drops on Beaufort’s nose.It was not precisely to Beaufort’s taste, being a bit on the sour side, but he licked his own nose anyway, to be thorough.

There were guests who smelled like they spent much of their time around books, and guests who smelled like they socialized with turtles and snakes.Beaufort did not discriminate.He had learned that a soulful look could earn snacks, and if that didn’t work, perhaps going on two legs and begging would.

His mistresses were dressed very differently that day.

Rosemary’s blue dress trailed the ground, and would probably have to have the sand shaken out later just like his bed.She had flowers in her hair, and flowers in her hands, which struck Beaufort as odd, because flowers were usually found on or near the ground.

Corinthia’s bright white jacket shone like the moon, which made Beaufort have to stop himself from an instinctual howl.She had a small bunch of flowers attached to the jacket.

They, too, were showing their teeth quite a lot, and this pleased Beaufort, because when his humans felt joy, all was right with the world.And sometimes he got extra treats.

They were standing by the closed back gate, beyond which he was not allowed to venture.Drew stood before them.Beaufort highly approved of Drew, who sometimes smelled of delicious hot dogs, and sometimes snuck him tidbits.Stevie stood nearby holding another bunch of flowers.Why humans insisted on wearing or carrying something they couldn’t eat mystified Beaufort, but he was willing to accept their little eccentricities.

He was also mildly distracted by all the chattering blue birds perched on the back fence.

And now Corinthia and Rosemary were holding hands, speaking in turn to repeat something that Drew was saying.It was not such supreme barking as Beaufort could do, but it sounded nice to his sensitive ears.

When they were finished speaking, Corinthia and Rosemary kissed.

This, Beaufort understood well.There were things you could only learn about someone by kissing their face.And in fact he needed to be involved, so he galloped, paws a-flying, ears a-flapping, to where they stood.

They both crouched to greet him, and he could hardly decide who to kiss first, so he hopped up and down on his back legs trying to kiss them both at the same time.This made them laugh.

He found himself swept up in Corinthia’s arms, close to her face, which made things even easier, and when Rosemary leaned in and scratched behind his ears, he kissed her too.

Today is the best day ever, he thought.

And so would be tomorrow, and every day after that.