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“Sorry I didn’t call, it was insane at the clinic,” I said, realizing that I wasn’t used to having someone waiting for me to get home. “I think it was the worst day we’ve had in years.”

“It’s okay, Elaine called me and let me know what was happening.” She walked me towards the bathroom. “I’ll heat up your food while you change.”

Esmerelda jumped up on my legs, begging for attention. I squatted down to stroke her head, and her tail swished back and forth happily. She and I had gotten to be good friends since they’d come to stay with me.

The pup followed me as I headed into the bathroom, watching as I washed up at the sink, then pulled on some sleep pants and a sweatshirt. When we walked back out to the dining room, Mabel had a plate ready for me, covered with foil.

“Sit,” she ordered. “Eat.”

She pushed a bottle of water towards me. “And drink some water, you’re probably dehydrated.”

“Thank you.”

I kind of liked her bossy. It was hot.

I pulled the foil off the plate, examining the steaming contents. Some kind of beef in sauce was on top of a mound of mashed potatoes, cooked green beans on one side, corn kernels on the other. It smelled delicious.

“Oh wait, I have rolls too.”

Mabel popped into the kitchen, returning with two warm rolls on a plate and some butter.

“Wow, this is… amazing.”

I was at a loss for words. I was used to coming home and taking care of myself after a long day at work. Usually after a day like today I would have popped a burrito in the microwave or made some toast with peanut butter. Coming home to a warm home cooked meal made me want to drop to my knees and profess my love for Mabel.

I was tired, not an idiot, so instead I said, “I really appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem,” she said softly. “Do you want to talk about your day?”

While I ate I told her about the canine influenza outbreak and some of my other cases and by the time I was done, I was starting to nod off.

“I’m getting too old to work like that,” I complained.

“You just need some sleep,” she said soothingly. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Normally I’d want to ravish you,” I said ruefully. “But I’m afraid there won’t be any ravishing tonight. I can’t stay awake that long.”

“We can just snuggle,” she said.

And we did.

The next morning I woke up alone. When I went to the kitchen there was a pot of coffee made and a note on the counter.

Good morning. The pest control guy texted me. He’s got someone who can seal up my soffits, so Esmerelda and I went to meet them. Be back later. Mabel

I had the day off, so I decided to do some cleaning while I waited for Mabel and Esmerelda to get back. As I worked I kept flashing back to how nice it was to come home to Mabel every night. I knew our days were numbered. The contractor would seal up her home and once they caught all the rats, there would be no reason for her to stay with me.

It had only been a couple of days since we’d discovered the rat infestation, but I’d already grown used to Esmerelda greeting me at the door, sharing meals with Mabel, and falling asleep with her by my side. I’d never minded living alone before, but I had a feeling that I was going to be lonely when they left.

That night when we went to bed, I decided to man up and talk about what happened next. If we were going to have a relationship – and I hoped that we would – we needed a strong base of communication.

“Can we talk about something?” I asked.

I rolled over to face Mabel, propping my head up on my hand, and Mabel mimicked me, moving to the same position.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You have a very serious face right now.”

I met her gaze, unsure how to start.