Hello, Hollywood! by Janice Thompson Page B

to be a calm breed, but I’ve witnessed just the opposite. He’s a real challenge. Do you think you’re up for the task?”
    “Yeah.” Her expression grew serious. “I’m good with animals. They like me. I helped my friend Mandy train her dog to do tricks. He learned how to sit and stay and roll over. And he used to bark all the time, but I taught him not to.” She grinned. “I watch The Dog Whisperer .”
    “She records every episode,” Stephen said. “I think she’s memorized Cesar Millan’s tricks of the trade.”
    “It’s so easy.” She shrugged. “You just have to show him who’s the pack leader.”
    “And that would be . . . ?” I looked at her and shrugged.
    She pointed to herself. “Me. And he’s going to know it too.”
    Five minutes later, with Zeus snoozing in her lap, I had to admit she hadn’t exaggerated. She was good with animals. Her father appeared to be good with them too. The one or two times Zeus tried to make a move in the wrong direction, Stephen made a shushing noise that stopped the dog in his tracks.
    As we sat together in the living room, Brooke opened up and talked about all sorts of things related to the dog. She commented on his beautiful black and brown coat and the texture of his ears. She let me know that he needed to have his nails clipped and could stand to take off a couple of pounds. From there, she shifted into a story about how she hoped to be a vet when she grew up.
    I could tell two things from the expression on Stephen’s face as he listened to this conversation. One, she rarely talked this much. And two, he’d had no idea she wanted to be a vet. Still, he didn’t interrupt her as she carried on about her hopes and dreams for the future. Instead, the sweetest fatherly smile lit his face.
    I watched it all, the oddest sensation gripping my heart. His love for her was almost palpable. I could feel it. And suddenly I wondered what it would feel like to have a daughter this age. What would it be like to have a daughter at all? Sure, I’d walked my sister through the births of her little girls—and then her son—but to have a daughter I could call my own? What would that be like?
    I looked back and forth between Stephen and Brooke, my focus narrowing. They had the same eyes and similar noses. Her hair was a couple of shades lighter, and a teensy bit of preteen chubbiness had set in, so I couldn’t really tell if she had inherited his overall physique. Still, when she smiled—which turned out to be more than I’d imagined—she looked just like him. In other words, I found her to be quite a stunner.
    Two more thoughts occurred to me. One, her mother—whoever and wherever she was—was missing out on the most beautiful daughter in the world. And two, Brooke and her daddy were lucky to have each other. Thinking about this got me a little misty. It also made me angry that her mother had walked away. What kind of woman would do something like that?
    Mama looked my way. “You okay, Athena?”
    “Yes.” I drew in a deep breath, doing my best to look composed. “Getting hungry, though. That food smells delicious.”
    “I agree.” Stephen looked for a moment like he might leap from the couch in search of the kitchen. Thank goodness he didn’t have to.
    “Did I hear someone say they were hungry?” My father entered the room, still wearing his Super-Gyros apron. “I’ve prepared a feast fit for a king. Hope everyone likes lamb. Oh, and I have the most beautiful vegetable dish. Can’t wait for you to taste it.”
    Brooke turned up her nose, but I could almost see Stephen salivating. “You don’t mind if we stay for dinner?”
    “Of course not. You are our guests. We’ll have dinner and visit. And then you’ll stay for dessert. Hope you like baklava. Athena’s is the best.”
    Stephen turned to look at me with a narrowed gaze. “I think I remember someone saying we might end up holding a duel to see about that.”
    “You bake too?” my father