I tilted my head and listened. Something clunked. I pushed away from the counter and took off down the stairs. The machine was shaking and thunking.

In a panic, I shifted and opened the lid. The machine quieted, and I looked down into the grey water. I couldn’t see a thing. What had made that noise? The boots, maybe? I closed the lid gently and waited for it to start again. It squealed when it tried.

I stopped the machine again, canceled the program, and listened to the water drain. Then, I attempted to start it again. It made worse noises the second time; and I knew, without a doubt, I’d managed to break it.

“But how?” I tugged at my beard in frustration.

If Gabby came back and found out that I broke—

I looked down at her wet clothes then back at the grey water. I couldn’t afford for her to be mad at me when we were just starting to make progress. Teetering with indecision, I looked at her clothes once more. I’d make this little lie up to her. Decided, I plunged my hand into the water and started pulling out my items.

One of the bootlaces gave me trouble. Wound around the base of the center pole that twisted back and forth, the thing didn’t want to come loose. The boot had also wedged itself between the center post and the drum. No doubt, my boot was the “how” behind the machine’s behavior.

Once I had my things draining in the utility sink, I put Gabby’s wet things back into the washer. With the boot and string removed, I tried to start the machine once more. It filled as it should, but as soon as the post started to twist back and forth, it made awful noises.

A car pulled into the driveway, and I froze. A door opened and a moment later, I listened to Rachel’s familiar tread on the porch. She wasn’t supposed to be back yet.

I grabbed my wet things, shoved them behind an empty cardboard box, and shifted back into my fur just as the back door opened.

I barked just as an annoying dog would do when there are strange noises in the house.

“Clay?” Rachel called.

No...it’s your other dog barking, I thought. I still hadn’t forgiven her for the vet.

She came down the steps, and I pointedly looked at the washer as if the noise it made wasn’t enough of a clue.

“Oh, no!” She flew to the machine and quickly opened the lid like I’d done. After studying things for a few moments, she turned to me.

“We’re going to have to call someone, I think. I don’t know anything about this stuff.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket as she walked back upstairs.

I followed her closely, thankful she hadn’t noticed the wet trail that led to my hidden clothes.

Several hours later, I sat at the top of the steps, watching the man downstairs. I could just barely see him from my position.

Rachel was waiting in the kitchen for Gabby, which was the same reason I was at the top of the stairs instead of downstairs learning. Rachel and I had been down there with the man when he’d pulled the machine out to look at the back. While I’d been learning, she’d been eyeing the man in a potential Mate way. I wondered if that meant she was no longer with Peter. I doubted it because she still smelled of him.

The sound of a car coming down the road pricked my ears. Gabby’s engine and exhaust system were distinct and easy to identify. As soon as Gabby pulled into the driveway, Rachel dashed out the back door.

“You are brilliant!” Rachel said, still outside.

“What’d I do?” Gabby’s words were faint.

“There’s a hot repairman working on the washer in the basement.”

Hot? I looked at the man again as he bent over to pick up a tool.

“Thank you for breaking it,” Rachel said.

She and Gabby walked into the house.

“I didn’t do anything but throw in a load of laundry before I left,” Gabby said quietly.

I turned to look at her. Did she suspect something?

“Hey,” Rachel said. “I’m not blaming...I’m just thanking.”

“But, I thought you were into Peter,” Gabby said, echoing my thoughts.

“I am. It doesn’t mean I don’t window-shop. Go down there and flirt with him and see if we can get twenty percent off our bill.”

Flirt? Before I could get even more upset with Rachel, Gabby snorted.

“I will not. It’d be safer to send Clay down there to learn how to fix it than me trying to get us a price break.”

Done.

“If our dog starts fixing things, we’re hitting the road and making some money,” said Rachel.

The man started up the basement stairs, and Rachel’s face lit with anticipation while Gabby eyed the basement door with dread. I backed up a few steps, positioning myself between her and the door, trying to reassure her with my presence.

Her look of dread changed to one of appreciation when the man reached the top of the stairs. The man didn’t miss her appreciative look, either. He flexed for her. I briefly considered nudging the man to send him falling down the steps.

Gabby flushed and turned to Rachel.

“I have to go pick up my ring before Clay gets here. He’d be heartbroken if he found out I bent a prong on the setting already. Plus, my hand feels naked without it.”

She held out her left hand and gave it a wistful look.

What ring was she talking about?

“The dog?” the man asked with a puzzled look at Rachel.

Gabby laughed nervously. “We named the dog after my fiancé. He has a good sense of humor and likes the dog, too.”

She said it so fast I could barely understand her. By the time the words sank in, she was already out the door. I wanted to run after her. Was I the fiancé, the dog, or both?

Stuck with two human witnesses, I couldn’t shift to let myself out the door and chase her down. Instead, I listened to her car peel out of the driveway.

It took another hour before the man left and longer still for Gabby to reappear. When she cautiously walked in, bags looped over her arms, I was waiting for her.

She set down the bags and peeked around the corner before she spoke to me in a whisper.

“You better keep reading the books I bring home. You can be our repair guy. It gives me the willies that he knows where I live.”

I nodded just as Rachel turned the corner from her bedroom. She paused mid-stride, her eyes wide.

“Did he just nod?”

Gabby smiled. “Yep. I’ve been working on it with him. He caught on really fast. The nodding isn’t bad, but his smile can be a little scary.”

Her pulse tripped, giving away her lie. Rachel stared at us for a moment then shook her head.

“You’re weird, Gabby, but in a good way. Anyway, it was one hundred and twenty-five dollars to fix the washer. I covered your half. With the vet bill, you’re up to one hundred, minus the burger and drink from disaster night.”

I saw Gabby’s cringe.

“Okay. I’ll run to the bank after class tomorrow.” She chewed her lip for a moment, and I scented her concern.

My mistake had cost her.

It took the rest of the week for the boots to dry; and when they did, the leather cracked. I could have dealt with that, but the toes of both boots also curled up, making them difficult to wear. Frustrated that the effort hadn’t resulted in something I could wear to go job hunting, I hid everything back under the neighbor’s shrub and knew I’d need to find some other footwear.

Friday afternoon, I lay beside Gabby, resolutely reading yet another book. I heard Rachel’s car pull into the driveway much too quickly, then her rapid steps on the porch. I lifted my head.

“Gabby!” she called in a panicked tone.

Even with Gabby’s cute little human ears, she picked up on the wrongness of Rachel’s pitch.

“In here!” she said as she flew from the bed toward the door.

The two almost collided when Rachel burst into the room.

“What’s going on?” Gabby asked, pulling back.

Gabby liked keeping a physical distance from people. Even Rachel. She didn’t seem to like touching. It made each pat on the head even more special.