Keeper Ch. 05

Blue nodded and motioned, watching as Abe raised himself up to sit at attention, waiting for praise and the next trick. "Good boy." she cooed, smoothing her palm over the dog's head.

"It's pretty much your basic sign language." John explained. "If you practice every day he's with you, you'll get it in no time. And he loves doing it. It's a big game for him, and he never turns down the attention."

"Will you show me some more?" Blue beamed up at him, and that moment he knew he would forever have trouble refusing her anything.

"Sure." he promised, stepping closer and taking her hand. The touch was unecessary, but there was no way he was going to pass up a reason to touch her in any way he could. "We can do a simple 'roll over'. Just move your hand like this..."

~~~~~

"Aw, no. NO! Son of a... beanpot!"

Blue glanced warily at the man perched on the very edge of the sofa cushion, somehow magically transformed into an exciteable little boy after only ten minutes of televised football.

She cleared her throat delicately. "Son of a beanpot?"

John's attention left the TV screen and slid ruefully her way. "I'm, ah, trying to quit swearing." Shrugging, he shook his head. "It was a New Year's resolution." He looked sidelong at her. "So, I'm going to guess that these last few minutes haven't done anything to help you suddenly discover a deeply buried prediliction for the great sport of American Football?"

There was a teasingly hopeful quality to his voice that made Blue grin. "Nope. Sorry."

"Hell, don't be sorry." John pressed the remote to turn off the television.

"Oh, but wasn't that an important game? Really, you don't have to turn it off on my account."

"Trust me, your company ranks way above football." Holding both hands out, palms up, John looked up to the ceiling as if he were considering something of utmost importance. "Let's see now. Football..." One upturned palm rose. "Blue..." The palm lowered and the other hand rose higher. "Football... Blue..." The 'scale' swung highly in Blue's favor and John turned his head to wink at her. "No contest."

Suddenly his smile faded. His eyes held hers and he shifted from his position to lean towards her. Reaching over to pick up her hand, he let his thumb brush over the inside of her wrist, sending a tingle up her arm.

"Blue, I..."

A metallic 'ding' from a timer came from the kitchen, barely one second before Blue's cell phone began to jingle from her pocket. John stopped mid sentence, sliding his fingers from hers.