Skip to main content

Year of the Dog serial novel, chapter 8

I’m posting a Humorous Christian Romantic Suspense serial novel here on my blog! Year of the Dog is a (second) prequel to my Warubozu Spa Chronicles series.

Year of the Dog serial novel

by Camy Tang

Mari Mutou, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year.

While renovating her new dog kenneling and training facility, she needs to move in with her disapproving family, who have always made her feel inadequate—according to them, a job requiring her to be covered in dog hair and slobber is an embarrassment to the family. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irate security expert whose car she accidentally rear-ended a few weeks earlier.

Ashwin Keitou has enough problems. His aunt has just shown up on his doorstep, expecting to move in with him, and he can’t say no because he owes her everything—after his mother walked out on them, Auntie Nell took in Ashwin and his brother and raised them in a loving Christian home. What’s more, his brother Dusty also needs a place to stay after being kicked out of his apartment—with a dog in tow. And guess who the dog’s owner is?

But then Ashwin gets a request from an old friend, Edytha Guerrero, a private investigator who also runs a day spa on O’ahu’s north shore. A strange bit of “vandalism” at Mari's facility had led her to find a purse belonging to Edytha’s sister—who had disappeared three years ago. Worried that Mari might be in danger, and finding out that security expert Ashwin already knows her, Edytha asks him to covertly keep an eye on the busy young woman.

Ashwin is reluctantly attracted to the lively, easy-going dog trainer. She reminds him too much of his happy-go-lucky mother, whose betrayal had caused him to keep people at a distance. Mari sees past Ashwin’s cold exterior to a man who is loyal to his family, unlike her own mother and sister, who only criticize her career choice.

In the midst of Mari’s disjointed family and Ashwin’s disruptive home, danger begins to circle around them from people who want the past to remain there. Can they shed light on the secrets moving in the shadows?

All the posted parts are listed here.

***

Chapter Eight - Scary, Pristine White Real Estate Documents

Can’t we all just get along?

Mari tossed a book into a box with unnecessary force. Why was she arguing with everyone in her life lately? Maybe this really was a bad idea.

Except it was a little late for second thoughts. Her house had already sold. She had already qualified for the small business loan. And tonight, she’d sign the papers to buy that abandoned school property.

She had passed the point of no return.

A knock at her front door, then the creak of it opening. “Hello?”

Oh, no. “Uncle, stop!” She grabbed at Pepper’s collar just as he launched forward, barking his head off.

Unmoved by sixty-ish pounds of neurotic dog, Uncle Richard paused in the open doorway, his hand resting on the doorknob. “You know, you won’t get the property if your dog bites your financial advisor or your realtor.”

Behind him, Aunt Vi giggled as she peered around his shoulder at Mari. “Just put him away, Mari. We’ll wait.”

She wrestled Pepper’s yapping body down the hallway while he strained against her on his hind legs. But once Uncle Richard was out of sight around the corner of the hallway, he calmed down somewhat and let her put him in the spare bedroom.

“I thought you were training him so he’ll stop that,” Uncle said as she returned to the living room.

“Nah, I think I’ll keep him that way. If he bites someone, I’ll have the pleasure of getting sued for everything I own.”

“He seems like a good watchdog,” Aunty commented as she crossed the living room to set her bag on the coffee table. “Kinda hard to get dates, though.”

“Yeah, it would have been easier if he barked at women instead of men. The next time I rescue a dog from the shelter, I’ll ask for his resume of crazies.”

Aunty smiled but didn’t pause as she set out stacks of pristinely white and rather scary documents. “Let’s get started. Are you ready?”

Mari paused.

“Want me to heat some water?” Uncle asked.

“Huh?”

“To thaw your cold feet.”

“Uncle …” she admonished, cuffing him on his shoulder. He only laughed at her.

“I don’t blame you,” Aunty said. “Your mother is not going to be happy.”

Mari sighed. “Did she call you, too?”

“Five times today,” she said.

“Really? She only called me once.”

“Never mind your Ma,” Uncle said. “This is your choice, not hers.”

Yes. Yes, it was. It was her decision, not her mother’s and not Lana’s. “Let me get a pen.”

Her aunt walked her through all the places she needed to sign and initial. And before she knew it, it was done.

She sat back on her couch. Things seemed anticlimactic. But then again, had she been expecting a heavenly choir singing the Hallelujah chorus?

Or maybe Darth Vader’s marching theme. That might be more appropriate.

No, she had to be positive about this. Lots of clients had already expressed interest in her expanded services once she got her facility up and running. This new direction of her life would be successful.

Uncle cleared his throat. “So, you have to move out of this house in about a week, but your facility isn’t renovated enough for you to live there, right? Where are you going to stay?” He sounded almost nervous asking her.

“I already talked to a housing manager about renting an apartment that allows dogs. It’s kinda far from the clients whose dogs I take out on runs, but it’s the best I can do, since I have Pepper, but it’ll only be until the facility gets renovated.”

“How about a place in Wahiawa? That shouldn’t be too far from your facility and your clients."

She perked up. “That would be great. Where?” Had her Aunt Vi found something with her realtor connections?

“Um … have you thought about staying with your mother?”

Ba-dum bum. That was her jaw bouncing against the floor. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Just hear us out,” Uncle said. “Things are already rocky with you and your mom.”

“Exactly. So why would I—”

“Think about when you first bought this house.”

One of two times in her life when she had defied her mother. At the advice of Uncle Richard, using the inheritance she got from her Grandmother for a down payment on a home rather than paying off student loans. Moving out of Mom’s house.

Mom had been more upset about her moving than the way she spent the money.

“I don’t know.” Mari shook her head. “She hates that I’m going full time with my dog business. Do you really think that she would even want me living at home again?”

Uncle nodded. “I think she would. She hated it when you left.” And he would know, being Mom’s older brother.

“And you know how she pays so much attention to what other people think of her,” Aunty said. “Think of how she’d feel knowing her daughter would rather rent an apartment than live with her.”

It might be more hurtful for Mom than her imagined embarrassment at Mari’s profession.

Mom’s constant criticism had worn a hole in her heart, like water against a stone. Could she really move back home and take months of that drip, drip, drip? Or would that dripping be more like a gushing dam when she was under her parent’s roof?

“I know it’s asking a lot,” Uncle said. “But she’s your ma. And deep down, she loves you.”

Actually, Mari could believe that. But along with that drop of love was a stagnant pond of disappointment. “She might want me at home, but at the same time, she won’t.”

“No, you’re wrong,” Uncle said. “She’ll want you at home—but she’ll also want to control you. There’s a difference.”

That made sense. Maybe Mom’s rejection was actually her way of manipulating Mari. And when Mari put it that way in her mind, she knew she’d have no problems resisting her mother’s attempts to control her.

That’s right. Her dogs didn’t control hershe controlled her dogs.

Um … not that Mom was a dog.

She sighed. “Okay. I’ll go ask her.”

“Good girl,” Uncle said.

After all, her mother might do her a favor and say no.

***

Comments

  1. Her mother blamed her for "ruining her sister's marriage" as much as deep down she love Marisol I am worried about how toxic it can be to keep her close if she insists on it, she must admit that the ruined Marriage is not Marisol's thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think these kinds of toxic relationships and irrational behavior are more common than we think. But we need to rely on Christ to help us to interact with people the way He would want us to.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Laura’s Apricot Shell Shawl knitting pattern

I usually have a knitting project in mind when I write it into one of my books, but Laura’s apricot-colored shawl just kind of appeared upon the page as I was writing the first scene of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 4: Betrayer , and it surprised even me. I immediately went to my yarn stash to find a yarn for it, and I searched through my antique knitting books to find some stitch patterns. I made her an elegant wool shawl she could wear at home. The shawl ended up tagging along with Laura into the next book, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 5: Prisoner , where it imparts some comfort to her in her trying circumstances. The two stitch patterns are both from the same book, The Lady’s Assistant, volume 2 by Mrs. Jane Gaugain, published in 1842 . A couple excessively clever and creative knitters might have knit these patterns in the Regency era, but they would have only passed them around by word of mouth or scribbled “recipes” to friends or family, and it wouldn’t have been widely use

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Keriah’s Pyrennees Shawl knitting pattern w/ @knitpicks Palette

Why I knit this shawl: I wanted to knit the sunset-colored shawl Keriah was wearing in chapter 5 of my book, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 2: Berserker , so I looked for an antique pattern that might have been used during the Regency era. This one caught my eye, even though it was published in a knitting book a few decades later than the Regency era. The Spider-Net border pattern was most definitely in use in the Regency period, but it’s also remotely possible that the Alice-Maud stitch and the lacy border stitch patterns were also in use during the Regency, being passed on from knitter to knitter via hand-written receipts, by verbal instruction, or with knitted sampler squares (like how many Shetland lace patterns and Bavarian cable patterns were shared). My/Keriah’s version of this shawl would have been lacy but warm because it is knit with fingering yarn on small needles. Since Keriah was cold, I think she would have grabbed this shawl rather than something more elegant and airy.

Narrow Escape contest for January!

I’m so excited because my January Love Inspired Suspense, Narrow Escape , is now available! Here’s the back cover blurb: KIDNAPPED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT Arissa Tiong and her three-year-old niece are snatched off the street by members of a notorious drug gang. Having lost her police officer brother to a drug bust gone bad, Arissa knows the danger she's in. But she has no idea why they want her. Desperate to protect the little girl, Arissa escapes and runs straight to Nathan Fischer. She knows the handsome, weary former narcotics cop hasn't told her everything about the night that ended her brother's life and Nathan's career. But he's all that stands between her and dangerous thugs who are after something she doesn't even know she has. This is the 4th book in my Sonoma series , but each book is stand-alone. The hero is Nathan Fischer, who had a minor role in the 3rd book, Stalker in the Shadows . To celebrate, I’m giving away 10 copies of Narrow Escape ! Her

New contest!

I haven’t had a contest since October! Here’s new one just in time for Christmas. I’m picking 3 winners to each be able to choose 10 books from my Christian book list! And yes, that list includes my books! 1) You get one entry into the contest when you sign up for my email newsletter at http://www.camytang.com/ . If you already belong to my email newsletter, let me know! 2) You get a second entry into the contest if you Like my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CamyTangAuthor . If you already Like my Facebook page, let me know! 3) You get a third entry into the contest if you join my Goodreads group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/49078 . If you already belong to my Goodreads group, let me know! 4) You get a fourth entry into the contest if you follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/camytang . If you already follow me on Twitter, let me know! 5) You get extra entries into the contest if you get someone else to join my email newsletter. Just email camy {at] c

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou

Year of the Dog serial novel

About Year of the Dog : A month or two ago, I remembered an old manuscript I had completed but which hadn’t sold. It was a contemporary romance meant for Zondervan, titled Year of the Dog . The book had gone into the pipeline and I even got another title ( Bad Dog ) and a cover for it, but eventually my editor at the time decided she didn’t want to publish it, for various reasons. She instead requested a romantic suspense, and so I cannibalized some of the characters from Year of the Dog and thrust them into the next book I wrote, which was Protection for Hire . Honestly, I didn’t take a lot from Year of the Dog to put in Protection for Hire , aside from character names and a few relationship ties. I was originally thinking I’d post Year of the Dog as-is on my blog as a free read, but then it occurred to me that I could revamp it into a romantic suspense and change the setting to Hawaii. It would work out perfectly as (yet another) prequel to the Warubozu series and introduc

Wasabi Wednesday – Year of the Rat mug

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.09.2008 Get free short stories and info on exclusive book giveaways when you subscribe to my newsletter! The winner of Abandoned Identity by Tamara Tilley is Amanda Congratulations! Blog book giveaway: To enter to win today’s book, leave a comment on this blog post, giving your name and saying you want to enter. International readers are welcome to enter! Please leave a WORKING email address or website where I can contact you (please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail.com--or something like that to prevent spammers from trolling for your email address). Please make sure your email address works—I’ve had several winners where my email to them bounced and I couldn’t get hold of them. It is the winner’s responsibility to check to see if you won and to email me if you haven’t yet heard from me. You have a week to comment--I'll pick a name out of a hat on Wednesday, January 16th. (BTW, you can post a comment and NOT enter, too.) Doing s

I’m a Book of the Year winner!

Captain's Log, Stardate 09.22.2008 I won first place in the Debut Author category of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year awards! Here are all the winners! Debut Author Sushi for One? (Camy Tang) Zondervan, editor Sue Brower Bayou Justice (Robin Miller writing as Robin Caroll) In Between (Jenny B. Jones) Contemporary Novella Finally Home in Missouri Memories anthology (Deborah Raney) Barbour Publishing, editor Susan Downs Moonlight & Mistletoe in A Big Apple Christmas anthology (Carrie Turansky) Remaking of Moe McKenna in Race to the Altar anthology (Gloria Clover) Historical Novella Love Notes in Love Letters Anthology (Mary Davis) Barbour Publishing, editor Rebecca Germany Beyond the Memories in Missouri Memories anthology (DiAnn Mills) The Spinster & The Tycoon in The Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner anthology (Vickie McDonough) Lits Splitting Harriet (Tamara Leigh) Multnomah Books, editor Julee Schwarzb