A bit of what’s currently in production…
One of the things that she liked most about Mary’s, besides the staff, was that they didn’t have a jukebox, or live music, ever. There was a radio at the bar that sometimes played jazz, just softly enough to be soothing, but you could always hear who you were talking to. If you wanted a noisy pickup joint, there were a lot of other places to go both locally, and downtown. Mary’s was where you came to be heard, more than seen.  It was where you came with friends, took someone on a third date, came on your own when you didn’t want to be alone.
Ginny scanned the bar again, letting her gaze flit over the sparse crowd. This early in the evening – it was barely five o’clock - it was mostly folk who worked out of home offices, like herself. She knew three of the men and one of the women set up at the tables, less for who they were or what they did than what dogs they owned, since she ran into them at odd hours while walking Georgie.
The thought made her check out the front window, to reassure herself that her dog was still comfortable, and not needing a walk. The familiar fawn bulk was still hunkered down next to the other dog, exactly where she’d left them an hour ago. Plus, she noted with amusement, the addition of a smaller form, currently draped over Georgie’s forelegs. Mistress Penny-Drops: the feline resident-at-large of Mary’s, and her dog’s best friend, if you could assign animals relationships like that.
Maybe you could, or maybe she was being silly, but there was no denying that they seemed to enjoy each others’ company. Dogs were pack animals – so what if Georgie’s pack was feline? The rest of it walked on two legs, and that didn’t seem to bother Georgie at all.
Dogs…just kind of accepted things.
(from FIXED, by “L.A. Kornetsky,” October 2013)
(c) 2013 Laura Anne Gilman