"Didn't realize you were a chubby chaser. Guess maybe there's no need for me to keep drinking Bud Light then, huh?" he called with laugh as he closed the bathroom door behind himself, starting the shower up and letting it run as hot as it would go. Mike liked things in extremes, and he preferred his baths and showers to be blisteringly hot.
When he was clean and smelled like soap instead of sweat, he dried off and dressed in his nicest jeans and a button-down gray shirt. He knew that once upon a time Dahlia had loved him in this color, had fawned over how blue it made his eyes and how pretty his silky blonde hair looked against the smoky shade. He put on his 'nice' boots, the least-scuffed ones, and dried his hair before pulling it neatly back off his face with a black elastic.
He came up behind Dahlia, dropping one hand to stroke the top of Lucy's head. He'd always loved dogs, and he and Lucy got along like peas in a pod. The big dog had found the soft spot in Mike's heart, even if he did grumble and bitch about having to walk her on cold mornings or when he was hungover.
"You look pretty great," he told her, kissing the side of her temple as he passed the chair where she sat. He was almost to the dining room when the doorbell rang and Lucy perked up, curiously gazing in that direction as she gave her alert.