Now it was Diego’s turn to exhale loud. “All of that happened a long time ago. We were different people then, and I think this meeting could be important for both Chance and Brody.” But he held her hand and locked onto her eyes. “Why don’t you trust me?”
“Because I was there the last time. When you fell apart, and I don’t want to see you hurt like that ever again.”
Diego heard her words and the underlying fear underneath her soft tones. She had been affected just as deeply by the aftermath of what happened to Diego and Brody, but her faith in him never wavered, even when he made mistake after mistake after their move to their aunt’s home in Houston.
He set down the untangled lights and leaned over for a one-armed hug. “I’m not getting hurt, Di. This is about the dogs and the veterans, that’s all. I’m okay, Sis.” Reaching into a cardboard box, he pulled out a container of brightly colored ornaments. “Let’s finish so we can dig into yesterday’s leftovers. I’m starving.”
Diego left an hour later, after pulling out his guitar and playing his newest song for her. “Still too sad,” Diana replied, pronouncing her judgment. But Diego didn’t have time to think about her critique. He’d set up the meeting between Chance and Brody and his partner Aaron at the coffee shop next to Chance’s veterinary office, and he’d told Chance that he’d be there to make formal introductions in person.
Chance Edwards was there when he arrived, which made sense, considering he owned the shopping center where his veterinary office, rescue office, and coffee shop were located, and he lived in the refurbished rooms upstairs. “Thanks again for agreeing to meet these guys,” Diego said after he joined Chance on one of the plush sofas in the back.
“Not a problem. I told you that already.” Chance leaned back and stretched with a quiet groan. With his California surfer-boy good looks, Chance could easily have been mistaken for an actor or a model instead of a veterinarian who happened to run a multi-million dollar charitable foundation. “To be fair, this sort of face-to-face introduction is a smart move for them. You have no idea how many grant requests the foundation gets annually, and the committee who oversees them has to be judicious with the ones that move forward to… well, to me, for final approval.” Chance nudged Diego’s leg with his foot as his bright blue eyes studied Diego’s face. “You good with all of this?”
But before Diego could answer, the front door opened. Brody came in with a tall, dark-haired and dark-skinned man - presumably his partner, Aaron - and a white and black border collie wearing a service dog vest. Upon seeing the trio looking around the shop, Diego immediately stood to his feet to greet them. “Over here,” he said while gesturing towards their direction.
Soon the men joined them, and Chance stood to shake hands as introductions were made. “You don’t know how grateful we are that you agreed to meet with us today.” Aaron and Brody took off their coats and sat down. Both men wore polo shirts with their rescue’s logo embroidered on the shirt. “We’re hoping that this meeting could be a turning point for our rescue.”
“I’m glad to be here. Any friend of Diego’s is a friend of mine. But as I was telling him, the Edwards Foundation receives thousands of grant application a year, and only a handful make it to my desk. A meeting like this helps put a name with a face.” He smiled widely. “And I’ve got a soft place in my heart for dog rescues.”
Brody rose to his feet and glanced down at Chance and Diego. “I’m going to order some drinks. Can I get you anything?”
Chance held up the ceramic tumbler in his hands. “I’ve got something already, but thanks for asking.”
Brody turned to Diego. “How ‘bout you?”
There it was, that familiar drawl that had mesmerized a young Diego back in high school. “Caramel macchiato.”
Brody grinned at that order, then headed to the counter and spoke with the barista.
Aaron turned to Diego. “Thank you again for setting this up for us. Brody speaks well of you.”
Diego nodded. “He was a good friend.” But as Aaron began to talk to Chance about their organization, Diego’s thoughts wandered. Aaron wasn’t the kind of man who he’d have guessed Brody would fall in love with, but he seemed to a thoughtful and polite as he spoke, his hands moving wildly as he described their current situation. “We have some land just outside of San Antonio, kindly provided by Brody, and we’ve taken great care to establish an area for boarding kennels and a training facility. We are currently caring for four canines, including the three pups we pulled from your rescue last weekend; those three are doing very well.”
Aaron pulled out his phone and began showing Chance and Diego pictures of the young retrievers as Brody returned with drinks for Diego, Aaron, and himself. “We got some better pictures in the presentation.” Brody reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a large iPad. He opened an application and soon a slideshow of pictures, data, and other information scrolled across the screen. “This all began a couple of years ago. I was in the army and had been severely injured while on duty in Syria. They sent me to Germany, then back to Texas to rehab. They have a state-of-the-art military hospital at Ft Sam Houston in San Antonio. That’s where I met Aaron.” The two men smiled fondly at each other, and Diego was shocked at how deeply he felt that stab of jealousy, even after all these years.
Aaron took over. “I was working as a physical therapist at BAMC, the main hospital on base. Brody here worked hard during his recuperation, but he still needed a little help.” Aaron glanced at Brody, who nodded. “Some of his injuries qualified him to receive and work with a service animal once he was released from the hospital.”
Diego’s eyes widened. He turned to Brody, who shrugged. “It says Mild TBI on my discharge papers, and while I’d maintain that there’s nothing mild about a traumatic brain injury, I got off a hell of a lot easier than a lot of people I saw in that hospital. I’ve got my limbs and wits. There were a couple serious seizures here and there, and I’ve still got a bit of a limp, especially on cold days like today. Headaches now and then from the concussion.” He reached down and pet the dog resting at his feet. “And I’ve got Miss Peach here to help me with some of the other stuff.”
Diego sat in silence as Brody spoke. Never in a million years could he have imagined what Brody had gone through during their years apart, while Diego was making his own way just a few miles down the road.
Chance had been taking notes on his phone as they spoke, but now he looked over at the two men. “Is that how your rescue started?”
“The timing was right. I fell into possession of the land just as I was discharged from the military. Aaron’s time was up, and he didn’t want to re-enlist.” They looked at each other and grinned. “Having Peach gave me a whole new appreciation for the work that service dogs do. I was lucky to get her, and for some folks, they’re a lot harder to find. It’s expensive to train them and takes a lot of hard work and patience. Aaron knows someone who grooms and trains dogs and just got her certification to train service animals. He’s also got a good-sized network of people through his ties with the military and physical therapists. I got five acres sittin’ empty. One night we were all talking over dinner and just decided to make K-9 Companions a reality.”
Diego’s heart ached listening to this story. It was almost romantic, setting aside Brody being seriously injured. But the two of them had made lemonade out of lemons, and Diego respected that. “What are your plans for the future?” he asked and braced himself for the heartache their answer would no doubt cause.
Aaron answered first. “Right now, we’ve got space for four dogs max, which is what we have. We’d like to increase that to ten, maybe more down the line. We’re converting the barn into a proper kennel, but it needs renovations. We need supplies for training, more food and supplements, more veterinary bills, more staff to work with the veterans as they train alongside their new service animals.”
Brody took over. This was it, the moment they needed to make this happen. His heart beat fast in his chest. “Nationwide, there’s a waiting list of veterans who need service animals. Our organization, with your support, can try and ensure many of those veterans get the help they need and deserve. Then later, we’d also like to pick up more rescues and train them to be therapy dogs, which is a totally different training but one that is just as important to some of our injured veterans.”
Chance took a deep breath. “All of this is quite impressive, gentlemen. The work you’re doing is remarkable.” He glanced down at his phone, then stood. “You have my email address, yes?” After they nodded, he continued. “Send me the presentation along with the completed grant application. I’ll bring it all to the next board of directors meeting next week and we’ll see about getting you set up as a partner with our foundation.”
Both Brody and Aaron stood, all of them shaking hands excitedly. Diego drank his coffee and watched as the men promised to send the files to Chance as soon as they got back to their hotel.
Chance turned to Diego. “Are you guys playing at Brewsters tomorrow night?”
“Yeah. We start playing at ten, so no rush.” Diego grinned as Chance leaned in for a quick one-armed hug before nodding at the barista and heading out the back door.
