Keaton’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Then maybe it’s time you stopped playing defense.” He made it sound easy, and I wondered if he’d ever had his heart truly broken before he met and married Sophie.
The puck dropped. The crowd roared. Tucker took off like he owned the ice, and for one sharp second, I envied him the clarity of knowing exactly where he was going.
The guys may be right, though. With Penny, I’d always feel Brianne’s shadow hanging over us, imagined or real.
I should play offense and cut ties now. Keep my heart safe. But the truth? For the first time in years, the risk didn’t scare me half as much as the thought of letting her go—because what if she was put in my path for a reason?
What if that fucking little app was right and Penny and I were a perfect match?
WHITE KNIGHTS AND GOLDEN FUR
Archer
The following week,my gut twisted. Every warning the guys drilled into me about Penny I took to heart, yet I couldn’t stay away from her if I tried.
The fucking white knight inside of me kicked in, until I found myself standing in front of Fetch on Fifth Doggie Daycare, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, of course.
I studied the logo and read the slogan too many times. A sketch of two pups, one with a bowtie, one with pearls, with the slogan in a circle around them:Because even your dog deserves Fifth Avenue treatment.Only Brier Rose could make a doggie daycare look like a luxury brand.
The bell over the door jingled as I stepped inside. Through the glass wall separating the lobby from the play area, I spotted Penny instantly, kneeling on the mat, surrounded by an army of golden retrievers. Six of them at least, tails wagging, paws flying, rolling over to get her attention like they’d been bred in a lab to worship her.
Her head tipped back in laughter as a silly one jumped up and tried to lick her chin. Whatever energy radiated off her, the dogs soaked it up like sunshine.
Her laughter disarmed me. My heart grinned before I did.
She noticed me then, and bounded over, pressing her palms to the glass. “Archer? What are you doing here? Nice surprise, but you picked the wrong time. It’s golden playdate hour. I’m on duty.”
Her cheeks flushed pink, giving her a youthful glow, magnetizing me to the spot with her smile. What a dog’s life. I wanted to soak up her sunshine, too.
I held up the folder in my hand and set it on the front desk, reminding myself of my mission. “Looks like you’re busy. I drafted something for you. I’ll just drop it off here.”
Her mouth quirked. “Oh. Okay. Can’t you stay? It’s only for another half hour; we could talk after. In fact, you could come play with us.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Are you sure? These doggies are pretty persuasive.” As if on cue, one golden with a pink bow around its neck jumped up with two front paws high on the glass, almost as tall as me stretched out like that. It barked until I put my hand up to the glass. She booped it with her nose.
“They’re adorable. But I don’t do fur.” I stood my ground, gesturing at my selection of navy blue polo and suit pants for the day.
“I have disposable coveralls you could wear.”
“I always wanted a golden,” I admitted.
Her grin widened. “Then today’s your lucky day.”
My willpower to resist Penny’s charms faded. Especially her charms multiplied by a half dozen goldies? Come on, there was no escaping that. “Okay, you talked me into it.”
That was how I, CEO of Bellamy Brothers Architecture, ended up in doggie daycare tossing balls around, chasing, and getting tackled for thirty straight minutes. Penny and I tossed an orange rubber football back and forth, running the dogs likecrazy, letting them intercept now and then, playing tug of war to get it back.
Instead of Golden Hour, they should call this Happy Dog Love Bomb Fest, what with the pure joy in their eyes and tongue lolls. My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing way too much.
By the time I collapsed beside Penny on the rubber mat, chest heaving, my heart skipped lighter than it had in years.
The dogs were worn out, too. One dog instantly sprawled across my lap, belly up, begging for scratches. While another wedged under my arm. Penny leaned her back against the glass, spreading her brightness as if joy itself had been bottled and uncorked.
“Looks like we brought out the playful part of you,” she flirted.
“Enjoy it now. It doesn’t happen often.”
