Jack winked at her, hoping to give hersomekind of impression about what he’d been up to so maybe she would get the hint.
“You devil,” she teased, taking the bait.
Jack shrugged and smirked at her. “Where do you want me today?”
“Travis can use some help with the baths to start with.”
“I’ll head that way then.” Jack drummed his fingers across the counter and waved over his shoulder.
Holly buzzed the door and Jack strolled through the shelter, saying hi to every dog he passed and finding Travis in the back grooming room wrestling a wet Dachshund into the steel sink.
“There’s a joke here somewhere, I know it,” Jack said in way of greeting.
Travis looked over his shoulder and glared, finally getting the doxie clipped into the harness. He wiped his hands down the apron he wore and extended one toward Jack.
“Good morning to you, good sir. You know I love to spend my Saturdays wrestling wieners.”
“Oh!” Jack laughed, “That was the joke! You found it.”
“Don’t tell Holly that we’re back here making dick jokes; she’ll catch on to me.” Travis squirted some shampoo in his hand and set to scrubbing the dog’s fur.
Jack pulled an apron from the back of the door and joined Travis, bumping their shoulders together.
“Does she really not know you’re gay?”
“No idea.” Travis laughed and rinsed the dog.
“I think she might. There’s no reason for her to send me back here every week to help you. You can manage the wiener with your own two hands.”
“She is far too transparent for something that calculated,” Travis said, hoisting the dog onto a steel table to dry him.
“I dunno, man. Maybe she’s playing the long game.”
“I adore her, but that girl doesn’t have a long game. She has a here to Bloomingdale’s game.”
Jack helped Travis dry the dog, plugging in a second blow dryer and powering it on.
“I don’t think you give her enough credit.”
The door to the grooming center opened and Holly stuck her head in. She scanned the room, her eyes landing on Jack and Travis beside each other with the half-dry dog between them.
“You guys got that wiener under control?” she asked with a smirk, then closed the door before either of them had time to answer.
Jack and Travis exchanged a look and Jack raised his eyebrows with a small laugh. “Here to Bloomingdale’s my ass.”
3
Callum
Callum sped home from work,opening his chat app as soon as he had the door closed behind him. He sent Jack a message, then stripped his clothes off and tucked himself into bed.
DaddyJM: Good morning, kitten.
Callum loved that. He loved that Jack had a pet name for him so soon, and he loved that it wasn’t something like pet, or boy, or darling. Although there was something so elegant and romantic about darling, it didn’t fit him, and it definitely didn’t fit Jack.
CJ1992: Daddy.
DaddyJM: How was work?
