Alyssa grinned, sudden and wide. “Great. I’ll, um, pick you up. Or we can meet there, if you want. Whatever’s easiest.”
“Pick me up,” Evelyn said. “It’ll give me an excuse to get out of here early.”
“Six thirty?” Alyssa ventured.
“Six thirty’s perfect.”
There was a beat of silence. Bug snored, oblivious. Evelyn looked at Alyssa, then at Bug, then back at Alyssa, like she was trying to solve a particularly challenging puzzle.
“I’ll bring the dog,” Alyssa said.
“Please do,” Evelyn replied.
Alyssa left before she could say something embarrassing. As the door closed behind her, Alyssa heard Evelyn laugh, soft and unguarded.
The morning of the market fundraiser, Alyssa woke up before dawn, heart pounding with a combination of excitement andanticipation. She ran through her usual routine: feeding the early riser dogs, driving into the city, making sure the temporary outdoor kennels were set up near the market. She was halfway through organising a donation crate when Lil appeared at her side, wielding a clipboard and an expression of pure mischief.
“Tell me you have an outfit for tonight,” Lil said, not even bothering with a greeting.
Alyssa squinted at her. “I’m going to be wrangling dogs and hauling equipment. I’ll be covered in drool by eight p.m., tops.”
“Excuses,” Lil said. “This is a social event, not a cage cleaning. Look, I even got you a top.”
She held up a slightly-too-small red jumper decorated with a grinning reindeer and the words “Fleas Navidad.” It was aggressively festive.
Alyssa made a face, but took the knitted monstrosity. “You’re the worst.”
“I know,” Lil grinned, then sobered. “Seriously, though, are you okay about tonight?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Lil’s eyebrows shot up. “Alyssa, you’ve been vibrating like a jackhammer since Tuesday. You like her.”
“So?” Alyssa tried for nonchalance and failed spectacularly.
“So, don’t overthink it. Just go, have fun, maybe flirt a little.”
Alyssa was about to retort, but Bug chose that moment to butt her in the calf, demanding a scratch. She obliged, rubbing his head until he melted into a puddle of pleasure at her feet.
“See, Bug’s got the right idea,” Lil said, wandering off to scold a volunteer for putting a dog harness on upside down.
Alyssa watched her go, then looked down at Bug. “It’s just a market, right?”
Bug wagged his tail in what Alyssa could only interpret as reluctant encouragement.
At six fifteen, Alyssa stood outside Evelyn’s building, sweating under her borrowed “Fleas Navidad” jumper and a slightly-worse-for-wear parka. Bug was beside her, dressed in a sensible tartan scarf.
“He’s not wearing the antlers, don’t even try,” Alyssa had warned Lil.
The city was awash in holiday light, headlights and Christmas decorations and the glow of a hundred corner shops, all blending together into a kind of festive haze.
She checked her phone—early, but not too early. She texted “Outside!” with a bug emoji and waited.
Two minutes later, the front doors opened and Evelyn emerged. She was wearing a long navy peacoat, a black scarf, and the sort of high-heeled boots that Alyssa suspected had never once touched a puddle. She looked every inch the CEO, except for the way she was clutching a battered reusable shopping bag and smiling as soon as she spotted Alyssa.
Bug trotted forward, tail wagging so hard his whole body wobbled. Evelyn bent to greet him, murmuring, “Hello, troublemaker,” and ruffling his ears.
“You’re early,” Evelyn said, straightening and fixing her gaze on Alyssa.
