Evelyn was quiet, shoes crunching on the gravel.
“I’m serious,” Alyssa said. “You’re Bug’s best friend now. And you make a mean gingerbread cookie. I bet you’d be an asset.”
Evelyn looked up at her, eyes luminous. “If I come, you’ll have to let me bring a bottle of something.”
“Of course. I’m not a monster.”
They walked on, not talking, not needing to. Alyssa thought of what Lil had said:You can’t help who you fall for. For once, she didn’t want to help it. She wanted to lean into it, let it catch her, just to see what happened next.
Bug veered off to sniff at a hedge. Evelyn slowed to a stop and turned to face Alyssa, hands tucked into the crooks of her elbows. The air between them went suddenly, wildly electric.
“Thanks for tonight,” Evelyn said.
“You’re welcome.”
They stood there for a moment, close enough that Alyssa could see the flecks of gold in Evelyn’s eyes, could count the freckles dusting her nose. Close enough that it would be so easyto lean in, to close the distance between them, to finally know what Evelyn’s lips tasted like.
But Alyssa held back. Because as much as she wanted to kiss Evelyn—and God, did she want to—she had no idea how to navigate this. She’d never done this before. Not the slow build, not the uncertainty, not the wanting something more than just casual and easy. With Hannah and everyone before her, it had been simple: no expectations, no complications.
This mattered. Evelyn mattered. And Alyssa had no roadmap for that.
They walked the rest of the way back in easy silence, Bug weaving between them, anchoring their orbit. Alyssa thought about everything that had just happened—the mess, the laughter, the secrets—and realized that, for the first time in years, she was exactly where she wanted to be. And maybe, if she was very lucky, Evelyn was too.
18
Wine, Photos, and Finally
Evelyn
The middle of December arrived with a flurry of snow and biting, ice-cold wind. Of course, the British government went into meltdown, causing more trouble than the weather itself.
Although inundated with work, Evelyn was making a conscious effort to relax. All thanks to Alyssa and Bug.
“Hey, Evie,” Alyssa called, walking into her office and plonking herself on the sofa.
“Hey, yourself. Good day?”
“Yeah, um, I actually came in to ask you a favour.”
“Okay, shoot.” Evelyn placed her fountain pen on the desk and waited. Why was Alyssa looking uncomfortable?
“So, um, you know the dogs are having their sleepovers tonight?” Evelyn nodded. Alyssa had granted most volunteers a night with their dogs. The ones she felt weren’t ready for that were being treated to a sleepover with members of the Four Paws team. Bug was staying with Alyssa because Evelyn hadn’t been sure she would be available to have him overnight.
“Yeah, everything okay? No issues, I hope.”
“Um, no, not really. It’s just…well, I was wondering if you could have Bug. I know you said you weren’t sure if you were free, so it’s totally cool if you can’t.”
“I can. I was going to ask you about it today, actually. I thought I would have to stay out of town, but the meeting got cancelled last minute.”
“Oh great, thanks.”
Evelyn smiled, warmth spreading through her chest at the thought of an evening with Bug. “Is there an emergency at the centre?”
“No, um…I have a date with Josh and…um, with everything being so busy lately, tonight is the only free time we have.”
What the fuck?
A chorus of those three words played on repeat in Evelyn’s head. Alyssa was going out on a date with Josh? The security guy Josh? The same Josh who’d thrown Guinness over Evelyn’s lap at the pub?
