“But I’m going back to living in a high-rise apartment in the concrete jungle at the end of all this. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to San Francisco, but that city legitimately has no grass. I can’t have a dog like this there.”
“I always need more fosters,” Carol interjects.
I chew on my lip, looking into the eyes of the dopey dog who is clearly just as much in love with me as I am with him. I want a good reason to say no to this, but the only one I can come up with is that I’ll get attached. That’s a fairly weak argument considering I’m already attached.
Sensing my hesitation, she adds, “You can co-foster. It’s perfect! You two live at Rhett’s place together now, right? You can share responsibility for him, so you can still enjoy your time here. Plus, this way, when Olivia has to go home in three months he won’t have to be sent back to the rescue, and he will be staying with someone familiar.”
“That sounds an awful lot like adoption,” Rhett interjects. “I don’t know how to take care of a dog.”
“Call it whatever you want,” Carol says with a smirk.
“I’ll do most of the work for the first three months, Rhett,” I jump in. “I’m sure Carol could give you some tips too.”
Carol nods eagerly at Rhett as she strokes the top of the dog’s head. “This guy would love to go to Copper Hill with you too. Besides, you normally live all alone on that big property. You could use a friend just as much as he could.”
“He’s just a puppy. He needs to be trained.”
“He’s almost a year old. He’s already potty and crate-trained. Plus, he does well on a leash,” Carol explains.
I turn back to the scruffy dog in my lap, knowing this might just be the nail in the coffin. “I’m sorry, buddy. I won’t be able to take you home today, but I’ll come back to play with you real soon.” I place a kiss on his forehead right between his eyes.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
I swoop the dog into my arms for a hug and then leap from the ground into Rhett’s arms. He stumbles back, stunned by the force, but he still manages to wrap me up. Having his arms around me might just be the greatest feeling in the world. He places his hand over the top of my head and smoothes it down gently. At the motion, a small sound of satisfaction slips from my lips, and I have to cough to cover it as I go rigid and pull back.
“I guess we’re doing this.”
Rhett looks at the sweet dog watching us with wonder and hope in his eyes, then back to me. As if he’s too weak to say no to the two of us, he says, “I guess we are. What am I getting myself into?”
ChapterTen
Rhett
“How shouldwe split responsibility for him?” Olivia asks as she pets the puppy, who’s peeking his head between our two seats. We’ve decided to call him Maverick.
“I don’t know. I figured he’d kind of be like your dog while you’re here.”
“Rhett, we can’t do that to him. He’s a rescue. He needs stability, and if I’m going to leave, I can’t become his primary person. He needs you too. That’s the only reason this was supposed to work.”
“Okay, then what do you suggest?”
“Could you bring him into work like Carol mentioned?”
“That depends on how well-behaved he is and if Austin, my boss, says it’s okay.”
She nods, but looking at her eyes, I can tell she’s only halfway here with me. The other half is off plotting the rest of this dog’s life.
“Will we let him up on the furniture?”
“Absolutely not. He’s a beast. He doesn’t belong on the furniture.”
She immediately covers Maverick’s ears while her mouth hangs open. “You take that back. He’s an angel. I think he should be allowed to sleep on the bed with one of us.”
“First of all, letting him sleep with you isn’t going to help make it any easier when you leave. Second of all, if I’m going to be the one keeping him in three months, then I make the rules. He doesn’t go on the beds, the couch, or any other furniture in the house.”
“Fine, Tin Man.”
“Okay, we aren’t going to make that a thing.”
