They watched him get into his squad car and drive away.
“That went better than I thought it would,” Erik observed. “Got any thoughts?”
Ben turned toward him. “I want to get a dog.”
“A dog?” Erik said with a dumbfounded expression at the sudden shift in topic.
“Now seems like as good a time as we’re ever going to get.” Ben knew he sounded slightly defensive. “We’ve had one big threat after another, but with the windows taken care of and the mobsters set back on their heels—at least for now—we’re reasonably safe. That might be a false sense of security; there are still other bad guys out there, but maybe we’ll get lucky and have a break for a while.”
“There’s no way to know if things are really going to calm down,” Erik warned.
“I know. But we can’t put everything on hold forever until the world straightens itself out.”
“You haven’t mentioned it before, but I’m guessing this isn’t a new thing,” Erik said.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I loved having dogs when I was growing up. My schedule was too crazy as a cop, and then my old boyfriend didn’t like pets. But now, I don’t have to work as long hours most of the time. Jenny would be fine with me bringing the dog to the office, I’m sure.” Ben paused, feeling nervous. “Say something.”
He hadn’t brought up the subject before this. Their relationship had been too new, then there were several dangerous cases to contend with, and moving in together kept them busy. But now that they were settled into the apartment and their lives were as quiet as they were ever likely to get, Ben figured the timing could work.
“I guess a hellhound or shifter is out?” Erik’s tone told Ben he was only partly joking.
“As much as that might come in handy from time to time, I mean a real, regular, non-magical canine,” Ben clarified.
“I’m okay with that,” Erik replied, and Ben felt himself relax. “Probably not a huge dog since we don’t have much of a yard, but a small or medium-sized one would work.” He paused. “Did you have a particular breed in mind?”
“I’ve always been partial to Golden Retrievers or Labradors,” Ben admitted, knowing they didn’t qualify as small or medium. “I fell in love with them from movies and TV shows. I know they’re not small, but they’re so friendly and smart…and easy to train. But if we get a rescue, I’m open to a Heinz 57,” he added, meaning a mixed breed. “How about you?”
Erik had a faraway expression as he answered. “I didn’t have a dog when I was a kid, but I always wanted one. When I got my own place, I worked long hours, and then when I started doingfraud and theft investigations with Interpol, I traveled too much. But if we can find the right dog, it would be nice.”
“We’ll need to make sure it doesn’t freak out around magic,” Ben said. “I’ve heard that dogs can pick up on the supernatural.”
“I don’t know about dogs, but cats can certainly sense ghosts,” Erik said. “Magic is manipulated energy, and dogs have more acute senses than we do, so I guess it would make sense that they’d pick up on something.”
“We don’t have to get a puppy if you think that’s too much work,” Ben blurted. He had been thinking this through for a while and tried to counter all the obstacles. “We could get a young rescue dog. He’d be a little more settled. I’m not really stuck on a particular breed.”
“You’ve really put thought into this.” Erik’s smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Ben sighed. “Guilty as charged. I didn’t know when it might work, but I don’t think our lives are ever going to slow down a whole lot more than what we’ve got. So now could be a good time.”
“Okay.”
Ben had his counterarguments all prepared, so Erik’s agreement stopped him in his tracks. “Okay?”
Erik chuckled. “Yes. I’m fine with getting a dog, but it has to like both of us. My aunt and uncle had a chihuahua who loved her and pissed in my uncle’s shoes.”
“Got it. No shoe-peeing,” Ben said. “I think we can work with that.”
Erik looked thoughtful. “Getting a dog means needing dog things: bed, dish, water bowl, toys, other stuff. If we get the supplies before we get the dog, we don’t know for sure what size we need. But if we wait to get the dog first, then we don’t have the stuff when we all get home.”
“I thought about that,” Ben replied. “If we go to the big shelter, there are a couple of stores we could stop at on the way home. Take the dog with us and help pick stuff out.”
“Okay, that could work, especially if it’s already grown and not a little puppy,” Erik agreed. “Boy or girl?”
“I’ve tried not to get my heart set on too many details up front,” Ben admitted. “I was hoping it would be one of those ‘love at first sight’ things and we’d just know the right one.”
Erik nodded. “I like that. Almost letting the dog pick us. When do you want to go? How about first thing in the morning?”
“Really?” Ben felt poleaxed, but his heart thudded in excitement. “Oh, my God.”
