I grab my phone and look at the time. “Shit, we gotta go.”
“Shower first, shelter open house second.” Dom peels me off his body, and I whine like a toddler. “Come on,” he says, holding out his hand. I take it, and he pulls me up after some grumbling.
We don’t dillydally, just clean each other up with speed and precision… and maybe a few traded kisses.
I’m impressed with the kind of time we make; we’re dressed and out the door in under thirty minutes.
By the time we pull into the lot of the shelter, it’s packed. Balloons bob around at an information booth. A banner readsOPEN HOUSE! ADOPT LOVE!, and an ice cream truck is blasting “The Chicken Dance.”
Mazie is in Finn’s arms, absolutely furious about… something… and Spencer looks delighted.
“You know there’s a bet going, right?” I tell Dom, climbing out of the truck.
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not leaving with a puppy.” He grabs my hand, and we weave through the crowd.
“Are you sure? Puppies are really freaking cute.”
“I’m not getting a puppy.”
“DOM!” Jaxon calls, jogging over with Alex. “Ready to meet your new dog?”
Dom flips him off on reflex, then pulls him into a hug. Alex kisses Dom’s cheek. “Resistant now, retriever later,” he singsongs.
Mira and Jules wave from an outdoor pen where a bunch of puppies are running around chasing each other’s tails.
Finn finally hands Mazie a tiny vanilla cone, and she immediately blesses it by smearing it on his shirt. Spencer claps as if she’s won an award.
“Look at her sharing!” Spencer beams.
“That’s not—” Finn sighs. “Sure. Sharing.”
“Shit,” I hear Dom mutter under his breath.
“Well, hello boys,” Ms. Brandy says. “It seems the two of you are…”She looks us up and down, and I know they know. “Fashionably late.”
Dom raises an eyebrow at Alex.
“What? They offered to volunteer, and I needed volunteers.”
Ms. Cook thrusts a raffle ticket strip into my hand, Ms. Brandy hooks her arm through Dom’s, and we make our way inside. “You look like a senior-dog household. Quiet, appreciative, available for naps.”
“We have a bulldog named Meatball who snores like a tractor and farts like an onion,” Ms. Brandy offers proudly.
Dom blanches. “Hard pass.”
“Noted.” Ms. Cook scribbles something. “Also, dog food is buy two, get one at The Grocery Mart if you bring this flyer. We made it. Corporate hasn’t approved it. It’ll be fine.” She pats me on the shoulder.
I look at Alex, who just shrugs.
“Where’s Marge?”
“She had to go pick her grandson up from daycare. She should be back soon.”
Just then Marcus, Jacob, and Lucas appear holding a teeny, tiny puppy with floppy ears.
“Lucas,” I say, going in for a hug. “When did you get back in town? Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve made up the couch again.”
Pretty sure I hear a low growl next to me. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.
