I glance from left to right. We’re sandwiched on the city block between a trendy wine bar and a hair salon. The salon won’t open for another two hours, and the wine bar doesn’t open until four. There are no cars around. The dog stares at me. As I close the distance between us, it begins to slap its tail on the sidewalk.
“Where is your owner, baby?”
I hold out the back of my hand for the dog to sniff before scratching . . .himunder the chin.
“You’re a sweetheart.”
My fingers probe around his collar for any tags, but there’s nothing. “How long have you been out here? Are you thirsty? I’m going to get you some water.”
I swing open the shop door and go back inside. “Casper!” I yell. “Whose dog is out front?”
Casper pops his head out of the sterilization doorway as I head for the employee lounge.
“I dunno. He was there when I rolled up.”
What if the poor thing’s been out there all night?“Do you think he’s hungry?”
“Nah, he looks like he ate his owner, so he’ll probably be good till dinner.”
I wave a hand. “Oh, he does not.”
“Well, Logan should be here any minute, you can ask him what he wants to do with it.”
The employee lounge is small but sufficient. It contains a tiny kitchen space with a fridge, sink, and microwave for people to heat up food during their breaks. I find an old Tupperware container in one of the cabinets and fill it with water, then walkback outside and place the dish next to his fuzzy front paws. The dog looks down at the water dish, then back up to me.
“Aren’t you thirsty?” He leans into me when I scratch him behind the ears. “Aww, you’re a good boy.”
I untie his leash from the pole and walk him around to the back of the shop where we have a patch of grass so he can do his business. He sniffs around for a while but doesn’t seem to need to relieve himself. Then I spot Logan driving into the back lot.
I sigh. “Shit. Okay, look, my boss can be kind of a stickler about animals in the shop, so you’re gonna need to give the best big puppy-dog eyes you can muster, got it?”
His golden orbs shine when he looks up, and nostalgia washes over me. He reminds me so much of the dog I had when I was a little girl. Same color, same eyes, same size. I rest my palm on his tall back. “Yes, exactly like that!”
Logan hops out of his truck and strides over to me as I step onto the sidewalk. “Did you get a dog?”
It’s the first thing he’s said to me in a week that isn’t work-related. It’s nice to hear his conversational voice again, but I wish he’d use it to open up to me.
“No, some asshole tied him up out front and left him there,” I say, glancing down at the pretty canine.
“Kelly, what the fuck? Go tie him back up again. You have no idea what that dog is capable of. That thing looks like he only knows German attack phrases.”
My arms shoot out to cover the dog’s soft ears with my hands. “Be nice!” I whisper. My furry friend wags his tail and glances up at me with his tongue lolling out. Oh, my heart. “See? He likes me!”
Logan rolls his eyes. “You don’t even know who he belongs to.”
I cross my arms. “Whoever the owner is doesn’t deserve this sweet boy. Why would they just leave him out here like this all night?”
He shrugs. “Maybe because he looks like a?—”
Rising to my tiptoes, I clap a palm over his mouth. “Is your comment constructive or critical?”
Logan purses his lips when I pull my hand away.
I’ve always wanted a dog. Now might be the time, it seems the universe has put one right in my path. Maybe it’s just my hormones or the fact that this one reminds me of the dog I had when I was little, but the words fall out before I can stop them. “I’m going to adopt him!”
“Absolutely not.” He crosses his arms.
That was the wrong thing to say to me. Not when I’ve already had the morning from hell. “You don’t get to tell me what dogs I’m allowed to save!”
