“Sorry to barge in on you while you were getting ready for bed.” I glanced around the kitchen and living room, trying to remember where I’d left my phone.
“Totally fine,” she said. “I’m honestly a little freaked out to be alone tonight anyway.”
“What?” I turned to look at her.
Phoebe’s bottom lip was pinched between her teeth. “I keep staring at the little one, trying to make sure she’s still breathing. What if I fall asleep, and when I wake up, she’s dead?”
“Then she probably would have died anyway, whether you were asleep or not,” I told her. “But I think she’s fine. I really do.”
“I hope so. Your phone’s probably in the bedroom.”
“Right.” I walked down the hall. Violet looked up at me from her spot in the whelping box, and her tail thumped against the bedding. She was curled around the puppies, looking like a proud mama. She seemed to have settled into motherhood like a champ. And there was my phone, lying facedown on the floor beside her.
I stooped to pick it up, and then I reached for the smallest puppy, moving slowly and making sure I had Violet’s permission to touch her. But the dog remained relaxed, watching as I lifted her baby. “I’ll just give her another check before I leave, okay?” I said to Phoebe, hoping that would ease her mind, because there was no way I was staying the night, not after that kiss.
“Thank you,” she said, crouching beside me. “You know, we never decided who won the bet.”
“No, we didn’t.” I held the puppy on my palms, watching her breathe, but I didn’t see any signs of distress. Her nose and mouth were a nice healthy pink, and she whimpered, rolling over in my hands, paws flailing.
“Now that she’s dry, she’s actually brown, not black,” Phoebe said, leaning over my shoulder to look at the puppy, which put her way too close to me. The puppy was indeed a dark chocolate brown, with a white face.
I didn’t turn my head to look at Phoebe. “And you predicted a brown-and-white female puppy, so I’d say you won.”
“I guess that means you’re buying dinner next Friday.” She reached over to rub the puppy before I set her back in the box with Violet.
I stood, facing her. “I don’t know if dinner’s such a good idea.”
“Sure it is,” Phoebe said. “I’d really like to spend some time with you that doesn’t involve puppies, Taylor.”
I hesitated, hands shoved into the pockets of my jeans.
“Just as friends,” Phoebe insisted. “I want to be friends, don’t you?”
Well, when she put it that way… “Fine, I guess.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t sound so enthusiastic.”
“I’m tired,” I deflected. “But yes, dinner next Friday. In the meantime, try to get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning to check in and see how everyone’s doing.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“Good night, Phoebe,” I said. Then I headed for the door before I lost all my common sense and succumbed to her unasked request for me to stay.
* * *
The next day, I stopped by Phoebe’s cabin on my lunch break, leaving Minnie and Blue in my office. I’d talked to Phoebe briefly that morning to confirm that everyone was doing okay. She sounded tired but didn’t have anything alarming to report. The puppies were all nursing well and gaining weight.
I walked up the steps to the front door and knocked. She pulled it open wearing a sunny yellow dress. It was a simple cotton T-shirt dress, but on Phoebe, it looked like a million bucks, emphasizing her tanned legs and the golden highlights in her hair. Yellow was definitely her color.
“How’s everyone doing?” I asked as she invited me inside.
“Good, I think.” She gave me a sheepish smile. “I guess I can stop watching the little one breathe. The vet said she looked fine.”
“That’s great news,” I said. “Have you thought about names yet?”
She shook her head. “I’m too tired today to come up with anything cute.”
“Well, let me know when you decide. I’ll put pictures of them on our blog, so that our supporters can follow along on their journey. That’ll help generate interest for when we’re ready to start accepting adoption applications for them.”
