"I'm not tense."
"Your shoulders are up by your ears."
I force them down. "Better?"
"Much."
We reach Candy's kennel and Devon opens it, guiding her inside. She goes willingly but keeps looking back at us with those cloudy eyes, tail still wagging.
"Bye, queen," Devon says. "I'll see you real soon, okay?"
"See you, girl," I add, giving her one more scratch.
Neither of us moves.
"Okay, but actually goodbye this time," Devon tries again.
Candy settles onto her bed.
"You're the best," I tell her. "The absolute best."
"She knows," Devon says. "Look at her face. She's smug about it."
"She has every right to be."
"We should really go."
"We should."
We're still not moving.
"Candy, be good," Devon says.
"I'll bring you treats next time," I promise.
"I'll bring you better treats than his," Devon says.
I turn to look at him. "My treats are excellent."
"We'll see about that."
"Are you challenging my treat game?"
"I'm just saying, I know what dogs like."
"So do I."
"Prove it."
"I will."
"Boys!" Mama Paws's voice echoes down the hallway. "The dog is fine! You can leave now."
We both jump, caught, and Devon's laughing as we finally walk away from Candy's kennel.
Outside, he pulls out his phone. "Shit. My shift starts in forty minutes."
Don't offer him a ride. Don’t offer him a ride. Do not offer him a ri—
