"I take parrot!" Petrov yells from his ladder.
"You'reFIXING THE ROOF!" three people yell back simultaneously.
Before Wall can continue, Ace just... leaves. He doesn't say anything, just turns and disappears down the hallway like a man on a mission.
I blink after him.
He reappears thirty seconds later, and my heart does this stupid, embarrassing flutter. Because he's carrying Candy.
Not on a leash, walking her carefully. Carrying her. In his arms. Like she's a toddler.
Candy's tail is wagging, her head tucked against his chest, and she looks so content I could cry.
"I'm taking Candy," Ace announces to the room.
"Obviously," Becker mutters.
"Anyone got a problem with that?"
Dead silence except for the continued barking, which has lessened considerably now that people are moving with purpose.
"That's what I thought." Ace looks down at Candy, voice going soft. "You're coming home with me, girl. It's gonna be okay."
I'm staring, and I can't stop staring because this stupidly hot hockey player is being stupidly gentle with a blind senior dog, and my brain is bathing in dopamine or serotonin or whatever neurotransmitter gets released when you melt into a puddle.
Washington claps his hands. "Alright, let's organize. Who can take what?"
Chaos erupts immediately.
"I want the three-legged cat!" Becker yells.
"That's my cat!" Groover yells back.
"You can't call dibs on a cat!"
"I JUST DID!"
"I take all puppies," Petrov says from his ladder.
"You can't take puppies, you're WORKING!" Wall barks.
Wall's already got three dogs on leashes, looking like he's in heaven despite the circumstances. "These guys are coming with me."
Jinx is eyeing a black cat with one ear. "This one. This one's lucky."
"How is a one-eared cat lucky?" Snooze asks.
"He survived. That's lucky."
Can't argue with that logic.
Mama Paws is trying to direct traffic, assigning animals based on people's living situations, but it's like herding cats. Literally. There are cats everywhere, and they're not cooperating.
One tabby makes a break for it, streaking past Washington's legs. Leila lunges and somehow catches it, cradling it like a football. "Got one!" she says, two dogs already by her feet like she's collecting Pokemon.
Washington hangs his head. "Babe..."
She shoots him a murderous glance. "Yes, husband?"
