“Oh. Um, no. She hasn’t needed anything before. But she’s not a picky eater, so we can try.”
“Wait a minute. A pug who isn’t picky? Now that’s a rare occurrence,” I teased.
When Alex finally smiled, I thought it made him even more handsome. “So I’ve heard. The only thing she’s stubborn about is needing to be near me.”
I smiled. “NowthatI believe. Have you heard of the term ‘Velcro dog?’” Alex shook his head. “Oh. Well, pugs tend to fall into that category, since they can be a bit obsessive about being near their owner. They like to stick to their sides, kinda like Velcro.”
“That’s definitely her. She gets jealous easily,” he mused.
“Well, she’s lucky to have someone to care for her the way you do.”
Alex shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I think I’m the lucky one.”
I tucked the small pill inside a treat before offering it to Roxy. She barely sniffed it before gobbling it up. Alex and I both chuckled. Within minutes, the pug began to settle down in Alex’s arms, tucking her flat nose against the crook of his elbow and drifting off to sleep. Only when we heard the infamous pug-snore coming from her did Alex start to relax. Still, he looked absolutely wrecked, with dark circles under his eyes and hair all a mess. I doubted he’d slept more than an hour, and hoped tonight would be easier for him.
I saw the two mugs of coffee I’d brought over from the house and went to go grab them. Holding one out for Alex, I said, “Wasn’t sure how you liked it, so I made it the same as mine. Just a pump of plain creamer. Hope that’s okay.”
There was a glint in his eyes that I couldn’t quite read as he tentatively reached for the mug. Surprise, maybe? “It’s fine. Thank you.”
“Why don’t you follow me to the house? We’ll get some food, and then we can talk about some of the work you’ll be doing. Last night was kind of a rush, with getting you and Roxy settled in.”
After securing Roxy in the small portable kennel I’d loaned him, we trekked across the damp yard toward the house.
“Gotta be honest. I’m not much of a breakfast person so I don’t have a lot on hand. Your options are oatmeal, toast, or granola.”
Alex chuckled. “I’ll be fine with whatever.”
“I was going to make some toast. Is that okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Noel greeted us as soon as we entered, and Alex didn’t hesitate to give her some attention.
After dropping some bread in the toaster, I searched in the fridge for the jar of jam, remembering at the last second that I had a carton of strawberries and pulled those out too.
“How old is she?” Alex asked, still doting on my dog.
“Noel? Oh, she’ll be six this December. Noel, go lie down.”
“She’s fine,” Alex said, rubbing her ears. “I don’t mind.”
“Well, she’s also not allowed at the table, and she knows it.”
He glanced up to see if I was kidding, then pulled his hands away. “Oh, sorry.”
Noel gave me her best puppy eyes, pleading to make an exception to the rule just this once… like always.
“Noel,” I scolded.
She huffed before wandering back to the living room and plopping down in the big pink bed.
“I don’t like to be strict with her, but I don’t have a choice. She was nearly 80 lbs overweight before I got her from a rescue,” I explained.
“80 lbs?” Alex balked. “That’s nearly twice her size, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Pretty close. Her owner fed her all day and barely gave her any exercise. So I had to break her of the habit of asking for food all the time. She still tries, though.”
“Yikes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
