“You two overthink everything.” He’s already pulling up the website. “There aren’t many. We should go now.”
He turns and strides off.
I scrub a hand over my face. “Thank you, Meg. I should probably go stop him before he adopts a wolf.”
Erik is waiting by my truck, still absorbed in his phone.
“They have goats,” he announces. “One is male. Named Billy. A shocking lack of imagination.”
“You aren’t considering a goat,” I say.
He looks genuinely affronted. “Of course not. Even I know they smell.”
We pull in, and he finally glances up from his phone.
“Let me handle this,” he says. “I know who I want to look at.”
I blink. “You do?”
“Yes.” He exhales, impatient with my doubt. “I’ve narrowed it down to two. Dewdrop and Raindrop. However, research indicates single-consonant names are preferable.”
“Really,” I say dryly. “You discovered this on the drive over.”
“Mm-hmm.” He’s already opening the truck door. “Short, punchy names are more effective. Similar to music. You don’t want a name that bogs down.”
“Okay, Cesar Milan.”
He pauses. “Who?”
“You just proved my point without realizing it.”
We head inside.
The woman at the reception desk looks up and smiles. “How can I help you?”
Erik steps forward and holds out his phone. “These two. I need to meet them.”
She leans back slightly, her smile faltering just a touch. “All right. Let me pull their files. Did you want to look at anyone else, or just those two?”
“Just Raindrop and Dewdrop,” Erik says, impatience creeping in.
I lean around him. “Hi. Sorry. While you’re doing that, is there paperwork we should fill out? Or anything you need from us?”
Erik turns toward me, already forming an objection, so I keep going.
“We’re applying to adopt,” I say evenly. “If it’s the right fit for both us and the dog.”
My head nods once, involuntarily, toward him.
He frowns, clearly confused. “If we don’t adopt the dog, it remains here. Becomes increasingly despondent. This is essentially dog jail. Why would—”
I smile at the woman. “We’ll just be right over there,” I say, gesturing toward the chairs.
She nods, relief clear, and disappears with the files.
Erik watches her go, then looks at me. “You are overcomplicating this.”
“Welcome to adoption,” I tell him quietly. “Try not to get us banned.”
