The gate behind me unlatches, bringing a sweet peach scent with it, and Benny takes off, racing toward me. He veers left, steering around Cindy and me, plowing through the grass like it’s never been an issue. As I spin, a woman with long chocolate hair and a flowy green dress is bent over, picking him up.
Sadie.
"Oh my gosh, you’re such a sweet boy." Sadie’s voice is melodic, and something about the way she’s cuddling my puppy makes me feel… things. Her eyes lift, searching for mine. "Max, how could you keep him from me?"
I hear Cindy scoff as her feet slap the pavement walking away.
I run a hand through my hair, smiling at Sadie. "How did you just do that?"
She’s back to staring at Benny, running her hand along the back of his head and nuzzling her face into his. "Do what?"
"He doesn’t like grass. He’s never touched it. Why did he run to you like that?" I shift on my feet. I’m happy it happened, but did she wave a dog bone around or something? I’ve been bribing him for weeks, and nothing has helped.
"I just waved at him." She kisses his wrinkly face again, and I feel oddly jealous for the first time in a long time. "What do you mean he doesn’t like it? Is this one of those insults like,hey you need to go touch grass?"
Her sarcasm makes me laugh. "No, like he literally won’t walk in it." A couple with three dogs enters through the gate, so I reach for Sadie’s elbow, steering her out of the walkway. "I’ve tried to get him to go in my yard a million times, but he refuses… or I should saydid—until you came along."
"That’s interesting." A shiver runs through her, and I notice goosebumps pebbling on her skin near my fingers, still wrapped around her arm. I squeeze gently, and the subtle shake of her shoulders happens again.Maybe I’m not the only one affected here.
The last week has been different for me. I’m not a stranger to dating, or even a random hookup. But since Sadie blew into town, I haven’t been able to get her off my mind. I've been chalking that up to my curious nature and the mystery surrounding her. But whenever I spend time with her, I leave feeling lighter, dare I say happier than I have in a long time. She’s sassy—the mouth on this one is brutal—but she’s also pragmatic, funny as hell, and there’s something just so attractive about her. It’s an effortless beauty, not overstated or glaring. She’s pretty, poised, as if she thinks through every piece of her aesthetic but does it so quickly no one notices.
"Do you want to sit down?" The question comes out gravelly.
"Oh, sure." I take Benny from her arms, whispering in his ear about how proud I am. "Should we go to a table so he can play with his friends?" she asks, and my heart triples in size. Sadie cares about Benny spending time with his friends, and I think I might have just tumbled off the edge of a cliff that I shouldn’t have been anywhere near.
We walk to a table on the other side of the park, one far enough away from Cindy that our conversation will remain only ours. I sit Benny down, his tiny fur-covered paws landing on a fluffy patch of green. Waiting for the yelp that usually comes, I remove my hands slowly, backing away.
Benny picks up one foot, angling his head to the side as if he’s unsure. Instead of glancing in my direction for approval, he looks to Sadie. She smiles at him, all straight white teeth and rosy cheeks—it’s a stunning sight. My dog practically leaps through the air, more confident from one look from her thanhe’s ever been, and charges toward Buster, who’s playing happily with a ball.
I slide onto the picnic table bench, sitting next to her so that we can watch him together. There’s space between us, but the pull to scooch closer is strong. "I still can’t believe this is happening."
Sadie laughs. "I mean, I never thought I had a gift with animals, and this seems like normal dog behavior…"
My gaze shifts to the side of her face. I can’t help noticing her hair as it whirls in the breeze, and a stray piece that’s slightly curled sticks to her cheek. There’s a smattering of freckles along the bridge of her nose, and a small gold stud in her ear—simple, understated.
"Take the win." My voice is barely above a whisper, so I clear my throat and shake my shoulders. "What did you, uh… want to talk about?"
"Is that one his friend or no?" Sadie nods her head toward Benny and Buster. They’re fighting over a ball, and it looks like Buster’s back on his bullshit.
"That one is an asshole"—I point at Buster—"he’s always taking stuff from him. And before today, pulling it into the places that Benny wouldn't go."
Sadie cracks up, laughing so hard she’s clutching her chest. I raise an eyebrow, not sure what’s hilarious about it. "She’sa bitch. Probably not unlike her owner."
"Wait, what?"
"Buster is a girl, Max. Not very difficult to see that… and that means she's, you know, a bitch." Her eyes widen meaningfully.
"Who the fuck names a girl dog, Buster?" I chuckle to myself, not believing that I never noticed.
Sadie shrugs, twirling a piece of hair between two fingers absentmindedly. "Glad I could clear more than one thing up foryou today." She turns her attention toward me, smiling at me the same way she did to Benny earlier—it’s breathtaking.
"What did you need help with today?" I ask again, reaching to brush the stray hair off her cheek without thinking. My fingers tingle when they touch her skin, and her mouth opens slightly when she inhales.
There’s a moment of silence that passes between us, eyes locked like we both feel something we haven’t allowed ourselves to consider—until now.
"So you know how I told you about my job…"
"Yeah, do you need a reference or something?" I blurt, too eager to help.
