Liam shrugged.
But it was the flash of those grey-blue eyes that made the name pop into my head. “Storm. His name is Storm.”
“Hi, Storm, oh, you’re just a cutie pie. Look at you. Yes, yes, you are,” the barista said, her voice dropping into baby talk.
The others crowded behind her, temporarily stopping their work to dote on the animal.
“Is that a wolfhound?” one of them exclaimed.
“Uh…?” I looked at the puppy.
“It is! I saw them on Instagram!” another said excitedly, before I could fumble for an answer I didn’t have. “I keep asking my boyfriend for an Irish one. Such good dogs!”
A third piped up. “Does he want a pup cup?”
I frowned. “A pup cup?”
“He’s never had a pup cup!” another gasped. “Oh, please, can he have one? He’ll love it!”
“Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph, the bleeding pup doesn’t need a coffee,” Liam muttered. “What is wrong with this world?”
Ignoring him, I grinned at the barista. “Let’s try it!”
She sprayed whipped cream in a cup and handed it over. Storm began to lap eagerly at the fluffy white cream.
“He likes it.” My smile felt like it was going to split my face in half. It was quite possibly the cutest thing I’d ever seen. That red tongue spraying drops of cream over his bearded face.
“Well, of course he does,” the one at the register cooed. “Alright, alright—too cute! What can I get started for you?”
Conscious of the ridiculousness of this whole scene, I blurted out, “Ten black coffees. And one venti hazelnut latte.”
“Iced. Half syrup, an extra shot, and caramel drizzled in the cup.” The deep base rumbled at my back. “With whipped cream on the top.”
The barista fanned herself. “Your man knows your drink.”
I felt the flush rise to my cheeks. “Yeah, he doesn’t miss a thing.”
“I’ll have your drinks up shortly,” the barista beamed.
Moving to the waiting section, I plucked a napkin from the dispenser, shifted my hold on the excited mass of energy, and then had to fight the creature to take the cup away and clean his face.
Storm looked around for more, head whipping back and forth.
I did too. But what I saw was the baristas exchanging glances. I heard the sounds of their whispers, though not the words themselves. They were wondering about my husband’s mask.
The strange shopping date took on a whole new level. Liam not only carved out time from his busy day to spend time with me,he’d mustered the courage to appear in public. Masked. Where people could stare.
I tightened my grip on the puppy, desperately wishing I could lecture the kids pouring coffee about not making disabled people uncomfortable. But saying something would cause a bigger scene. I resolved just to hurry out of the area and then distract Liam as we shopped.
Screw waiting, I could distract him now.
“We’re going to need to go to the pet section, I guess,” I said to my husband, drawing his attention away from the whispering idiots. “Have you had a pet before? Do you know what kinds of things we’ll need?”
The muscles in that sharp, beautifully strong jaw relaxed. “It’s been a few years, but yeah. Food, collar, leash—the basics.”
I looked down at Storm. What about treats? Toys? And if that poor thing got a chill, wouldn’t he need a sweater?
Suddenly, I felt inadequate. I might have all the functioning parts, but I wasn’t a mother. I didn’t know the first thing about caring for a human being, let alone a pet.
