I perked up at that. “A surprise?”
“Mhmm.” She turned around to face me, hand placed on her hip. “Does this look okay to wear today or is it too casual?” Any response died on my lips.
I looked her up and down, running a hand across my mouth. She was wearing a matching workout set in a deep forest green. It reminded me of the one she wore to Pilates a few months ago.
The leggings made her legs look extra long, a peek of skin and abs showing between it and her sports bra. Her red hair was pulled into a ponytail, curled pieces framing her face that she spent a good half hour doing. The whole outfit was simple and casual. Perfect for today.
She paired it all with a set of white Nike sneakers lined with the same green. Emmie ran her hands nervously down her thighs. I could practically see her mind working, trying to decide if she needed to change again.
“Come here.” I gestured for her to step between my legs. My lips twitched. She didn’t even hesitate. My knees braced the side of her legs, my hands grabbing the backs of her thighs. “You’re stunning.”
“It’s not too casual? There will be cameras there. I don’t want to come off like I didn’t care to dress up.”
“Em…” I peered up at her, hands rubbed the back of her legs. “You look perfect. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone by dressing up. Hell, you’d look out of place in anything else.”
I loved that about Emmie. She was authentically herself, always wearing what she felt comfortable in.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
She let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing.
“Don’t worry, it’s going to be fun.”
“Thankyou so much for coming. We’re excited to have you both here.” The owner of the Buffalo Humane Society, Wendy, beamed at Emmie and me as she led us down a small hallway.
Two photographers followed behind us. The clicking of pictures was a bit annoying as they tried to get every angle they could. When my agent, Jonathon, scheduled this visit, I was expecting maybe two people following me around and taking pictures before going on their merry way.
The moment we stepped inside, there were five photographers standing there. Emmie and I didn’t even get a second to prepare. But knowing who would benefit from us being here made me swallow any complaints I had.
I returned her smile. “Thank you for having us. I’ve been waiting all week for a visit.”
“Sorry for tagging along,” Emmie apologized, to which Wendy waved her off.
“Nonsense. You’re more than welcome here.” She stopped in front of a worn down door, scratch marks littering the bottom half. The floor beneath our feet was in the samecondition with scratches, chips, and dark spots from all the foot traffic.
The Humane Society building was larger than I expected. Time hadn’t been kind to it. Even the reception area had worn flooring, scuffed walls, and dim lighting that made the space feel smaller than it was.
“Everyone is really eager to meet you. Are you ready?”
I nodded. “More than ready.”
Wendy gave us another wide grin before opening the door. The door was a lot thicker than I thought and blocked a lot of noise. As soon as we stepped through, it hit me where we were. My eyes widened as I took in all the dogs.
The room was large, three sections fenced off to keep the small dogs, big dogs, and puppies separate. Chain-linked dividers split the space, some newer than others. Barking echoed off the high ceiling, all the pitches blending together.
My eyes darted to each section. Emmie was silent beside me as she did the same. The big dogs took up most of the far side. Most seemed restless as they paced and jumped around, tails whipping behind them like they couldn’t decide what to do with all the other animals and people. Some put their paws on the fencing and stared at us, tongues hanging out. A few others hovered in the back, watching with cautious eyes.
The smaller dogs were the loudest with high pitch yips, followed by their little legs running around in tight bursts of energy. One spun in a circle near the gate, chasing its own tail.
The puppies were a category of their own. With clumsy paws and oversized ears, their little bodies tripped over each other as they walked around and played. One stared at us through the fencing, its tail wagging so hard its whole body moved.
It was pure chaos but in a controlled manner. Volunteers stood in the different sections, playing with the pups andmaking sure their water bowls were full. Three other photographers stood around the space, cameras raised to their eyes as they snapped pictures.
All these cute, innocent animals looking for a loving home to feel loved and safe in made my chest ache. It was clear they were well taken care of, the shelter doing all they could to make sure of it, but there was definitely a lot more that could be done.
“We sectioned them out so you can spend time in each one, seeing all the different kinds of dogs up for adoption,” Wendy explained as she moved farther into the room.
