I’d been spoiled by having Grace here while she attended college. For so long, I’d been prolonging the inevitable, but one night alone and I was already losing my shit.
But I was nothing if not a woman of action.
I unlocked my phone screen, found the contact I was looking for, and hit send. The call connected, and the voice on the other end answered.
“Hey… It’s Ella,” I said tentatively. “I hope it’s not weird that I’m calling you out of the blue like this, but I was thinking about something we talked about the other night, and I… I was wondering if I could get your help.”
* * *
“Are you sure about this?”Derek asked, raising his voice so that I could hear him over the sounds of enthusiastic barking. We were standing amidst all of the adoptable dogs at Nashville Humane Society. I’d ducked out of work a little early so I could make it in time to meet Derek before they closed. “Maybe you should start with a goldfish first.”
“Fish are creepy looking with their beady little eyes and old-man mouths.” I scrunched up my nose. “Besides, a goldfish isn’t going to be happy to see me or want to cuddle on the couch. No… I can’t go home to an empty house again. Last night was torture.”
And it was. I’d fallen asleep on the couch to the sound ofGossip Girlon the television with my phone clutched in my hand because I couldn’t stand how quiet the house was.
“This one has potential. His name is Sarge.” Derek pointed to a large grey dog with pointy ears and a narrow snout. “He looks friendly.”
I nodded. “He does, but I think that might be a little too much dog for me. I like to cuddle, but I also need my space, and I foresee that dog being a couch hog.” My gaze traveled to a tiny chihuahua who appeared to be sleeping the day away. According to the tag on the cage her name was Buttercup. “What about this one? She’s cute.”
At that moment, Buttercup’s eyes flew open, and she launched into a barking tirade that startled me so much that I yelped.
Derek covered his ears, shielding himself from the shrill sound. “That’s a no from me.” He quickly moved past the little yap muffin and stopped a couple of cages down. “Look at this cute little guy.”
I joined him in front of a small grey and white scruffy dog. His hair was unkempt, and his ears were floppy. He was too big to fit into a purse, but small enough to snuggle. His tail whirled around so fast I thought he might take flight from excitement.
“Hey there, cutie.” I knelt on the floor and reached my fingers through the cage. “What’s your name?” The pup let out a soft whine and licked my fingers, his tail moving even faster.
I heard Derek chuckle from above my head. “You’ll never believe this. His name is Cash.”
I jumped to my feet and looked at the name tag on the cage.Well that’s… weird.Yet somehow it also felt like a sign.
“That has to be a sign, right?” Derek asked as though he were reading my mind. I watched as he flagged down the staff member that had been assisting us. “Excuse me. Can we visit with this guy?”
“Sure you can,” the young man said. He grabbed a leash off a hook by the door and joined us, opening the cage. He latched the floppy dog to the lead, and the pup ran straight for me. “He sure seems to like you.”
I cupped his soft face in my hands and scratched behind his ears. “The feeling is entirely mutual.”
The attendant guided us to a visitation room at the end of a long hallway. “You guys take your time. I’ll be back to check on you shortly.” He closed the door, leaving Derek and I alone with our new furry friend. We sank to the floor, and the pup ran circles between us, stopping to give us kisses every few steps.
“This might be the cutest dog I’ve ever seen,” Derek said as Cash the dog made a running leap for me, landing his paws on my chest and his slobbery tongue on my face.
I exploded with giggles. “You’re getting awfully fresh there, buddy. At least buy me dinner first.”
Derek laughed. “You can’t leave without this dog, Ella. I think he’s picked you.”
“I think I pick him too.” I smiled. “But we already have one Cash around here, so I think we need a new name.”
“You could call him Johnny or JC?”
I cocked my head and squinted at the fluff nugget. “I don’t think those really suit him. Look at him—he’s a real ladies man.” The little dog whined in approval and nudged my hand so I would give him more love. “See? He’s already got me wrapped around his little pinky paw.”
“You’ve got a point.” Derek rubbed his fingers along his chin. “We need a name that says charming but cute. A name with personality.”
“Bradley,” I said. “Bradley Cooper.”
Derek choked on a laugh. “It definitely has a ring to it.”
“Doesn’t it? Besides, now I’ll get to say ‘I have to go home to Bradley Cooper,’ ‘Bradley Cooper and I are going to the park,’ and my personal favorite, ‘I didn’t sleep a wink last night because Bradley Cooper was hogging the bed.’ Isn’t that right, Bradley Cooper?” He gave an excited bark and bounced over to Derek.
