I smiled at the thought of Buster all the way back in Texas. “An imperfect but perfect friend.”
He frowned at me, leaning back slightly to stare. “I don’t know what that means.”
I laughed and tugged him toward the door of the brown brick building. Inside was very white and clean, with a shelf of pet products and a blue reception desk I bounded over to. Behind the desk was a pretty girl with big round gold glasses and dark blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen and her smile was dazzling and friendly.
She stood as soon as I reached her. “Hello. How can I help you?”
“I want to adopt a dog.” I flashed her a grin.
She clapped her hands together and I noticed she had a ring on every finger. They looked like something she’d bought from a cheap jewelry store, but they were pretty nonetheless. “That’s perfect. If you give me a few minutes, I’ll fetch Jonas for you. He’s our resident dog expert.”
I chuckled at the wordfetchand nodded as she winked and left the desk to go through a white door behind her. I gazed around the room, focusing on the pet accessories on the shelf. A couple of different kinds of leashes hung from hooks, as well as collars, but I’d already bought everything I needed. I’d been so excited about the prospect of a dog I’d gone to the pet store and splurged earlier this week.
“Do you have any idea what kind you want? Big? Small?” Tucker stepped up to a poster beside the shelf of items, which had a chart of different dog types. He tapped one near the top. “This looks like Antoine. He’s a poodle.”
I snorted and stepped closer to him to have a look. The poodle he was pointing at was cute, but it did have a snobby expression on its face thatdidremind me of Antoine. I pointed at the Chihuahua next to the poodle. “Nope. That’s him. Small with a bite.”
Tucker burst out in laughter, slapping his chest until he had tears leaking out the corners of his eyes. “He’s notthatsmall,” he said, when he was finally able to breathe. “But I bet he thinks he’s a rottweiler or something.”
“Probably.” I tapped on one of the black dogs on the poster. “But I think he’s actually a retriever, loyal and obedient, and I don’t mean that in a cruel way. Anyone would be lucky to have him as a friend and assistant.”
Tucker glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his mouth turning down. “How are you doing?”
“Fine,” I lied, forcing myself to smile. “How’s... Alton? Is he eating?”
“Honestly? No.” Tucker ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “He’s been working so many hours I haven’t seen him around much. I leave food out, but Antoine has put it in the fridge by the time I come in the next morning. The only people I really cook for is the staff.”
I’d worried.... Fuck. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t my responsibility anymore. Except I still cared.
“Excuse me?” The soft, masculine tenor had me spinning around to stare at a man about my age with bright red hair and a face full of freckles. The sight of the shocking color had me pausing, and instead of a stranger I saw Alton and his charming smile, before I crashed back to reality. This man was too slim and too pretty to be my husband.Ex-husband. “I’m Jonas. Would you like to see the dogs?”
I swallowed around my pain and nodded, unable to speak.
Jonas was a cheery guy, and he talked nonstop as we walked out of the building and toward some large cages to the right side. He spoke about the types of dogs they got in and how adopting saved lives. I knew that, and it was why I wanted to do it.
By the time we got to the cages I was antsy and ready to choose my new best friend. Jonas unlocked a door and opened it for us and we stepped into a long hallway with doors to the smaller cages with dogs. Barking echoed through the area, some bigger and louder than others.
“What kind of dog were you searching for?” Jonas asked as he sidled up beside me. “We’ve got them all.”
I stared, my heart hurting at the sight of so many animals locked up and waiting for their forever homes, and it made me think of our—my—mansion on Vert Island. I let my parents stay there, but it was mine and big enough for lots of animals. Maybe I could create my own mini animal refuge where I could love as many pets as I could fit on the property.
“An imperfect but perfect dog,” I said, and when Jonas frowned at me, I laughed. “I want a dog that’s least likely to get adopted. One that’sdifferent.”
A grin lit up Jonas’s face. “You’re my favorite kind of adoptee. Come with me.”
Tucker shook his head when Jonas bounced off, and I laughed, following the chipper man. He led us down a couple of corridors before we were at cages near the back corner. He stopped at the very last one and waved inside.
I leaned forward and stared at the huge dog cowering against the back wall. He was white with black spots, and for a second I thought he was a dalmatian, but he was too big. When he finally looked at me I gasped. He only had one eye, the other gone, with scarred skin left behind. The ear on the same side as his missing eye was mangled but healed.
“A Great Dane?” I whispered.
“Part Great Dane. We think he’s got wolfhound in him, too,” Jonas said with a sad smile as he slipped his fingers through the cage, holding on to the wire. “He’s shy. He was found in an animal fighting ring and rescued, but he’s such a sweet boy. Anyone looking for big dogs usually wants guard dogs, but he’s too timid for that. Others think he’s... ugly.”
“No. Never.” My heart ached. “Can I go in and meet him?”
Jonas nodded and unlocked the cage, and I thanked him with a smile as I slipped inside. I got halfway across the small space before I went to my knees and held out my hand, not advancing any farther. The dog whimpered, curling up tighter against the corner, and watched me.
It took at least five minutes before he unfurled his body and slowly crawled toward me on his belly, as though afraid I was going to hit him. When he reached my hand, he sniffed my palm carefully. I stayed still, giving him time to get used to my scent. I wasn’t going to rush this. Trust was about time. He didn’t know I wouldn’t hurt him until I proved it.
