That expression would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Do something,my wolf demanded.Find him and make him understand.
"How?" I said out loud to my empty living room. "He won't talk to me."
My wolf didn't have an answer. He just paced and whined and made me miserable.
But I made a decision the next day and I drove to the dog walking company's office. I had no plan, just a desperate need to be near something connected to Julian.
The woman at the front desk looked up when I walked in. Her nameplate said Rita.
"Good morning. Can I help you?"
"I need to talk to you about Julian." Oops. That sounded like a demand or an order.
She furrowed her brow. "We don’t give out details about our employees. Privacy rules. If you can give me a message, I’ll pass it along." Under her breath she muttered. “Maybe."
"I messed up badly and I need to make it right."
"Uh-huh." She crossed her arms. "You're the hockey player, aren’t you?"
"Yes."
"The one who's had Julian walking around like a lovesick puppy for the past few weeks." She’d obviously forgotten the privacy issues and was about to let me have it.
I let out a breath. "He told you about me?"
She closed one eye and studied me. "What did you do?"
"I showed him something about myself and I should have explained it better. And now he won't answer my calls."
Rita rolled her eyes. "What do you want from me?"
"I want to walk dogs."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I want to sign up as a temporary dog walker for today. I have a plan, but I need dogs to make it work." The plan had just popped into my head.
"You're a professional athlete and you want to walk dogs."
"Yes."
"To win back Julian."
"Yes."
She stared at me before pulling out a form. "Fill this out. You're signing a liability waiver and going on our temp insurance. If anything happens to these dogs, you're personally liable. The company won't cover your ass. And Iwillsue you for everything you're worth."
Twenty minutes later, I had four dogs on leashes and four laminated signs I'd made at a print shop. Cooper, Bailey, Daisy, and a beagle named Scout. I attached the signs to their collars, making sure they hung at the right angle.
This. Wolf. Needs. You.
My wolf approved of the message, even if the execution made me feel ridiculous.
After arriving at the park and manhandling the dogs out of the car, I walked the main path with my canine billboard, trying to project confidence I didn't feel. People gave me curious looks and one kid pointed at the signs and asked his mom what they meant.
I kept walking and searching for Julian until his familiar scent hit me and every cell in my body oriented toward it like a compass finding north.
