“So this is Rex,” I say. “Don’t touch him or anything just yet.”
“Charlotte and Rex,” Mike says. “I get to meet two gorgeous creatures in one day. What are the odds?”
Charlotte’s expression turns sour.
“Let’s take him on a walk,” I say, nodding toward the nearest field. “The best way to meet a dog like this is to do a pack walk. He’ll get used to your presence while he’s walking and then once he’s gotten some energy out, you can introduce yourself and pet him.”
“Sounds great,” Mike says.
Charlotte sticks to my side as we walk. Rex takes the lead, like always.
“Are you looking to adopt him, too?” Mike asks her. “We could share custody if you’d like.”
“Er, no.” She tucks her hair behind her ears, her gaze focused on Rex. “I’m the party planner for the upcoming gala. It helps me to learn all aspects of the business, so Caleb is letting me tag along.”
“Ah, nice.” Mike is still staring at her in a way that gets under my skin. Is this how Charlotte felt when she met me and I basically did the same thing? I feel like a monster. Mike steps behind me and moves to Charlotte’s other side. “You got a dateto the gala? I’d be happy to take you. You can be my arm candy for the evening.”
This cannot be the same officer I went to police academy with. We’re friends but he’s just pissing me off now. “Dude, she’s got a man, so maybe just focus on Rex.”
“Well shit,” he says, frowning at her. “I’ll still give you my card. As soon as you’re single again, you give me a call.”
Charlotte ignores him. I hand the leash over and dive into talking about Rex’s history and how to care for him, and luckily, Mike drops the whole flirting with her thing and finally focuses on the reason he’s here. Rex lets Mike pet him, and then they take a solo walk around the property together. Mike tosses the ball and gives him a treat. It all goes pretty well, until suddenly it’s not. We’re standing around talking about his feeding schedule, when Mike flirts with Charlotte again.
Rex lets out a low growl, bearing his teeth. It’s probably not the flirting that bothered him, but the way Mike threw his arms in the air to tell an exaggerated police story that makes him look like a hero. Aggressive dogs get keyed up with rapid movement like that.
“Whoa,” Mike says, leaning down. “What’s wrong, bud?”
Rex growls louder, rearing back like he’s planning to attack. I hold the leash with both hands. “Nein! Rex,platz.”
“Feisty!” Mike says, rubbing his hands together. He glances at his watch. “I need to get out of here soon. I’m on evening shift.” He points a finger at Charlotte. “I can switch to days or nights—whatever my woman wants of me, just so you know.”
She lifts an eyebrow, arms still folded over her chest. Mike tries to pet Rex as he leaves, but Rex glares at him, ears pinned back. “Maybe not right now,” I say.
Charlotte’s quiet while we walk back and I say bye to Mike. She’s texting on her phone when I walk back to her. Probably texting herlove of her life. I swallow the pain in my chest.
“That was the first time the Alden K9 Foundation interviewed for an adoption,” I say, letting Rex back into his kennel. “With any luck, I will have hundreds more dogs to find loving homes for in the future.”
“I hated him,” Charlotte says, breaking her silence over the walk back to the kennels. “Please don’t let him take Rex.”
“Yeah?” I say, scratching my neck. “You don’t think he’s a good fit?”
She shakes her head, nostrils flaring. “No way. And not just because he’s some flirty loser. He just didn’t seem like the best fit. Rex deserves someone better.”
“I agree.”
Her angry expression softens. “Really? Thank you.”
“Of course,” I say. “Rex deserves the best. And we’re going to find him the best.”
chapter fifteen
Charlotte
Sunday evenings don’t typically bother me. I like my job, so I'm not worried about the next morning, and Sundays are when I paint my nails, wash my hair, and relax on my couch watching my favorite shows. So why do I feel so uneasy today? I keep checking my phone in a stressful anxious way, like suddenly I’ll get a notification that all the vendors are backing out and the entire gala is ruined.
None of that has happened. The gala is in five days, and everything is on track. All vendors have confirmed, our donors are RSVP’d, and it’ll be great. It’ll no doubt be the most successful event on Perfectly Planned’s portfolio and might even help me get promoted. Jenny loved the extra videos I made, and I’m starting to not hate social media as much because that extra money is needed. Spending all those hours filming videos with Caleb wasn’t the worst way to spend a workday, that’s for sure.
He was a little nicer to me, too. Still kind of cold and quiet, but he didn’t seem like he hated me being around him or anything. Maybe that’s why I’ve felt a weird uneasy feeling all day. I’m still stuck on my complicated feelings for him.
