I shake my head. “Saying everything out loud won’t take them away. I still have to deal with all of this.”
“Let me help.”
I swallow. “Problem One: I want to quit my job and start my own party planning business. Just a one-woman thing, no office building. I can work from home and meet clients and vendors and keep all of the profits instead of giving most of the money to the main corporation. Less overhead should mean I can still pay my bills with only a few clients a month, but there’s never any guarantee. What if this is a huge mistake?”
“It won’t be, but if it is, you’ll just find another job.”
“I guess that’s true…” I consider it a moment, which is hard to do because half of my brain function went out the window when Caleb took my hand. It’s been ages since I’ve held hands like this. “I could always go get another job.”
“Easy,” he says. “I went through the same fear when I quit. But I can always go back to law enforcement if everything falls apart. Fight for yourself, and work hard, but don’tnotdo something because you’re afraid it won’t work.”
I nod, gripping his hand harder. “Okay. Problem Two…”
I stop, glancing toward the kennels. He follows my gaze, then turns to me.
I take a deep breath. “I want Rex.”
His whole face softens into the biggest, childlike smile. “Really?” He lifts on his toes, grinning. “I knew it! Yes. Yes, absolutely, Charlotte. You are the perfect person for Rex.”
“But this is crazy!” I shake my head, imagining everything that’s wrong with this idea. “I don’t have a big enough yard, I have no idea what I’m doing?—”
“Your apartments have miles of walking trails behind them. It’s perfect for Rex.”
“You sound like you’ve already thought this through.”
I don’t realize we’re walking toward the kennels until we arrive, and Rex is waiting for us by the fence. Waiting for me, maybe.
“He’s bonded with you. You may not see it, but I do.”
Caleb walks over and opens Rex’s kennel. The big dog bounds out, running straight toward me. I don’t scream, and I don’t duck away from him. I stand firm as he playfully crashes into my legs, tail wagging hard as he begs me for pets. I kneel down and pet all over him. He leans into my touch, then licks me right across the face.
“You’re a good boy,” I tell him. He licks my cheek. His breath stinks and his fur smells like corn chips. But I can’t stop smiling when he’s soaking up all my attention, begging me for more.
“You’re the only person he hasn’t gotten grumpy with,” Caleb says. “If we work with him, one on one, you can learn his commands, get comfortable with him here at the kennels, and then take him home for a trial run.”
“He’s already had a trial run at my home,” I say, scratching his ear. His stiff pointy ears turn to mush when you scratch them just right. Luckily, they always pop right back up into position. “But maybe if you teach me everything I need to know…I’ve never been a dog person.”
“You don’t have to be a dog person. You can just be Rex’s person.”
I smile. “I like that.”
“The heel command sounds like ‘foos’,” Caleb says. “Try it out. Say it with authority.”
“Rex… foos.”
Like magic, the dog whips his body around until he’s standing right next to me. He watches me with bright eyes and mouth open, waiting patiently for another command. “Let’s take a walk,” I say. It’s not German, but he seems to understand.
“He can stay here as long as he needs,” Caleb says. “I don’t want to rush you into taking him.”
“Maybe after I put in my two weeks’ notice with Perfectly Planned? Then I’ll be on my own all day and have lots of time to take care of him. I could even bring him with me to meet with clients.”
“He would love that,” Caleb says. “Working dogs like going everywhere. He’ll be your protector for life.”
“Awesome.” The possibilities unfold in my mind. There’s already a great spot for a dog bed in my living room. We do have all those walking trails which I already walk as often as possible.Now I’ll just have Rex with me. There’s probably a pet fee at my apartment but I’ll figure it out. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like Rex knew I was terrified of him, but he liked me anyway. I really like him too.
Rex trots off leash, keeping close to me as we walk. Every few moments, he’ll smell my foot or lick my ankle. He’s such a big dog, I can just reach my hand out and touch his head. I feel like Little Red Riding Hood with the Big Bad Wolf next to me.
“Problem three,” Caleb says.
