Page 29 of Shallow Remains

Finally he turned around and loped back to them.

“Greedy thing,” Mae said on a chuckle. “Sit.”

Rufus plopped his butt down on the wooden deck.

“P—”

Rufus shot a front paw in the air.

She chuckled again. “All right. Here you go.” She held onto the end of the dog biscuit, forcing him to take it nicely rather than snatch it and run away.

“That’s homemade, isn’t it?” Willow said in a dry tone.

“I made a batch this morning for my pack and thought I’d bring one over when I saw you drive up.”

“He’s so spoiled.”

“All dogs should be spoiled.” Mae smiled at Rufus. “Sweet boy.”

“He’s very smart,” Maddy said.

Willow grunted. “Too smart sometimes.”

Rufus chomped down the treat, saw that no more were coming, and turned to Maddy.

“I don’t have anything, buddy. Sorry.”

He stared up at her with amber eyes that seemed a little bit too human. Peering into her soul. When that didn’t get him anywhere, he bumped his nose into her leg like he had at the party.

“No, really, I don’t have anything.” She reached down hesitantly, gently touched her fingertips to the top of his head. His fur was soft and thick, a gorgeous brown with red tints to it. Almost the same color as Lachlan’s hair.

Rufus nudged her hand. Asking for more.

Maddy grinned and gave his head a stroke. “He’s so sweet.”

“I know.” Willow reached down to ruffle his ears. “You’re my baby, aren’t you? Yes.”

“Is it okay if I move in tonight?”

Willow blinked at her, and Rufus raced back to his spy holes.

“I’ll pay for the extra few days before the first of the month. I just really want to get settled right away.” Uncertainty and change were challenging for her. Doing this quickly would help mitigate that.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Do you need help moving anything? The place comes furnished, so you won’t have to bring anything unless you want to.”

“I’m okay, thanks. Don’t have much.” Just her desk and ergonomic gaming chair, electronics, clothes, and other personal items.

“Got time for a cup of tea before you leave?” Mae asked her.

“I’m actually heading into town now to meet someone for coffee.”

Mae’s eyebrows went up. “Someone? A man?”

“No. Two ladies we met at yoga last night.” Another deliberate step to push outside her comfort zone and make a change.

“Oh, you’re meeting up with Carla and Lindsay?” Willow asked. “That’s great. And don’t worry about paying for the extra days. I’ll draw up a contract, and you can just give me rent on Halloween for November.”

“You sure?”