Page 10 of Mommy

She’s not petting any of them.

Instead, she gives the mom a scratch behind the ears, waiting for her to open her eyes and bends down to kiss her snout.

And that’s the moment I understand what Shelly meant earlier.

Ivory is not here for the puppies. She’s here for the mom. She comes to the shelter every day and takes care of the puppies, not because she wants to spend time with the little fluff balls, but because she wants to give the mom some time to relax. Even if it’s just for an hour or so, she makes the effort so that their mother has a moment of peace.

The revelation has my head falling to one side, my gaze following Ivory’s movement with rapt attention.

A girl that likes the mommies?

Well… maybe this really is my lucky day. And just maybe she’ll be interested in playing pretend mommy with me for a bit. At least until this intense interest has ebbed.

Chapter seven

Ivory

“Coming at dawn and leaving after the sun sets.” Shelly shakes her head as she watches me grab my bag from the locker.

She’s like a hawk, keeping a sharp eye on me until I’m out the door and come to a halt at the street. I wave over my shoulder with a smile and turn to begin my walk home.

Not a chance to stay overnight with Viv today.

I make two steps to the side, and flinch when an engine roars to life down the street.

Stuffing my earphones in, I’m about to turn up the volume on my phone to drown out the city noise, when next to me a loud shadow comes to a stop.

The man on the black and white motorcycle has a helmet on, but the visor is up and I recognize the dark mossy eyes. It’s the policeman who stood guard a few days ago at our event.

He called me breedable.

The memory is enough to force a blush into my cheeks and I blink the shock from my eyes, schooling my features into neutrality.

I think his name is Derek, he’s friends with Ez. I heard him mention the man a few times.

“Interested in going for a ride?”

His voice is muffled by the helmet, but it’s the same deep rumble I remember. And it sends the same rush through my body.

Yeah right.

“Uhm, no thank you.”

I might not want to go home, but I’m not desperate enough to get myself into the kind of trouble he seems to be offering. His chuckle is swallowed by the helmet.

“Alright, well… let me at least take you home then.” He doesn’t look at me as he says it, and for a moment I think about saying no.

The shelter isn’t too far from where I live with my mom. But even I’m not dumb enough to willingly walk through the city at this hour. I left work later than usual, hoping I could out maneuver Shelly and sneak into Viv’s kennel. Shadows are already creeping across the sidewalk and though I’m not scared of monsters, I know that a human can do the same damage— if not more.

I shift on my feet for another second, hands clenched into fists at my sides as I contemplate my options. The cold wind flows around my legs, brushing my skin through the fabric of my leggings.

Derek just waits. He doesn’t move or fidget like I do when I get nervous. He just sits on his bike and stares ahead. His visor is still up and I can make out the shape of his eyes and the bridge of his nose.

Damn him.

“Fine.” I finally say.

His head turns and without saying anything, he hands me a spare helmet and nods to the space behind him.