Page 13

“I’ve never actually been to a cat cafe. It’s something I always wanted to see, but none of my friends back home were ever interested.” Her entire face lit up as she talked. While we walked, she snapped several pictures along the side of the road. Anything from the trees to a little girl who was playing a game of hide and seek with her mom.

Allie approached the pair explaining what she did. The mom looked excited to be included on Allie’s pages. I might never understand that, but there was an art to it; I just wasn’t the person to be in front of the camera.

Maybe some of that went back to my childhood, how I was always expected to stay in the background. That would take a long time to get over, if ever. But at least Allie seemed to respect my boundaries.

After leaving the little girl and her mom, we approached Toe Beans and Coffee Beans cafe. I liked that the cafe had something similar going on that I did with the dogs. The owner was a young woman who had a huge soft spot for cats. She worked with the local vet to find a placement for abandoned cats, or ones that had lost their owners when they passed away.

The cafe was always full of people. Kitty, the owner, was standing at the register handing over a cup of coffee to another happy customer when we walked through the door. She gave us a wide smile, her strawberry-blonde hair waving around her head with just as much excitement as she was giving off.

“Welcome in! I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Allie giggled as she took in her surroundings, bringing her camera to her face, and snapping a few shots. A man came out of the back and quickly ducked back behind the counter the moment he saw what Allie was doing. I suspected that he was like me in not loving having his photo taken. Kitty turned to him, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder before coming around the counter to greet us. It wasn’t customary, but we weren’t just there as customers.

“What can I help you with?” She beamed as she took in Allie and her camera.

“My name is Allison Hendrix—” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Kitty squealed and pulled her into a hug.

“I heard you were in town. Please take as many pictures as you like. I’d love to be featured on your page. The cats could use some extra love and attention.”

And maybe that was what I was missing. Most people seemed okay with that sort of exposure. Maybe I was being a little too uptight about letting Allie take pictures of the shelter.

After a day of exploring around town, showing Allie all the different places to eat and have fun, I walked her back to her place. Just like the night before, we stood there on the sidewalk, but this time I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to kiss her again, tell her I enjoyed my day with her, but I didn’t want to make her think I expected anything more. She’d seemed worried about it enough before.

“Thank you for taking me around town today. It was a lot of fun.” God, she was beating me to the punch. I was supposed to be all suave, but failing on every front.

The moment she turned to walk inside, I knew I couldn’t leave it like that. I caught her hand, pulling her back to me. Her soft body felt amazing against mine. I ran my fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face. When I kissed her, I felt as though I was levitating, lifting into orbit to watch as I gave my soul over to someone else.

“I should be the one thanking you. For giving me a chance. Most people can’t deal with my attitude, and you saw right past it.”

Allie laughed, giving me a soft, playful kiss. “You’re like Hector. All bark and no bite. Underneath all the brute is the sweetest creature.”

Did I like being compared to one of the dogs? That was still to be determined.

“I tell you what,” I said, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes and not be tempted to kiss her more. “I want you to bring your camera to the festival tomorrow. You’ve proven to me you wouldn’t let anything happen to those animals, and you’d do them justice.”

Allie’s entire face lit up. “Really? I mean, you don’t have to let me do that.”

“I don’t have to, but I want you to know that I trust you.”

Her smile only grew before she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, planting another sloppy kiss against my lips. If Allie had been any other girl, I would have made the move to get her inside, alone, and naked, but that wasn’t what this was. For the first time, even though I wanted it, I wanted to respect that it was off the table. Her love language was simple touch, and it was adorable.

Chapter 11

Allie

As much as I’d been part of the influencer and party girl scene back in New York, I’d never seen the amount of excitement that surrounded an event quite like the start of a festival in a small town. Everyone was buzzing the moment I walked out onto the street, ready with all of my gear for the day. The part I was most excited for? Seeing Truman thrive with his dogs and hopefully some of them finding good homes.

The main street was sectioned off, booths lining each side of the road. People were busy setting up, talking to each other, placing crafts and other wares on tables. It felt like I was getting a sneak peek at everything while walking along, snapping pictures every so often. No one seemed to pay me any attention, which was great because candid pictures always turned out the best. I couldn’t wait to sit in front of my computer to start editing them.

But that was when I saw him. A little dog ran out in front of his table, her pink leash trailing behind her as he rushed to pick it up off the ground, placing it between her own teeth as if to walk herself.

“Come on. Can you make things a little easier for me, Daisy?” he asked, looking at the dog before crossing his arms over his chest. I couldn’t fight the giggle that bubbled out of my chest at the sight of this big man trying to reason with such a tiny dog.

“Is she playing the escape artist today?” I asked, setting my camera on the table as I stood next to Truman. He sighed heavily as he handed her leash over to me.

“She acts as if she’s never seen the outside before.”

“That may be so. She’s probably just not used to seeing so many people.” The crowds hadn’t even picked up yet as the festival hadn’t technically started.