Page 74

"Hi, you cutie." I get on the ground and extend my hand to her. What a beautiful creature. "What's her name?"

"This is Abby," she explains, smiling as she watches the two of us become friends. Curious about the enthusiastic greeting, one by one the girls trudge into the reception area.

"Brooke, you are living in doggy heaven. I mean, what?" Kylie joins me on the ground, immediately drawn to Rose and her thick, soft fur. "How do you get any work done with all those cuties around?"

"I have no idea." Mr. Muffin hobbles closer. The distinct pitter-patter of his three paws on the ground announces him and always brings a smile to my face. I don’t even have to turn around.

It's weird to not have Gomez and Morticia chirping their greetings from the windowsill, but I talked to Hudson yesterday, and apparently the two of them are thriving and the highlight of his office.

"And cats? Oh my God. Ugh." She gets up and pats dog hair off her jeans. "Brooke, we have to focus, or I'm going to spend the entire afternoon cuddling all of your animals, and we won’t get anything productive done. So," I get up too and straighten my sweatshirt. "Tell me about your plans."

"Okay." Kylie nods, jotting something down on her notepad. "Have you ever run a social media profile before?"

"Nope." I shake my head. "I've used the internet for work and at university for assignments or research.” And recently to watch Kieran’s videos, which is a fact I’m keeping to myself. “That's about it."

"I envy you." Kylie sighs and brushes a strand of her hair behind her ear. "The internet truly is its own little world, and sometimes I wish I'd kept the door to it closed. So... good for you, Brooke. Truly. Anyway-" She gestures at my laptop. "May I?"

I quickly fire it up for her. Mrs. Bernard donated this one personally, so it’s way more modern and quicker than my personal one upstairs.

"Okay. Let's go through this step by step and set up the profiles for your shelter."

God, I'm so thankful Kieran gave her my number. She flies through the setup, and within minutes, my little shelter has an online presence aside from its incredibly outdated website.

"Okay." Kylie cracks her knuckles. "A friend of mine created some logos for you." She pulls out her phone and presents me with several options. But before I get to check them out properly, the door to the shelter opens and Kieran strides in, positively beaming.

"Oh, hi, Kylie,” he says casually, but his eyes are on me. “Hi, Brooke."

He's so excited. If he were a dog, his tail would be wagging so hard I’d tether him to the ground because otherwise he’d fly off like a helicopter. One by one, the dogs run over to greet him, and he gives them some absent-minded pets while staring at us.

"What’s going on? You look about ready to burst!" I grin. His mood is infectious. "Whatever it is, it must be something good."

"I told Nic and Lauren," he says, words tumbling over each other and all but skips over to the counter I’m leaning against.

"Tell them what?" Kylie asks, confused. Kieran freezes for a moment as if he forgot she’s here. Then he glances at me, and his shoulders relax. It makes my heart flutter and heat rise into my cheeks.

"That I'm bi," he declares with a grin so wide it makes me smile right along and my heart soar for him. He is the actual personification of a weight off your shoulders.

"Oh." Kylie stares, waiting a beat. "Well, congratulations, Kieran. Is it a new thing? Are we celebrating?"

"Saying it out loud is a new thing, I guess. Whoa." He stares at the ground. "Ah, it’s my little escape artist bestie."

"Seriously?" I lean over the counter and watch Daisy nibble on the hem of his jeans. He leans down to scoop her up and cuddles her to his chest, hiding his smile in her fur for a moment.

"What can I say? This bunny loves me." He kisses the top of her head. "Anyway, what are you doing?"

"Setting up social media," Kylie explains and motions at the laptop.

Kieran pouts. "Boo. How boring."

"But necessary," Kylie points out, making Kieran's grimace worse.

"I know. Well then, I'm not going to annoy you any further, but I really wanted to tell you.” He’s still bursting with energy.

“Hey, Brooke, point me to your bathroom?" Kylie grins, clearly with the intention of giving us a few minutes alone.

"Down the hallway and then to the left.” Only when she’s out of sight do I turn back to Kieran. "Do you have the zoomies?" I ask him with a chuckle because he keeps pacing the room.

"Hell yes, I am." He sets Daisy on the counter, his hands gripping the edge as he leans halfway over it. "And I’m getting a new tattoo, and it hurts like hell."