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“It’s better than Sinbad. And it certainly fits your personality.”
“I talk to the dogs like they’re people, too.”
The voice coming from the open bay startled her, but Delaney’s reaction turned to a smile when she spied Sunny’s blond head peeking around the entrance. She stepped inside, fully decked out in workout attire that was various shades of perfectly coordinating pink. Delaney figured Sunny must work hard to look so fashionable when she spent most of her day with dogs.
“I’m a lot ruder to people,” Delaney admitted.
Sunny snorted. “You and me both.”
“I’ve renamed him,” Delaney said as Sunny came inside and faced the pittie with a grin. “His name’s Wyatt. Because he’s clearly born to be wild.”
Sunny narrowed her eyes in thought, then laughed. “I get it. My sister usually names the dogs, really nails their personalities, but she was out of town when I got this one.” She squatted down and held out the leash. Wyatt turned his head away. “What’re you doing, boy? You can’t keep coming out here. Getting all dirty. Taking up Delaney’s time.”
“He likes the bike.” Delaney nodded at ’33. “Hasn’t even visited his dog bed yet.”
“He likes the bike? That’s weird, isn’t it?”
“No weirder than me, I guess.”
Sunny laughed and shook her head at the pit bull, who showed no signs of budging. “My boyfriend runs Canine Warriors. Pete takes some of the dogs I rescue and rehabilitates them into service dogs for military veterans. I wish this guy was a good candidate.” She nodded at Wyatt, who rolled over to his side and sighed, content as pie. “But he’s clearly a free spirit of the most extreme variety.” Sunny’s gaze raked over Delaney, a little smirk on the corner of her mouth. “I’d ask you to foster him, but you’re kind of already doing that, against your will. Thanks for that, by the way. I know a lot of people wouldn’t be as patient as you about a stray coming into their shop all the time.”
“No skin off my nose. I kinda like him. I guess we can split custody,” Delaney joked.
“I think that would suit him fine.” Sunny coiled up the leash and circled the motorcycle. “That’s a cool ride.” A pair of sneakers covered in a floral print topped off her outfit. Delaney wondered if she’d just worked out or was getting ready to. “It’s not like most of the motorcycles I see.”
“Nah, it’s vintage from 1933. It was my dad’s favorite thing in the world.”
“I can see why Sinba...er, Wyatt...is attached. You been working on it?” Sunny motioned to the mess on the floor. “Both you and the dog are pretty dirty.”
“Yeah, getting her running a little smoother. Wyatt’s clearly a digger.” Delaney nodded toward his muddy paws. “We’re the opposite of you. All pretty in pink.”
Sunny beamed a smile that matched her name. “Getting ready to get pretty gross. I teach spin classes in between running the rescue. Hey.” She snapped her fingers. “How’d you like the gym? Did you go? I’ve been meaning to ask. What’d you think of Rhett? He’s kind of a grump but he dates my sister, so...” She trailed off with a shrug.
Delaney mentally organized the fleet of questions. “I did go. Twice. I liked it well enough to join, but haven’t been in a while because opening the shop has been taking up all my time. I met Rhett Santos, the owner. He’s cool. He’s no bullshit, I’m no bullshit...we get along. That must mean that Red is your sister.”
“Right.” Sunny pointed a finger. “I forgot they call her that. To me, she’ll always be Cici, even though her name is Constance.”
Now that it was out, Delaney could see the resemblance. Sunny was clearly a blonde and had about three inches in height on Red. Sunny was willowy in build, like a runway model, whereas Red was more athletic. But they shared a pair of striking blue eyes and something in the gentle slopes of their foreheads. “Red’s who got me set up. Free class. Membership. All that. She’s in the office a lot, doing admin stuff. Really cool chick. Pretty good athlete, too.”
“She’s also the resident massage therapist. She’s really good with her hands. She works on my dogs.”
“Ha.” Delaney grinned. “She needs to work on Wyatt. Settle his butt down a little.”
“He’s never around long enough.”
“Well—” Delaney bent down and started gathering up her things, starting with the oil pan “—he’s welcome to hang out here with the bike. The bay will be open all day, so he can come and go as he pleases. I worry about him getting hit by a car but it seems like he sticks to the woods. I think your rescue is a straight shot through there.” Delaney pointed over her shoulder, toward the back of the shop where the forest was untouched by developers.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Sunny nibbled on her lower lip. “Although,” she continued, “he’s getting out anyway. He keeps digging huge holes under my fence and even though it hasn’t happened yet, other dogs might get out through his escape tunnels.” In the end, Sunny shrugged. “Alright, Wyatt. We get it. Nobody can keep you penned in.” She squatted down and stroked along his ears. “But we have to take care of you. You’re making it hard.”
“Didn’t you say your boyfriend trains dogs? And did he... Hey.” Things clicked into place. “Did he train a dog named Trinity? For a lady named Tabitha?” Mentioning the shy, former chaplain’s assistant reminded Delaney of her earlier thoughts about the size of Dad’s soul. Which weren’t the typical kind of thoughts Delaney had any given day.
Sunny’s eyes got big as the ocean. “Trinity? Yes! She was mine at first. A couple years back. One of eight from theMatrixlitter. We name our litters after movies and TV shows and that sort of thing,” Sunny explained. “Makes it easier to remember names and it’s fun. Trinity’s mom, Oracle, had been bred so many times.” Sunny paused and shook her head. “Then she was dumped at the shelter, pregnant. They called me. Trinity ended up having the perfect personality to be a psychiatric dog. She was laid-back, yet confident. Plus she was tiny for her breed. And if I remember right, Tabitha is a wisp of a thing.”
“That’s her.”
“So you know her?”
“We served together at Camp Leatherneck. Years ago. I don’t know her well. Our paths crossed once.” Delaney stopped short of saying that the day their paths had crossed had been one of the most challenging days of her life, and certainly one of the most challenging for Tabitha. “I bumped into her at the gym, actually.”
