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“Home. I ran into town and didn’t want him pestering anyone while I was gone. After I put this stuff away, I’ll grab him.” Brooke plucked a gallon of milk from a canvas bag and put it in the fridge. “We have a guest coming in a couple days who is vegan, by the way. You and Chet will need to make sure we have enough options for him.”
“Chet will love that,” Mia said, her tone dry. She rushed over to help put the groceries where they belonged. Chet hated others dictating his actions. Even if it was a guest with dietary restrictions.
“You two have spent a lot of time together the last couple days. How’s that going?”
Otto barked, then whined again.
Mia winced, grateful for the excuse to leave and not dive into Brooke’s question. “Sorry. I’d love to stay and chat, but I really need to take Otto outside. Then I need to take him back to the kennel for Tucker.”
“It was nice of Tucker to let Otto stay with you last night.” Brooke scratched behind the dog’s ears. “Why don’t you grab what you need, and I’ll give you a ride down to the kennel on my way home. That why you don’t have to be alone.”
Brooke’s concern made her smile. “Thanks. I’d say you’re silly to worry, but I’ll take all the company I can get. I even slept on Chet’s couch, so I wasn’t alone all night. I don’t think I would have slept a wink otherwise.”
“You what?” Brooke’s mouth fell open. She clung to the edge of the island, making a dramatic show of trying to keep herself upright. “Chet never lets people in his house. Well, besides Tucker, but it’s not like he waits for an invitation. More like barges in whenever he feels like it.”
She scooped up Otto’s water dish, emptied the liquid down the drain, and stuffed it in the duffel Chet had left with the rest of Otto’s things. Heat rushed down the back of Mia’s neck. Even if some ridiculous part of her—a part she had no desire to take a closer look at—wouldn’t mind if her slumber party at Chet’s had other implications, her stay there had been completely innocent. “I was scared. He was nice. Not a big deal.”
Not wanting to talk more about it, she led the way out of the kitchen, knowing Brooke and Otto would follow.
Brooke’s hurried footsteps chased Mia down until she strolled beside her in the long corridor. “But Chet being nice to you is a big deal. Even given the circumstances. I mean, I know he’s a big pile of marshmallowy goodness inside, which is why I put up with his shit, but he doesn’t show that part of him to many people.”
Pressing her lips together, she shrugged. Discussing the dynamics between her and Chet didn’t feel right, so she just wouldn’t say anything at all.
When they turned into the lobby, Brooke waved at a man sitting in one of two couches around the large fireplace. Mia kept her head down. She didn’t often mingle with the guests beyond the dining room, and even then it was to see if anything was needed. She’d worked at the retreat for months, but she hadn’t ventured beyond the kitchen and the kennel. Feeling like too much of an outsider to use any other facilities—no matter how often Brooke insisted all the amenities were available to guests and staff.
A young woman not much older than Mia sat behind the front desk, and Mia offered her a smile before pushing out of the large wooden doors into the cool breeze outside. The sun was high in the sky, though shielded behind a thin layer of gray clouds. Brooke’s baby blue golf cart was parked in the front of the lot—a color chosen by Lincoln after he’d moved in with Brooke.
“Did I upset you?” Brooke asked as she climbed behind the wheel.
Mia waited for Otto to jump on the seat beside Brooke before sliding on the vinyl bench with the duffel bag on her lap. “Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.” Her answer wasn’t untrue if a bit evasive.
Brooke steered the cart onto the gravel path that led to the back of the lodge. “Trust me. I understand.”
The towering lodge with its three stories of rounded logs disappeared and gave way to a large lake with blue water that rippled with the swirling air. An expanse of trees started at the edge of the trail carved along the lake and fanned out as far as the eye could see, the farthest tips reaching up to touch the skyline. Identical cabins were dotted along the lake with plenty of space between to give each guest—and Brooke—all the privacy they could want.
The kennel that housed the therapy dogs sat behind the lodge, on a patch of land in front of the lake. The small building was painted a burgundy red. A fenced-in section provided an area for the dogs to play. Although most of their exercise came from walking the trails and spending time with guests.
Brooke came to a stop in front of the kennel. “Want help taking Otto in?”
“I think I can handle it. I want to talk to Tucker and maybe spend some time with the dogs while I’m here.” She climbed down then called for Otto. “Thanks for the ride.”
Brooke gave a little wave then drove away, the cart bouncing down the incline to the trail.
Mia sighed, watching her go. Brooke had accomplished so much, and she was the same age as Mia. At thirty, she’d opened a successful business and was in a loving and stable relationship. Two things that seemed so far from Mia’s reach.
Not wanting to get sucked into the gloom making ridiculous comparisons could create, she opened the door to the kennel and was greeted by a dangling bell overhead and barking dogs. A half door separated the front of the room from the dog-lined aisle, keeping the dogs hidden from view. “It’s just me, everyone. Coming to say hello.”
Otto preceded her inside, tail wagging and bouncing in front of the miniature door then swinging it open with his nose.
Mia laughed and followed him into the aisle that housed the dogs. Each dog sat behind wrought iron gates that kept them pinned in their little homes, a welcome mat at their thresholds. A bed and a dish full of water were located in each section, the food doled out on a strict schedule. “Tucker?”
Nothing but the sounds of heavy doggy pants and the clicking of nails on the tiled floor greeted her. Four dogs sat in front of their doors, each one begging with their eyes to be let out.
She secured Otto in his luxury cage then stepped further down the aisle, peeking into an open door that stored dog food and training tools Tucker used for the dogs. Extra leashes hung from hooks and bins of toys and bones lined a wire rack in the corner.
The sound of the bell chiming from the front rang in her ears. Tucker must have stepped out for a second and returned. Barking and low growls came from the kennels. What was wrong with the dogs? Maybe a guest from the retreat had wandered in, not realizing they needed Tucker to assist with the animals.
Stepping out of the storeroom, she pivoted toward the front door.
