AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I closed the door before she could protest, cackling like a mad woman. Sam and I had an easy friendship. I was grateful for it, she was exactly what I needed when I came home. Lighthearted but honest, calling me on my shit, yet making me feel accepted and not judged.
The door upstairs creaked open and Tate came out, taking the steps two at a time just to walk me back up. I knew him well enough now to realize he needed to do this to reassure himself I was safe and I kind of loved how much he cared.
"Oh my god," he called as he approached. His smile was wide as he came over, pulling me in and making me turn to get the full effect. "You know, I loved the pink, but this... it suits you."
"Thanks. I thought it was time to go back to my natural color."
"We should have known you were a redhead. The brattiness gave it away," he teased. "Come on, I can't wait for them to see it. You look sexy as fuck."
He led me upstairs and made me go in first. Brock and Elias were on the couch, both turning as the door clicked shut behind us.
"Dibs!" Elias yelled, jumping over the back of the couch and sweeping me away.
"It looks amazing!" Brock yelled after me, both of them laughing as Elias shut and locked his door behind us. My laughter died as he came over, hands resting on my neck as he drew me in for a kiss.
"You look incredible, red," he said, easily switching out his nickname for me. "Let me show you how fucking hot I think it is."
ChapterTwenty
Macy
The rink had never been this full. Too bad this wasn’t for a game. Even the coldest of hearts would melt at the sight of all these hockey players and the puppies tumbling all over them.
Fluffy Friends had gone all out for this event. She'd fallen in love with Roscoe and after a few back and forth emails we had put some plans in place.
There was a huge foldout contraption that resembled a baby pool but gave the pups something to run around on and kept their... messes, off of Dad's ice. Their cute little yips and barks filled the vaulted ceilings of the rink as they ran and tumbled over one another, playing with kids and players.
She set up a second for the senior dogs, letting them play a little bit less enthusiastically. She had some bigger breed dogs but they were in their own large kennels in the back since they could easily knock over the small kids in their excitement.
It was a full house between dogs and potential adopters.
On the plexiglass we'd taped up profiles, with an adorable picture, of each dog for people to get a feel for them before coming to meet the pups. Roscoe sat in the middle, among all the chaos. He looked around with wide eyes as the puppies tried to fight for his attention.
I'd save him if it wasn't so funny. Every so often, he'd give in and play before they tired him out.
"This is going so well," Linda sang out as she joined me on the sidelines. "We've had ten adoptions so far, at this rate, I'll be empty by the end of the day."
She blinked away a few tears and I felt the same.
"What will you do with the donations?"
"Get the place ready for our next batch of furry friends. There's sadly always a shortage of space; it won't be empty for long. Until then, I'll stock up on goodies for them and fix the dog washing station that broke last winter. This is a fresh start for us. Thank you."
The sincerity in her tone made my chest ache. It felt like I was finally making a difference like I'd always wanted to. I wasn't just sitting in a cubicle wasting my life. Like Dad always said, we were building a legacy here. Maybe this, in some tiny part, was mine.
"I'm thinking we need to do this once or twice a year then," I mused. Because I refused to believe that we wouldn't be open for any more seasons after this. Dad was now more determined than ever. Between that and the calendars that I knew would be selling out in seconds, we were looking at much better numbers than we were a few weeks ago.
Now we just had to figure out how to keep it going.
"Macy! Get your cute... butt, in here!" Elias attempted to censor himself, eyeing the kids running around with the pups with a sheepish grin. I couldn't resist, giving Linda a quick goodbye before rushing over to join my guys.
The whole team was in the center, talking to the kids and families and playing with the pups. Linda and her staff were constantly busy cleaning up after the pups and keeping the area clean. Even if it was loud and chaotic, it was going smoothly.
"There she is," Tate grinned, talking to the cute beagle puppy licking his face. It turned its hound dog eyes on me. "I think she should be your mommy, too."
"You guys don't have a yard," I reminded him as I sat down. He carefully put the little pup in my lap and my heart melted. "Aw, you are cute, though."
"A beagle!" A little girl whisper-yelled as she tugged her dad closer. He gave me an exasperated laugh but I handed over the pup the moment she plopped right down in Tate's lap. He was surprised and gave the dad a panicked look.
