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She thought there was an issue with the store. But I’d called them and asked for the order to be put at the end of the queue, which meant a four-week wait.
Sliding into bed next to her was now the favorite part of my day. I’d always worked until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Now I went to bed before midnight, eager to feel her against me.
“I have a lot on my mind.”
I shot him a practiced arctic glare, which he shrugged off with a grin. Then he bent back over the desk, working on another paper plane.
“And by a lot, you mean your wife?”
“Fuck off.”
“Freya called while you were busy salivating over thoughts of Vanna. She’s taking her out for lunch, and Mom is getting everything ready. She said to be there by two.”
I checked the time, noticing we had a little over two hours. My family was throwing Vanna a birthday party at our house. She thought Freya was organizing a party for this weekend, but we wanted to surprise her and had set everything up for tonight.
After Vanna told Freya that she’d never had a birthday party, my sister went into planning mode. And I went in search of the perfect present. Which I should pick up now since I had to drive out to Jefferson Park to get it.
The thought of Vanna not liking what I’d gotten for her made me break out in a cold sweat. I could negotiate million-dollar deals and fire a gun without flinching. But Vanna had the power to turn me into a bumbling fool without even doing anything.
“Did you go over the budget for the new marketing campaign? It needs to be signed off by—”
I stood up, cutting Jude off midsentence. “I’ll go over the contract tomorrow.”
Our legitimate businesses took up more and more of my time. While I welcomed the change, it was also a huge adjustment, going over budgets and paperwork and attending endless meetings in boardrooms instead of in back rooms in the middle of the night while having a drink.
I also hadn’t been in a fight in too long. Apparently it was too damaging to our new pristine reputation. We’d never be completely clean, but our public relations team had certainly done a lot of work to make it appear so.
He jumped up, following me out of my office. “You what? It’s midday. You have a couple hours left before we have to be at the party.” I didn’t respond, and he continued walking next to me. “Where the hell are you going?”
“Picking up Vanna’s present. Now go away.”
I stepped into the elevator, leaving my slack-jawed brother behind.
The drive out to Jefferson Park would take thirty minutes. I still had to complete all the paperwork and then drive back to the house. I was already cutting it close if I wanted to get there before Vanna.
When I pulled up to the building, I once again wondered if I should have bought a puppy instead of rescuing an older dog. But I thought this was perfect for a girl who left milk out for the stray cat that kept coming onto our property.
I entered through the scratched and worn door, carefully closing it behind me.
The manager of the dog rescue greeted me with a wide smile. “Mr. Olysses. I’ll get Daisy for you. The paperwork is on the counter.”
“Thank you, Nanette. That sounds great.”
She pointed to a stack of papers on the counter, pen on top. “Can you please fill out the first two pages? The rest is information for you to keep.” She turned for the door behind her. “I’ll be right back.”
It didn’t take me long to fill out the form. Once I was done, I wandered through the small space that made up the reception. Pictures of dogs of all shapes and sizes covered the walls. I was looking at a little three-legged fluffy white dog when the door opened again.
Nails scratched on the floor, and then Daisy’s head appeared, followed by her vibrating body. We’d hit it off as soon as I’d walked into the play area where first introductions were made.
It had taken about three seconds for Daisy to collapse to the floor and roll onto her back for belly scratches.
Nanette held out the lead. “Here she is.”
Daisy jumped in place, licking my hand when I reached out to pat her. Leaving my hand on the soft fur of her back, I turned my attention back to Nanette. “I left the completed paperwork and adoption fee on the counter. And I’ll send you photos once she’s settled in.”
“That would be wonderful. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
She walked back to the desk, and I made my way to the door next to a jumping Daisy. If she were a person, she’d be hollering and skipping next to me. I just hoped Vanna appreciated her new dog’s excitable nature as much as I did.
