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“Guess I’ll be unloading the car. Take him in the house if you want.”
Mia grabbed the dog bed and bag of food, bowls and treats, whatever else Morgan told her she needed.
When she walked into the kitchen the puppy was looking a little scared.
“I’m not sure what to do,” he said. “I think he’s upset.”
“He’ll be fine,” she said. “Morgan and Cooper said we can call them or come over if we need to. I’ll stay with him if you want to get his crate.”
Cal went to the garage to get the rest of the things and Mia brought the puppy into his room with her while she undressed.
When she came out, the puppy was following along. “He’s got a blanket in that bag. The one he was sleeping with at the shelter. It will be familiar for him if you want to put it on his bed.”
She started to get dinner ready while Cal moved the puppy’s bed to the family room and laid his blanket on it, then pulled out a few of the chew toys she’d gotten.
The puppy immediately went to his blanket with a toy and started to play with it.
“Does he need to eat?”
“Yes,” she said. “Three times a day for now. Morgan said he had lunch at the shelter and she gave me the food that he’s been eating for us to continue with that for now. She wrote everything down for you. How much to feed him, et cetera.”
She pulled the paper out and laid it on the counter.
She started to get dinner ready and noticed Cal reading the paper, then getting the food. The minute it hit the bowl the puppy came running toward it and all but tripped over his own feet, his face landing in the bowl as if he’d planned it that way.
“That was funny,” he said.
“You’re really okay with this?” she asked.
After last week when he’d talked to her about his employee mentioning a house for sale, she started to wonder what was going through Cal’s mind.
From what she knew of him, he would have jumped all over that opportunity. At least check it out to see if it was a good deal or not.
It’s like he wasn’t interested and was making excuses that didn’t make sense to her.
He didn’t seem like the carefree guy she’d met months ago. He still showed it to the outside world, but she noticed it was dimmer than normal.
She knew he was lonely at night when she wasn’t here. He wouldn’t come out and say the words, but he’d alluded to it before. That he had acquaintances but came home to an empty house.
She wasn’t ready to move in. She didn’t think they were at that point in their relationship yet. But wouldn’t it be nice if he did have someone with him all the time?
Someone to call his own. A bond that he had with his parents that he’d lost.
Maybe he could regain that in another way.
That was her hope at least.
“Yeah,” he said. “It might have been the push I’ve needed to do this. I’ve never been afraid to pull the trigger on something before, but this was hard.”
“The unknown,” she said. “Cal. You take on other people’s problems. You take care of them and it’s a responsibility on your shoulders that you carry well.”
“Not always as well as you think,” he said. His eyes were on the puppy and she knew she’d made the right decision. She also knew it took a lot for him to admit that to her.
“You don’t hide things as well as you think you do,” she said. “But this time, you get some enjoyment out of the responsibility. That is what pets are. At least I hope so. If not, you can blame my sister. It’s her fault.”
He moved over to her. “No one’s fault. Thank you. Are you going to help me name him?”
“It’s your dog,” she said, laughing.
