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This was the third store we’d been in.
“Will this padding give a greyhound enough support?”
The kid working at the pet supply shop blinked at Beau. He’d been dazed since he laid eyes on my sister, but now he looked as if she’d given him the finalJeopardy!answer and he had no idea what the question was.
Beau tapped her foot and squeezed the dog bed again before she made a disgruntled noise.
“They don’t have what we want.” She looped her arm through mine and led me to the entrance.
Once we were outside she hustled with determined steps to who knew where.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” I started, my long strides barely a match for hers. “And I want them to have the best too, but they need something today.”
She glared. “I haven’t lived here in a long time. It’s taken me a minute to get warmed up, but I remember a store a friend used to love.”
“Why would a friend recommend a pet store to you? You’ve never had any pets,” I said as she dragged me down the sidewalk. “Can we slow down?”
“You’re the one who said we’re in a hurry.” If anything, she walked even faster. “And I had to buy gifts for people with pets.” No one could put me in my place like my sister.
“I thought we could just do one store and get this done,” I muttered. It wasn’t only the shopping I wasn’t crazy about. There were a lot of dogs with no beds, bowls, and food who needed them yesterday.
“If you’d have given me some notice, I could’ve done prep work.”
“For shopping?”
“It’s no different than basketball. When there’s a game plan, there’s greater success.”
I stared at her. Was she serious? It didn’t take but a second for me to see that yes. Yes, she was.
“Don’t worry. We’re about to make a half-court shot.” She grinned.
I got nervous.
“We should’ve brought my truck.”
Her smile grew wider. “And some of your fire station buddies.”
I snorted and tried to smile back, though the mention of them was like a punch in the gut. It had been two days since I’d seen or spoken to any of them except Cassano. I missed my job.
“Hey.” Beau punched me in the arm. “You’ll be back to work before you know it.”
Maybe I wasn’t like her and Lincoln, driven and cut out for corporate life. But I was dedicated to my job. It fulfilled me.
If it hadn’t been for Pepper and the dogs, I’d have been floundering the past few days.
Even I could admit I needed the time off to heal. Time I wouldn’t have taken if not for the suspension. Ugh. The bullshit suspension.
“Are you going to punch something?”
I blinked at Beau and realized my fist was balled tight.
“Not today.” I tilted my head. “At least it’s not in the plan.”
She relaxed her shoulders. “After you see the damage I do in this store, you might add it in.”
I stopped. She stretched between where she held on to me with one hand and the door handle in the other.
I pulled her into a hug. She released the door handle and gave in.
