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As I observed Simon interacting with the animals, I noticed that he seemed to be drawn more to Milo. “Okay, I’m going to swap out Cooper for Daisy now, if that’s okay with you.”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Simon easily agreed, barely looking up from Milo.
“Thank you,” Kade murmured as I passed him with Cooper. “I haven’t seen him look this happy in too damn long.”
My breath quickened. “You’re welcome.”
“I hope things work out so he gets paired with Milo. They look good together.”
I beamed a quick smile at him. “If I had to make an educated guess, I’d say the odds are in favor of that happening.”
Butterflies swirled in my belly as he returned my grin, and I almost tripped over Cooper as we stumbled through the door to the kennels. Kade’s deep chuckle drifted toward me, and my cheeks heated. I gave myself a few extra minutes to soothe my nerves before I got Daisy and brought her in to meet Simon. The one-year-old loved showing off how well she listened to my commands and did a great job for her first unofficial potential pairing.
After we finished up with the dogs, I thought about how quiet Simon had been and asked, “I want to make sure you’re prepared for the kind of attention you can get when you’re out in public with a service dog.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Attention?”
Stroking my fingers through Daisy’s fur, I nodded. “People notice service dogs, and many of them have no problems with asking all sorts of questions or telling you all about how their dog would be perfect for this kind of work.”
“Yeah, I can see how that would happen.” Simon’s lips curved into a small smile. “But I think it’ll help more than hurt.”
I tilted my head to the side, my brows drawing together. “How so?”
“I’m not great in crowds anymore, and a part of that is I already think everyone is looking at me. Judging me.” He paused to take a shuddering breath. “But with a dog at my side, I’d know that the attention is mainly on them instead of me.”
“Great answer.” I smiled at him with a nod.
Kade slapped him on the back. “Solid thinking, man.”
“It’s important that you know the process doesn’t stop when you take your dog home with you,” I warned. “You’re going to need to work very hard to bond with, learn to communicate with, and maintain your partner’s training. You’ll have to commit to upholding your dog’s training and skills for the rest of their life.”
Simon didn’t hesitate to reply, “Seems fair, considering what the dog will be doing for me.”
As I led them down the hallway, I added, “But we’ll always be available to lend a hand. All you have to do is ask.”
My to-do list for the remainder of the day was ridiculously long, but I found myself wishing Simon’s appointment didn’t have to end. I’d see him again, but there was no guarantee the same was true for Kade. That was a shame because no other man had ever caught my interest the way he had.
4
Kade
Iwas trying to come up with an excuse to see her again—because my dating skills were rusty as fuck—when I spotted the glossy flyer on the table beside the door.This will do.I picked it up and began to flip through the pages.
“Are you interested in fostering?” Annalise asked in a bright tone.
“I’ve thought about it.”In the last sixty seconds.But in that short time, I could admit the idea was appealing.
“It’s a very rewarding experience. I think you’d be very good at it.”
I glanced up at her with a smile and enjoyed the pretty pink that stained her cheeks again. “I’d love to know more about the process. I always had at least two dogs running around my house growing up. We trained them all, so I have at least some idea of what might go into it.” I paused, then took the plunge. “Could I talk you into having dinner with me tonight? So you can tell me more about the program?”
Annalise’s blush deepened, but she beamed at me and nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Give me your phone,” I ordered gently as I held my hand out, palm up.
She dug her cell out of her pocket and placed it in my grasp. Quickly, I programmed in my number, then sent myself a text so I had hers as well.
“Send me your address, and I’ll pick you up at seven,” I told her as I gave her back her phone.
