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Jesse shrugged. “You can offer, but only if he lives somewhere else. If he’s living with his dad, then hell no.”
I walked outside to where Peaches and Fluffer were fighting over a toy that Billy was holding. “Looks like he remembers you.”
“Yeah, he and I hung out together a lot when I was home for Christmas. But after I left for school, I wasn’t sure if he’d forgotten about me.” He looked at me and sighed. “Thank you for taking care of him and making sure he got into a good home. My dad really is a piece of shit.”
Oh yeah. I did say that, huh. “Hey, sorry about that. I was just stressed when you stopped by.”
He waved off my words. “No, you’re right. He totally is. Peaches was my mom‘s dog, and when my mom died last year, my dad didn’t really know what to do with him. I thought maybe they would be good for each other, but he’s much happier here.”
I rocked back on my heels and then forward again. “So…you don’t want to take him back, do you?”
“No, not at all. I mean, if he didn’t have a home, I would try to find one for him, but I’m staying with my dad right now. So, it wouldn’t be a good idea. Besides, I wouldn’t want to take him away from people who care about him.” He looked around at the other dogs and then back up at me. “Maybe I can come visit. You know, play with him when I drop off the treats?”
“Definitely.” Jesse stepped up to me at that point. “Actually, if you’re looking for a job, we’re hiring for the dayshift, and eventually an overnight shift, so we can start boarding.”
“Really? That would be great.” He was animated again when he spoke. “I want to get the baking thing going, but it’s gonna be a while before I can afford to do anything on my own. Now that I’ve graduated from culinary school, I need to start paying off my loans soon, and I just need to make some money.”
Jesse nudged me and I gave him a subtle nod.
“Awesome. Well, whenever you’re ready, you can start. For now, we’re just open during the day, so you can get used to the dogs and learn some of our grooming and training techniques. But if you ever want to do the overnight shift instead, we’ll let our clients know they can begin leaving their pups for overnight stays as well.”
And that’s how our little business hired its first employee.
18
TONY
Once Billy was finally working at the daycare, Jesse and Jason both had a lot more free time in their schedules. And on most nights, Billy closed up for them, so Jason was always home early.
We started cooking together, both of us learning from YouTube videos. The food was edible about 70% of the time, but we kept some frozen foods on hand for those times when our masterpieces just weren’t salvageable.
Tonight, though, the carbonara we made was pretty damn good. We usually did okay with pasta. It was the rice dishes that were hit or miss most of the time. Or rather, crunchy or pasty.
“Oh, your friend came in today,” Jason said between bites. “Some meat head type… Axle, I think?”
I laughed at the description. “Yeah, I gave him your card. He inherited a dog from his mom when she moved into assisted living, so he actually had her with him when he came for his appointment.”
“He did mention something about never being able to leave her alone. I think she’s going to be one of our all day customers.” Jason rubbed his fingers together. “Cha-ching.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. But at least, Kona seems sweet. Active, but sweet.” I would take a little more sweetness from Peaches.
I sipped my wine and nodded. Yeah, she was mellow when she was in the office. Just sat quietly through his exam, but he mentioned needing to give her a lot of attention. So, hopefully she’s not a terror.” I glanced over at Peaches.
He knew I was talking about him as he opened one eye to peek at me.
Jason kicked my foot under the table. “Oh, please. You know you love the bratty ones.”
Well, he had me there. “I guess. Speaking of, I seem to recall you deliberately leaving a mess out here last night.”
Jason smirked. “Sorry, Daddy. What’re you gonna do about it?”
“I’m glad you asked.” Now it was my turn to smirk. “I bought you a present today that I think we’re going to both enjoy.”
“A present?” He looked around with grabby hands. “Where is it? Where’s my present?
“Nope, you’ll get it in the morning. I’ll let you wonder all night long.”
Jason puffed out his lower lip. “What if I’m naughty again tonight? Then what?”
