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He keeps talking about anything and everything, the words clearly secondary to his low, soothing voice. And she's responding. No, she's not laying against his fingers getting rubs, but she is eating. I haven't seen her do that around anyone. I've left her bowl, and found it empty an hour later, but she'd never go near it until I was well away from her cage. But now, she's sitting next to the bowl, near the gate, taking small delicate bites, watching him warily in between. And Nick, smart man that he is, has his eyes closed or lowered —damn this grainy video feed— to give her some space.
"How long has he been like that?"
Cadence rests her cheek on her hand, still gazing at the screen. "Maybe twenty minutes. He is so patient, Bree. His voice never changes, his body is totally relaxed. He's irresistible." She straightens, turning to me. "He's single right? Because as much as I'm happy with my life, I would chase that man through the city naked if I thought he'd be interested."
My face freezes into a grimace, and Cadence erupts into snorting laughs. "Okay. Clearly, he's taken."
Shit. Shit. "No. He's not taken. I think he's single. I mean, I haven't heard him talk about a girlfriend or anything. It's fine. You go girl. Get that."
Cadence doesn't jump up and down in excitement. She just snorts again, and turns to lay her head on the desk. "Not even..." she gasps, "Not even you believe that. You hate the idea of anyone else getting their hands on that man. Admit it."
I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at her. "Cady, you know that I am not in the headspace for a relationship."
She stares at me, one brow raised. "Seriously? Have you told your lady locker that? Because I think she has a pretty strong opinion about it."
I stare at her, dumbfounded. "Lady Locker?"
She shrugs. "Yeah. You know, you can open and close it. Store stuff in it. And no one's getting in without the combination."
It's an effort to keep a straight face. "Store stuff in it? Really?"
Cadence stares at me for a minute, and we both crack, erupting into belly laughs. We set the dogs off, some of them barking excitedly, and I glance at the monitor again. Nick hasn't moved, but a small smile dances on his lips.
"Sounds like Bree's here. Do you know Bree? I think you'd like her. She's tough, not just physically, but mentally. She's been through something pretty terrible too, and she's finding her way out of it. You guys have a lot in common actually. Her hair's golden too."
Cadence reaches over, and flicks off the speakers. We both stare at the screen, and my fingers twitch to turn the audio back on. I want to hear more.
"Bree," Cadence says softly, waiting for me to look at her before continuing. "Life sometimes drops exactly what we need in our lap, and it's up to us to grab it with both hands before it drifts away. It doesn't matter if we think we're ready. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith that everything will be okay."
"It's not like that, Cady. Really." At her disbelieving look, I explain. "He's my sisters' boyfriend's brother. We're like family. So it doesn't matter how amazing he is. Or how sexy and patient. It's too messy."
She shakes her head, a small smile on her lips. "Didn't you know Bree, the very best things in life, are messy?" She touches my hand, then scoots around me and into a side room. Her project room, as she calls it. Looks a lot like a junk room to me. She even has a cot in there. I wonder how often she sleeps here. It's not the nicest area of town. Not the worst, but still, the businesses close up and the area empties. What happens if there's a problem? There's no one nearby to help.
Pushing through the double doors, I slowly make my way past the cages, greeting the new dogs, saying hello to the familiar faces, giving out pats and accepting licks in return. My hands are covered with dog slobber and a few stray hairs by the time I reach Nick. He grins up at me, but doesn't otherwise move.
"Hey Bree," he says softly. "I'm making a new friend."
"I see that," I say equally quietly. "Can I sit with you?"
He nods, and I ease to the floor beside him, resting my hand in the middle of his back ever so briefly. Goldie is back in the corner of her cage, but her food bowl is empty. Maybe it's my imagination, but it feels like there's a spark of life in her that I haven't seen before. Maybe a curiosity.
"Hey sweet girl," I greet her, trying to match Nick's low tone. Her eyes shift to me briefly, then away again. I want to jump up and down and scream my excitement. "Such a good girl. Thank you." I drop my head to Nick's back. "She's never looked at me before. I've been trying for weeks." I suck in a shuddering breath, then another, then lift my head. As soon as I do, Nick eases onto his back, lifting one arm and tucking his hand under his head.
"She just needs time."
"No, I think it's you. I think she needed someone with your way with women."
"My way with women?"
"Yeah, you know. Cara says all women respond to you."
His smile falls, and he pins me with a steady look. "I like women."
"Good. That's good. It's fine. If women flock to you, then why not?"
Nick studies my face, brow furrowed. "Flock to me?"
I don't know where I'm going with this, so I change the subject. "I'm sorry I'm late. My last client ran late, then traffic sucked."
