That was an hour ago.
In that time, Chad and I had both avoided talking about anything beyond the dogs in the pen. I was too scared to let him finish rejecting me. It was better to pretend it hadn’t happened.
“We need to introduce another dog,” I said to Chad, glancing around. “These dogs obviously came together. We need to see how they’ll do with an unfamiliar friend.”
“Tomorrow,” Chad said. “They’ve had enough activity for the day.”
He was right. We didn’t want to introduce them already worn out from playing. I nodded and gathered the leads by the gate.
“Who were those guys earlier?” Chad asked, taking the leashes I offered.
I guess we weren’t going to pretend. I swallowed. “Um…just a guy…I’m…” My brain flashed to the look of disgust Chad had earlier when he thought I was asking him out. “Dating.”
“You’re dating a guy who didn’t know your real name?” He squatted and hooked a leash to the nearest collar.
I joined him, clipping one as well. “We met online. I don’t give my real name online.”
He nodded like that made perfect sense. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”
“Yeah…” I didn’t know either. “I mean, just barely.” As in, an hour ago.
“Earlier, I thought you were…” He trailed off.
“You thought I was what?” I asked innocently.
He stood and wiped his hands on the back of his jeans. “I thought we were…”
Was he going to finish a sentence? Had I read the situation wrong? Did he actually like me? Had I screwed everything up? It was too late to take back my fake dating situation now.
“What about you?” I asked when he didn’t finish. I tugged on the leash I held, moving toward the gate. “Are you seeing anyone?”
He followed me. “No. And I don’t usually date girls I work with.”
Was that what he was going to say before? I held back a groan.
“It’s one of my rules,” he continued.
“You have rules?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“If there were no rules, how could we break them?” I joked, and opened the gate.
He stepped through with his dogs. “I don’t break my rules.”
“No. Me neither.” It was a joke. Good thing I hadn’t added that rule about thinking I was funny.
“Usually,” Chad added, confusing me and giving me hope at the same time.
My short-legged friend was too tired to herd me this time as we walked toward the main building. “Good girl,” I cooed in her direction.
“Not sure she’s earned that title yet,” Chad said. He was frustrated that none of the dogs responded to any of his commands, in English or Spanish.
I nudged Chad with my elbow playfully. “She has.”
Chad held the door open for me, letting the echoing barks out into the open air.
We rounded the corner and I saw Rodrigo walking our way. Slightly behind him, Asher was holding a leash. I followed the line of that leash until my eyes collided with a dog—Bean. I gave an audible gasp.
“Check it out, Wren,” Rodrigo called. “Look who your mini-me likes. Are you jealous?”
Asher waved at me and then he and Rodrigo stopped in front of Bean’s kennel. Behind me, Chad was opening kennel C.
“Wren, the dog,” he was saying.
“Oh, right.” I absently handed him the leash and watched as Asher squatted down, rubbed Bean’s head, scratched behind his ears, and then led him through the kennel door that Rodrigo was holding open.
Chad had put away the dogs we’d been working with and was now standing beside me. “Is that Bean?” he asked. “I had been kidding about the whole walking-him thing.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“He likes your boyfriend,” Chad said.
Asher exited the kennel and headed our way. His big smile was on and his auburn hair was flopping in his eyes. I didn’t remember what color his eyes were but I found myself wanting to know. His lanky limbs were relaxed, his gait assured.
“He’s not my boy—” I started, but when Asher reached me, he wrapped me up in a hug.
I melted against him. I had forgotten how good of a hugger he was, but was being reminded all over again as his hands pressed against my lower back. “You walked Bean?” I said into his shoulder.
“Was I not supposed to?”
I looked up at him. His eyes were a brownish green—hazel. “Those are my favorite,” I said.
He smirked. “What?”
“I…Nothing.” I took a step back, out of his arms, and tried to shake off this feeling, whatever it was. The feeling of being just a little out of control. I didn’t like it. “This is Chad. Chad, this is Asher.”
“Hey,” Chad said. “Wren, I’ll write today’s report on the dogs. You get tomorrow’s.”
“Sure,” I responded.
After Chad left, Asher said, “I talked to Rodrigo about changing the name of the shelter. He was sympathetic to our concerns.”
I laughed. “You did not.”
“I really wanted to,” he said.
“Rodrigo doesn’t wield that kind of power.”
“I figured.”
“Where’s Dale?” I asked.
“They assigned him to check-in.”
That didn’t surprise me. There had been nobody up front earlier. It was a boring job that consisted of making visitors sign in, giving them a squirt of sanitizer, and telling them someone would be right with them.
“You almost off?” Asher asked.
“Another thirty minutes,” I said. “Do you have to…? Are your…?” I knew nothing about Asher, but my online counterpart did and if I asked him the wrong question now, he’d know we weren’t the same person. That’s a good thing, Wren. He needs to know.
“My parents won’t care,” he filled in for me.
“Right. Cool.”
“I do have to grab my brother at five, though, so maybe you can do that with us before we get that coffee?”
Right, I had asked him out for coffee. “With you and Dale? You drove together?” Again?
“Yes, we did. Dale doesn’t…well, you know.”