chapter nine
Lucas picked me up bright and early, with coffee and donuts from Red’s: every kind of chocolate donut they made, apparently. He’d brought me chocolate glazed, devil’s food, chocolate cream filled, and even half a dozen chocolate donut holes.
“There were originally a dozen, but they were rather demanding,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“The donut holes were demanding?”
“That I eat them, yes.”
“Well, donut holes’ll do that from time to time.” I snorted and took the bag from him.
“Based on the pudding and the Pop-Tarts, chocolate seemed like the way to go,” he said, side-eyeing me as he spoke.
“Safe bet,” I answered, cramming one into my mouth. “Niiiiice.”
We drove along, heading inland toward Salinas. My knee was swinging back and forth, my hand was tapping on my thigh as I chain-ate donut holes one right after the other.
“Nervous?” he asked.
“A little,” I admitted. “Is that weird?”
“Not even a little,” he assured.
“It’s just . . . I don’t know, it’s like my first day on a job. Up until now, it’s just been painting and fixing and filing and planning. But now?”
“Now it’s real,” he said, answering my unasked question.
“Exactly. Now it’s real.” I popped in another donut hole, chewed, then said, “What if I suck?”
“I sincerely doubt that.” He laughed, handing me his coffee. “Here, add another sugar, will you?”
“Seriously, though, what if I’m not good at this?” I asked, adding his sugar, then stirring. “What if it’s too much? What if—”
“What if you get bitten? What if you let the wrong dog out at the wrong time, and you’re chasing the runaway with a flashlight at midnight? What if your favorite gets adopted?” He merged onto the highway, then looked at me briefly. “Those are all things that’ll happen—I can guarantee it.”
“Is this my ‘get ready for greatness’ speech? Because it’s starting out a little strange,” I said, handing back his coffee. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He sipped, then set it in the cup holder. “My point is, all of those what-ifs are out there, but so are these: What if you get to throw tennis balls for two hours one day, and that’s your job? What if you get to be there when one of these females has a litter of pups? What if you meet the dog of your dreams?” He smiled, and reached out to steady my knee, which was still tap-tap-tapping away. “What if you fall in love with this new life? And it all starts with getting this first dog?” He pointed to the sign that said Salinas.
“You’re good,” I allowed, sipping my coffee.
“I’ve been told.”
“Shush.”
We arrived at the local animal shelter to a riot of yips and barks. After checking us in, a female tech led us back to a hallway lined with rows and rows of cages. All full of beautiful animals that just needed a chance. I gulped down the lump that had immediately risen in the back of my throat as I took in all those wagging tails, those hopeful eyes, those “play with me” paws.
This is why I worked with therapy dogs. I’d never worked on the shelter side; it had always been too tough for me to handle. To see all these gorgeous animals that just needed a home, when I knew what happened to most of these dogs . . .
“Oh my God,” I murmured, my breath catching as I realized how many of them were pit bulls. Lucas’ hand was on my shoulder, soothing me, grounding me. We continued along the hallway and came to the last pen.
Huddled in the corner, facing away from us, was the guy we were here to get. Rescued from a fighting ring awhile back, he was scheduled to be put down because he’d simply run out of time. He hadn’t been adopted.
“He’s super sweet once you get to know him, but a little shy at first,” the woman who was showing us around said. She opened the gate, and at the noise, he turned around. The first thing I saw were the saddest golden eyes I’d ever seen. Rising to his feet, he stood a little unsteadily. He seemed to be favoring his right side, and as he turned to walk toward us, I noticed the scarring on his left flank. It made sense why he was unsteady, and my blood began to boil at what he’d obviously been through.
Muzzled, he chuffed out a warning when he saw Lucas.
“Might want to hang back a bit,” the tech said, nodding to Lucas. “Many of these guys come out of rings, which are mostly run by men, so he’s standoffish with males.”