David didn’t respond but pushed his chair back and rose.
In minutes, they were down the hall in his office. She still couldn’t stop blushing when she looked at the door. Eavesdropping hadn’t been the greatest moment of her life.
“Is this because of yesterday’s bite work session?” She wasn’t going to waste time circling the question.
David met her gaze directly. “What is this? And why do you think it is?”
“I was surprised by the directive to bite to kill.” She’d been transparent about it because it seemed to be the way they worked best together. “I’ve appreciated the way we’ve been able to work together up to yesterday but it seemed like yesterday’s session broke something.”
Silence. Then David sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. The gesture only made her want to run her own fingers through.
“It was a reminder about how different civilian dog behavior is from what we need Atlas to be for military work.” David didn’t sound happy about admitting it. “And your anxiety can transfer to the dog. Atlas needs to be able to do those things without hesitation.”
Atlas hadn’t seemed to hesitate or consider at all the day before. In fact, Lyn had been elated because his response had been the best she’d seen all week. “There was no delay in Atlas obeying any command yesterday.”
“No,” David agreed. “Not a fraction of a second of hesitation. He was almost too eager to kill something threatening you.”
Lyn blinked. Closed her mouth on what she’d been about to say.
“You were nervous. He responded to protect you with deadly force.” David shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s excellent in terms of his engagement and the progress you’re making with him. It was almost dangerous for my friend while you weren’t used to controlling what Atlas could do.”
True. The protective suit was more than sufficient in most cases but if a dog really wanted to kill the man inside, it could eventually happen.
“I figured a day off from the more intense training would be good for both of you.” David brought her attention back to him by tapping a finger on the big calendar he had on his desk. “You can come back later today and spend some quiet time walking the grounds but let’s give him some time to unwind and you some time to get more comfortable with his capabilities.”
“Okay.” She hesitated. “I thought you might…”
“You’re doing great.” He cut her off before she could voice the self-doubt. It was one of the only times he did interrupt her. “Seriously, we couldn’t have made this much progress with Atlas without you.”
“We’re doing great,” she countered, happiness filling her as he smiled at her assertion. “I couldn’t do this without your expertise either.”
“So go take a day and hang out with Sophie. New Hope’s a nice town to walk around.”
She gave him a bright smile and walked out of the office. The idea of a day out to clear her head and be around another woman was suddenly a fantastic change of pace.
Sophie was still in the kitchen with Brandon and Alex, chatting about the various dogs. When Lyn re-entered, Sophie stopped. “So. Conference complete. Are you allowed to come out to play or do you still have homework to do?”
“My schedule looks open for the day.” Lyn snagged an extra piece of bacon from the plate on the breakfast counter. “But I’m looking for a more adult kind of fun day.”
Brandon choked on his coffee.
Alex cracked up laughing.
David stopped in his tracks behind her.
Lyn kept her gaze on Sophie, refusing to look back to see David’s expression.
Sophie’s smile broadened into a crazy grin. “Oh, New Hope is the perfect place. Wear comfortable shoes.”
*
“That tea set was amazing. Why didn’t you buy it?” Lyn asked as they waited to be seated.
“No place to display it right now.” Sophie sighed. “I love tea sets and I’ve got an everyday set at home to use, but a set like that one? It needs to be displayed and used. Too gorgeous to tuck away in a cabinet.”
“That wasn’t the first time you’ve gone to look at it, either.” The shop owner had recognized Sophie.
Sophie grinned. “The goldfish set is my favorite, but I always stop in to see the new pieces she has on display. The designer has a catalog and comes out with new themed pieces every year. The new Phoenician bird design is incredible. Oh, and there’s this older ladybug themed set of teapot, cups, and platter.”
The way Sophie chattered on about tea sets and good afternoon tea services made Lyn’s stomach growl.
Sophie laughed. “We’ll have to go someplace for afternoon tea sometime, or maybe I’ll put together one at the kennels and Boom can join us.”
“Sounds good to me, especially if you’re baking again.” Lyn hoped she’d be around long enough, but then, her project with Atlas was open-ended based on his progress, so it was a possibility.