Once Souze was back at Alex’s side, Elisa let out a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding.
Alex looked at her. “Climbing the fence takes them longer than jumping straight over. We’ve got a little more time to react if one of them gets over excited and decides to go up and over.”
“Does that happen a lot?” It’d been exciting to see, actually. She wondered if all of their training was as interesting.
“Not once they’ve completed obedience training.” Alex cocked his head to one side. “Mostly it’s the puppies and their attention span. They all learn quickly, though, so as early as six months, they’re solid with obedience and already have a decent foundation in some of the more advanced training.”
“How old is…Souze?” Remembering the dog’s name wasn’t hard, but her tongue tripped over it as she tried to say it. Besides, she wasn’t sure how the dog would react to her saying his name.
The dog in question remained unconcerned. His attention was on Alex, or possibly on the pocket in which Alex had stowed the tennis ball. She tried not to follow the dog’s gaze since staring at her potentially new boss’s groin didn’t seem like the best of ideas.
“Good question.” Alex motioned for her to approach. “He’s about a year old, closer to thirteen months.”
Elisa took a few steps closer, standing where Alex pointed. “Is he full grown, then?”
“I’ll answer in a second. Hold your hand out in a loose fist first and keep talking to me,” Alex instructed. “Let him make the choice to close the space between you and sniff. Don’t lean in on him.”
Okay, then. She gazed up into brown eyes the color of caramel and realized her mouth was hanging open. Suddenly, her brain blanked, and she had no idea what line of conversation she’d been following with her previous questions or how to continue. “Wh-what were we talking about again?”
Great. Fantastic.
Her cheeks burned as she snapped her mouth shut on her own inane question. Belatedly, she remembered she’d been the one asking questions.
Thankfully, Alex didn’t laugh…out loud. Humor shone in the crinkles around his eyes and at the corner of his mouth. He was fighting not to grin. Of course, if he had one of those lopsided grins maybe his amusement at her expense would be worth it. She was a sucker for a hot guy with a lopsided grin.
Which was not anything she should be considering right now. The last thing she needed was to get tangled up with a man, and why, oh why was she constantly wandering back to considering bad ideas?
When a cool, slightly wet nose touched the back of her hand, she almost jumped out of her skin. As it was, she managed not to jerk her hand back, but she did gasp and look down, locking gazes with Souze. The big dog had jerked back a few inches and was looking up at her with a wary expression.
She gulped and really hoped she hadn’t blown it. This was probably the first job interview where her ability to make friends was part of the job description.
“I’m sorry.” She directed her apology at Souze. “I messed up, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to flinch. My brain wandered, and I completely forgot you’d be deciding whether to say ‘Hi.’”
Souze’s ears didn’t relax from their alert, upright position, but he rose up out of the subtle crouch he’d been in and his nostrils flared. She left her hand out for him.
“He’s not quick to make friends,” Alex mentioned offhandedly.
Great. “You could’ve mentioned that earlier.”
“You chose him, and I wanted you to be comfortable meeting any dog you chose. He’s safe.”
Somehow, she couldn’t take her gaze away from the dog’s. She should, though. Alex had told her to look at him. But the trainer hadn’t reiterated the instructions. She decided to compromise. “Is he a full-grown adult? Is that why he’s safe?”
Souze’s nostrils flared again. This time his sniffing was audible, and he began to stretch his neck as he approached the back of her hand again.
“Not quite.” Alex didn’t seem to mind the current progression of things. “In terms of physical growth, he’s about as tall as he’ll get, but he’ll fill out significantly over the next year or so.”
“So he’s going to be a hefty dog.” Maybe it wasn’t the right way to put it, but to her, Souze was already a big dog. Now that Alex mentioned filling out, she could see how Souze’s legs seemed slightly long and awkward for the rest of his frame and his paws seemed disproportionately big.
For his part, Souze continued his approach millimeter by millimeter.
“Mmm, I wouldn’t describe it as hefty.” Alex paused for a moment, considering. “He’ll be heavier through the shoulders and chest, but his overall lines will still be sleek, and he’ll be trim through the waist and hips. The Belgian Malinois might be smaller, but they’re boxier through the frame.”