Sunday I was due back at the animal shelter. Thankfully, I’d gone to bed early, and I felt much better when I woke up. Breakfast was eggs and low-carb toast. I’d almost perfected my keto bread recipe, and I thought about selling loaves of it in the shop someday. That was if I could save my business.
I put on a pair of old jeans and a worn gray t-shirt before rooting around in my closet for a pair of black Doc Martin combat boots that I thought would be good for working at the shelter. My feet had hurt badly after yesterday, and I hoped the Docs would be better protection against the moisture and concrete floors at Paws and Claws.
Blake was waiting outside for me when I arrived. I’d never had such a good-looking man so eager to see me. It went straight to my head, but not in a prideful way. Blake’s attentions were intoxicating.
“You ready?” he asked with a smile as I approached.
“I am. Are we starting in the cat room again?”
“You bet. I’ve already done the litter boxes, but I know that Puff Puff is waiting for you.”
“You already did the litter boxes?”
“Yeah, I was early this morning. I couldn’t wait to get here,” Blake said, and then when he realized how much he’d given away, he blushed furiously. “I mean, I love working at the shelter. Like I said yesterday, I wish I could work here full-time.”
“What is the shelter going to do when your career takes off. Are there other volunteers?”
“There are a few, but it’s mostly me. I’m trying to recruit more.”
“Well, I’ll help as much as I can, and I’ll put up a sign at the candy shop.”
“You’d do that?” Blake smiled furiously.
“Of course. I owe you big-time for helping me with the ads,” I said.
“I’m kinda hoping that’s not the only reason you’re here.”
“I was kinda hoping that needing a new volunteer wasn’t the only reason I was here.”
“It was at first because we hadn’t met, but as soon as I met you, I knew this weekend was going to be more than just business,” Blake said with an impish smile.
He leaned in, and I swore that he was about to kiss me. Unfortunately, just then the receptionist appeared.
“Hey, Blake. Can you let me know when the dog room is cleaned up? I’ve got a family here wanting to look at a few of the dogs.”
“Sure, Sandy. Poe and I will do that first.”
“Thanks, Blake.”
“We’ll have to get back to the cats when we’re done cleaning the dog kennels. And we’ll have to work the dogs’s exercise around the family. We’ve got to be there to help take the dogs out of the kennels when they want to take one to the visit room, and we’ll need to stay outside with them while they play in the exercise yard.”
“Okay, I will follow your lead,” I said.
We quickly cleaned out the dog kennels and fed the dogs. All in all, the family only had to wait about ten minutes. That was okay because they’d arrived a little before viewing hours anyway.
My heart pounded in my chest when the little girl stopped in front of Brutus’s kennel. I wanted him to find a good home, but a part of me already thought of that home as being mine. If he got adopted, I’d never see him again.
I hated myself for beings so selfish, so I decided to try and help Brute go home with this family. The little girl seemed determined to do the hard work for me, though. She stuck her small hand through the kennel bars, and Brutus licked her happily.
The little girl threw her head back in a wave of delighted laughter. “Mommy, I want this one.”
The mother and father had turned their attention to a collie a few kennels down and they hadn’t even noticed their daughter interacting with Brutus. Her mother’s face turned horrified when she saw her daughter’s hand petting Brutus’s big head.
“Get away from there.” The mother quickly tugged the little girl away from Brutus.
“It’s okay, ma’am. Brutus here is a big hunk of love.”
The woman’s contempt melted away, and she looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry about that. I’ve always been afraid of big dogs.” She turned to Brutus. “I’m sorry, boy. I’m sure you’re perfectly nice, but we’re looking for someone a bit younger,” she said to the dog.
My heart fell for Brutus as he was left there alone and passed over again. The little girl petted the collie, but her eyes kept roaming back over to Brutus. It was too bad because I doubted her mother would change her mind.
“Can we take her outside to play for a while,” the father asked, and I knew it was over.
I was happy for the collie. Her name was Amelia and she’d been brought to the shelter when her elderly owner passed away suddenly. Amelia wasn’t accustomed to shelter life, and it was a good thing that she’d found a family.
The family left with Amelia, and Blake and I set to work exercising the rest of the dogs. When that part of the job was completed, we got to kick back and relax with the cats. Puff Puff came running as soon as I walked into the room, and I picked her up for a proper snuggle.
While we played with the cats, another family came in to the shelter. They were looking for a kitten and ended up taking the black kitten home with them.
“It’s a good thing,” Blake said when they were gone. “Black cats are the hardest to find homes for, so at least that one won’t have to live their life in the shelter.”
“I guess so. It’s hard to watch all the others get passed over.”
“Hey, at least you know why it’s so important to me now, Poe. We’re not just here to clean up after them. It’s important that we help them feel loved and cared for, because for some of them, we’re the only ones who ever will,” Blake said.
“How do you keep from getting depressed about it?”
“Because we need to stay positive for them. A lot of people don’t do this kind of work because it’s sad, but I can’t let my feelings keep me from doing what’s right,” Blake said.
“You’re amazing,” I said, and I meant it. Not only was Blake stunning on the outside, but he was pure gold on the inside too.
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night, Poe. Please?” Blake asked. “I want to take you on a real date.”
I accepted and left the shelter feeling exhausted. But I also felt lighter than I’d felt in years. My heart pounded when he’d looked into my eyes and confirmed that he’d wanted to spend more time with me.
Instead of staying home, I showered and left for Cady’s apartment. I was too amped to stay at home and I needed to talk to someone about my weekend with Blake.
I’d called Cady when I left the shelter, so by the time I got to her house, she had wine and pizza waiting. She poured us each a glass and opened the pizza. We plopped down on the couch, and I stuffed my face.
“You make the best keto pizza, Cady,” I said between bites. “Thank you so much for doing this for me.”
“No probs. I’m getting to the point where I prefer it to regular pizza too,” she said. “Now stop stalling and tell me all about your weekend with the model.”
“You make it sound like a cheesy rom-com movie,” I said with a laugh.
“Well, was it? Spill.”
I broke down every detail of my weekend with Blake. When I got to the part about him asking me out for dinner, I thought Cady was going to come unglued.
“I told you!” she said. “Now please tell me you’ve got condoms.”
“Cady, I’ve never…”
“Get out!” she said and slapped my arm playfully. “You’re a virgin?”
“Yup.”
“Well, if I could have my first time have been with someone as hot as Blake, I could die a happy woman.”
“Nobody said I was going to have sex with him.”
“Please don’t do this again, Poe. I knew you pulled back from relationship possibilities, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”
I nodded my head and promised myself that I wouldn’t repeat my same old pattern with Blake.