letters.
Sydney went in beneath the archway and looked around. On one side of the room, puppies yipped from small kennels and on the other side, larger, adult dogs barked and jumped against their cages.
“Hey,” a woman crooned. “Calm down, you guys.” Several of the adult dogs quieted, sitting on their hind legs eyeing the short, petite woman intently. She had long black hair braided down her spine. Oversize square glasses sat low on a crooked nose.
“Oh, you’re back,” she said to Drew. “This must be your girlfriend, then?” She offered her hand to Sydney and Sydney shook it.
“Hi,” Sydney said.
“Your boyfriend here said he couldn’t adopt anything without your blessing.” The woman smiled. “But you look like a girl who can handle a Husky.”
“Um…Husky?”
The woman went behind a partition wall and came back out with a large, fluffy dog on a leash, its tail wagging happily behind.
“His name is Bear,” the woman said. “And I think he was meant for you two.”
Drew crouched down and scratched Bear beneath the chin. “I think he likes me,” Drew cooed. The dog was mostly white save for a patch of light brown fur at the top of his head and a spot on his back.
“Isn’t he cute?” the woman said, the leash hanging loosely from her hand. “He has eyes just like you.”
Sydney had to admit, if Drew had a twin in dog form, here it was. But adopting it? Sure, it was sitting there nicely now, but what happened when Drew took it home and Sydney accidentally got in the way of its food?
Her shoulders tensed, remembering that dog from so long ago, snarling and snapping at her. She shuddered, rubbing her fingers over the scar on her right hand where the neighbor’s dog had bit her. The bite itself hadn’t been that bad. It’d bled, of course, but she hadn’t needed stitches. Sydney’s mom had wanted the dog put to sleep, but the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Yates, had sworn over and over again that the dog would be kept behind a privacy fence.
They kept to their word but moved just a year later.
“So what do you think?” Drew asked, looking up at Sydney expectantly.
She’d never told him about the dog bite so long ago and the lingering effects of it.
She reached over tentatively and patted the dog on the back, far, far away from its mouth and teeth. It turned slowly, watching her with those striking blue eyes. Sydney stepped back, putting her hands safely in her shorts pockets. “He’s pretty.”
“Isn’t he?” the woman said, running her hand down the dog’s back. “I wish I could take him home, but I have too many already! My husband would kill me if I brought one more home.”
“Cathy?” Drew said. “Can you give us a minute with him?”
“Sure.” The woman, presumably Cathy, handed Drew Bear’s leash and disappeared into an office in the back.
Standing now, the dog reached Drew mid-thigh, that’s how big he was. Drew pulled his fingers absently through the tuft of fur on the dog’s forehead. “He only has today, I guess,” Drew said softly. “Nobody has adopted him yet because he’s so big.”
“He is big.”
Big dog meant big teeth and an even bigger bite. Another image of the neighbor dog snarling flashed through her mind. Sydney blinked, trying to keep the chill at bay.
“I think we should adopt him,” Drew said softly.
We? Sydney thought. She half grinned, liking the way he put it. He wanted to adopt a dog together, like they were starting their very own family or something. Family was the one thing Sydney was lacking lately.
“He’s house-trained,” Drew added as if he were trying to sell a used car with leather interior.
Maybe it would be fun, having a dog that Sydney and Drew saved together. And getting a dog would follow rule number four because Sydney was immersing herself in something Drew liked.
“All right,” she finally said. “Let’s adopt him.”
“Did you hear that, Bear?” Drew said. “You’re saved!” Bear barked
Sydney went in beneath the archway and looked around. On one side of the room, puppies yipped from small kennels and on the other side, larger, adult dogs barked and jumped against their cages.
“Hey,” a woman crooned. “Calm down, you guys.” Several of the adult dogs quieted, sitting on their hind legs eyeing the short, petite woman intently. She had long black hair braided down her spine. Oversize square glasses sat low on a crooked nose.
“Oh, you’re back,” she said to Drew. “This must be your girlfriend, then?” She offered her hand to Sydney and Sydney shook it.
“Hi,” Sydney said.
“Your boyfriend here said he couldn’t adopt anything without your blessing.” The woman smiled. “But you look like a girl who can handle a Husky.”
“Um…Husky?”
The woman went behind a partition wall and came back out with a large, fluffy dog on a leash, its tail wagging happily behind.
“His name is Bear,” the woman said. “And I think he was meant for you two.”
Drew crouched down and scratched Bear beneath the chin. “I think he likes me,” Drew cooed. The dog was mostly white save for a patch of light brown fur at the top of his head and a spot on his back.
“Isn’t he cute?” the woman said, the leash hanging loosely from her hand. “He has eyes just like you.”
Sydney had to admit, if Drew had a twin in dog form, here it was. But adopting it? Sure, it was sitting there nicely now, but what happened when Drew took it home and Sydney accidentally got in the way of its food?
Her shoulders tensed, remembering that dog from so long ago, snarling and snapping at her. She shuddered, rubbing her fingers over the scar on her right hand where the neighbor’s dog had bit her. The bite itself hadn’t been that bad. It’d bled, of course, but she hadn’t needed stitches. Sydney’s mom had wanted the dog put to sleep, but the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Yates, had sworn over and over again that the dog would be kept behind a privacy fence.
They kept to their word but moved just a year later.
“So what do you think?” Drew asked, looking up at Sydney expectantly.
She’d never told him about the dog bite so long ago and the lingering effects of it.
She reached over tentatively and patted the dog on the back, far, far away from its mouth and teeth. It turned slowly, watching her with those striking blue eyes. Sydney stepped back, putting her hands safely in her shorts pockets. “He’s pretty.”
“Isn’t he?” the woman said, running her hand down the dog’s back. “I wish I could take him home, but I have too many already! My husband would kill me if I brought one more home.”
“Cathy?” Drew said. “Can you give us a minute with him?”
“Sure.” The woman, presumably Cathy, handed Drew Bear’s leash and disappeared into an office in the back.
Standing now, the dog reached Drew mid-thigh, that’s how big he was. Drew pulled his fingers absently through the tuft of fur on the dog’s forehead. “He only has today, I guess,” Drew said softly. “Nobody has adopted him yet because he’s so big.”
“He is big.”
Big dog meant big teeth and an even bigger bite. Another image of the neighbor dog snarling flashed through her mind. Sydney blinked, trying to keep the chill at bay.
“I think we should adopt him,” Drew said softly.
We? Sydney thought. She half grinned, liking the way he put it. He wanted to adopt a dog together, like they were starting their very own family or something. Family was the one thing Sydney was lacking lately.
“He’s house-trained,” Drew added as if he were trying to sell a used car with leather interior.
Maybe it would be fun, having a dog that Sydney and Drew saved together. And getting a dog would follow rule number four because Sydney was immersing herself in something Drew liked.
“All right,” she finally said. “Let’s adopt him.”
“Did you hear that, Bear?” Drew said. “You’re saved!” Bear barked