Sidney tucked her hair behind her ear and her eyes flicked up to Chloe’s. She opened her mouth to speak, and Chloe’s phone rang. Shadow lifted his head, and Sidney said, “Saved by the bell.”
Chloe pulled out her phone, hoping it was Justin, and tried not to give in to the disappointment when she saw Madigan Wicked on the screen. “It’s Mads,” she said, and answered the call. “Hi, Mads.”
“Hi!” Mads yelled into the phone. Chloe could hear music in the background. “Me and Marly are at the Hog, and Starr is working. Since Maverick is at church, do you want to come hang with us?”
“That sounds fun, but I’m with Shadow and Sid at the rescue, and I have a boatload of stuff to get done when I go home. But let me ask”—Chloe looked at Sid, who was waving her hands and shaking her head, mouthing, No, no, no—“never mind, I guess Sid can’t make it, either.”
“Come on, Chloe,” Mads urged. “When your man is away, the girls should play!”
Chloe laughed. “Except that I haven’t been home in four days, and my mail is piled as high as my laundry. But we’re still on for dinner with the book club girls next week at Common Grounds, right?”
“Absolutely,” Mads said cheerily. “Tell Sid that Marly is scoping out a man for her.”
Chloe told Sidney, who used her fingers like a gun and shot herself in the head. Her head lolled forward, tongue out, eyes closed, and Shadow immediately began licking her face.
“She says that’s great,” Chloe lied, shrugging. “I promise I’ll make it another time.”
“Okay, chat soon.” Mads ended the call.
As Chloe put her phone in her bag, she said, “What’s up with the headshot?”
“Marly and Mads are always trying to set me up with guys. The trouble is, once you’ve lived in the field, you’re too tough for regular guys, and the tough guys don’t want girls like me.” Shadow rolled onto his back, and Sidney scratched his belly. “Finding a guy who’s as loyal and unconditionally loving as a dog and can appreciate me for me is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s been a long time since anything without three or four legs warmed my bed.”
Chloe was pretty sure she’d found her needle in Justin, or rather, he’d found her. But she’d also been where Sidney was, feeling like the right man may never appear. After Sidney’s comment about the Wickeds, she wondered if the right man was right in front of her, too, but instead of feeling her out on the Wicked front, she said, “I know what that’s like. Before Justin, all my lovin’ came from fictional boyfriends.”
“Maybe I need your book list.”
“Do you read romance?”
Sidney shrugged again, which seemed to be her go-to mannerism. “I haven’t ever read it. I’m mostly a suspense girl.”
“Trust me, you are missing out. There are romantic suspense novels. Do you have a Kindle?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” She laughed. “I also have a Nook and Apple Books on my phone.”
“I’m going to broaden your horizons and loan you some of my romance novels. Trust me, these will tide you over until Mr. Right appears.”
“I’ll give them a try.”
“Great. If you like them, let me know. I run an erotic romance book club, and we’re always looking for new members. Marly, Mads, and Steph are in it. Do you know Starr? She works as a waitress at the Salty Hog.”
“Yeah, I know everyone there.”
“She just joined, too, and some of my other girlfriends are in it. You’d like them. Do you ever go to Common Grounds?”
“Sure.”
“Gabe is in the club, too. We’re meeting there next week for dinner.”
Chloe gave her the details about their dinner, and they exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. Chloe took pictures with Shadow and Sidney, and Sidney updated her on Shadow’s progress. She’d been slowly introducing him to other dogs, and he hadn’t shown any aggressive tendencies.
“When do you think he’ll be ready to be adopted?” Chloe asked.
“It’s hard to say, but if he continues to show progress, then I’ll start letting him spend more time in the other building and with the other dogs. I still have to see how he is around children and crowds.” She petted Shadow’s head and said, “If he continues to do well, I’ll begin that process over the next few weeks. It’ll be a while before he’s ready to be adopted. Justin said you’re helping with the adoption event.”