dishes she could make with those spices.
But she’d already bought the flamingo, and since she was on a tight budget, she walked away without buying them, catching up to Jackson and Becks, who were with the boys. They’d found a pet adoption corral, which made her heart squeeze.
“Look at the dogs, Mom,” Oliver said, already heading toward a small brown-and-white mixed-breed dog. It was cute and furiously wagged its tail when Oliver went into the corral to play with it.
Jackson and Kal were in there as well, both of them squatting down to pet the dog.
This was not going to end well.
“Which one of them do you think will end up with the dog?” Becks asked.
“My mother would kill me if I came home with a dog,” Hannah said.
“She doesn’t like dogs?” Becks asked.
“I actually don’t know. I never had pets as a kid. My dad never wanted them around, for sure, and after he died, my mom just didn’t have the time to take care of them.”
“We would make friends with the dogs on the streets,” Becks said. “Feed them scraps of food if we had some. I always wanted one.”
Jackson looked up at her. “You did? Why didn’t you say so?”
Becks shrugged. “It’s never come up.”
Jackson stood and came through the gate to walk over to Becks. “We should get a dog, babe.”
“Oh, it’s all right. I don’t need one.”
“Need isn’t what I’m talking about. What do you want?”
Hannah watched with interest as Jackson and Becks talked together about something as simple, and yet so complex, as adding a dog to their lives. It was something she and Landon had often argued about. He thought getting a puppy would be easy, when she’d been struggling with dealing with Landon’s job issues while working and raising Oliver, mostly by herself. After months of arguing, she’d told him if he brought a dog home, she was going to take Oliver and leave him and the dog and he’d never see them again. He’d finally let the topic drop, but she’d felt like the worst mother ever. But someone had to be the adult, and that responsibility had often fallen on her shoulders.
“Look how cute he is, Momma.”
She looked over and smiled at Oliver, who was playing with the same dog. “He’s very cute, Oliver. But we’re living with Grandma, and she doesn’t want a dog in her house. Maybe someday when we get our own house, okay?”
Her stomach twinged when she caught sight of Oliver’s crestfallen face.
“How about we do this another time?” Becks said to Jackson.
Hannah laid her hand on Becks’s arm. “It’s okay. You make your own decisions and don’t worry about Oliver. He’ll understand.”
Oliver got up and went over to the part of the corral where Becks and Jackson were looking at an adorable German shepherd mix who seemed to be a bundle of energy.
“He’s cute,” Oliver said, reaching out to pet the dog. “Do you like this one?”
“I do,” Becks said.
“You gonna take him home? I think he likes you.”
Becks looked at Jackson, who nodded. “I think we’ll apply to adopt him. If Kal’s okay to share the house with a dog.”
“Hey, I’m good,” Kal said.
“Did you hear that, Momma? They’re gonna adopt him.”
She was happy that Oliver wasn’t too upset about not being able to get his own dog today. But Jeff had a Labrador at his house that Oliver loved to play with, and maybe a surrogate dog was enough for him for now.
But someday? Someday she’d have her own place again. And then Oliver would have a dog of his own.
After Jackson and Becks filled out the application to adopt the dog, they wandered around and found a designated play area. The boys ran loose, and the rest of them sat at tables to watch them while drinking their wine and beer.
“I remember having that much energy,” Kal said as they watched the boys chase after each other, along with a few other kids they’d made friends with.
Jackson grinned. “You still have that much energy.”
“I don’t know about that.” He took a long swallow of his beer. “I’m pretty sure those two could wear me down in a hurry.”
“Trust me, they could,” Hannah said. “Oliver will go the entire day until he hits his bed at night.”
“Bet he sleeps well, though,” Becks said.
Hannah nodded. “Once he’s asleep, he’s out cold.”
Jackson turned to Becks. “Like you.”
She nudged him with her elbow. “At least I don’t fall asleep standing up leaning against a wall.”
“Really?” Hannah