have terminations scheduled for this afternoon, starting in ten minutes.”
“I could never understand why you don’t let your staff handle that.” Oliver pushed off and opened the door. “I’d hate to have to do it.”
“Because it’s the worst part of the job. And frankly, they shouldn’t have to deal with it. There’s a reason I make the money I do, and I figure if I have to take the heat for being the ‘axeman,’ so to speak, then so be it. I don’t care what other people think of me, especially strangers. Never have.”
“Okay. Getting back to Sunday, please say you’ll come. Bring anyone. The babysitter too, if you want.”
“No, Terry gets the weekends off. I guess…if you’re sure. Okay. Maybe Stacey will like the change of scenery. She used to love going to your house and swimming.” They’d put cute pink floaties on her, and she’d laugh and splash in the shallow end of the pool while he and Brian would paddle around her, sipping cocktails. Those early days when they were all a family had faded to nothing more than a memory. One he didn’t care to think about.
“Bring your bathing suits. It’s supposed to be hot as hell.”
“Okay. Right now it’s a go, unless something comes up with her.”
“Jake. I know. All I’m asking you to do is try.”
Oliver left, and Jake dropped his head in his hands. He’d been trying so hard, but it seemed like he was running on a hamster wheel, spinning endlessly and getting nowhere. Maybe getting this dog for Stacey would be the catalyst to jumpstart her back to the bright and lively little girl she once was.
Because Jake didn’t know how much longer he could live like this, seeing the pale shadow she’d become.
* * *
When they arrived at the Labrador retriever rescue and he explained what they wanted, the director gave them a reassuring smile.
“You’ve come to the right place.” Jim Barnes was a big man with a smile to match and twinkling brown eyes behind tortoiseshell glasses. The overhead light shone on his thick silver hair. “Labs make great family pets, love children, and are great service animals. Many people come here looking for the same thing you are.” His gaze shifted to Stacey, who sat staring at the floor, holding a stuffed dog. “The dog is for your daughter?”
“Yes. I wrote out a list of requirements.”
Barnes’s laughter filled the room. “Oh, Mr. Axelrod, that’s not how getting a dog works. Your daughter is going to walk into the kennels where we keep them, and she and the dog will know which one is hers. That’s how it’s going to go.”
“I’m not sure if that’s the right thing for Stacey,” Jake demurred. Shouldn’t the man take his wishes into consideration? After all, she was his daughter, and he knew her best.
“Why don’t we see how it goes?” Barnes stood. “Let’s go see the pups.”
Jake brushed her cheek with his fingers. “Ready, honey? You’re going to go see the dogs now, and hopefully you’ll find one.”
She gazed at him and didn’t say a word, but in her eyes he saw a spark. A light. He took that as a sign. He held her hand, and with Terry at his side, they followed Barnes to the kennels, where Jake heard barking and yelps. When they opened the door, the barking grew louder.
“Give them a chance to settle down. They get excited whenever someone new comes in.”
They walked around the pens, Jake taking in the dogs of all different colors. Wide-eyed, Stacey let go of his hand, and he held his breath as she walked around by herself.
“Sta—” Jake began, but Terry put a hand on his arm.
“Let her do this, Jake. She’s telling you something by walking away. She knows you’re here, but this has to be for her.”
At each pen, Stacey stopped, still clutching her stuffed animal, and solemnly gazed at each dog. Some were young and boisterous while others lay and watched, older and more reserved.
“I told you, Mr. Axelrod,” Barnes murmured at his shoulder after a few minutes. “Kids and dogs. They’ll find each other. Look.”
Stacey had stopped at the last pen and was staring at the dog sitting in front of her. It was chocolate-colored, and though not a puppy, Jake didn’t think it was an older dog either. Jake appreciated how calmly the dog sat, its bright, inquisitive eyes locked on to Stacey’s face. Only its tail wagged back and forth like a fast-paced metronome.