Kiss Me in the Summer - Barbara Dunlop Page 0,64

She was holding Vegas in her arms.

I gave both her and her daughter a smile. “Can I help you?”

“Do you know what breed he is?” she asked.

“Mostly beagle.” I knew that much.

“Is he good with children?”

I’d never seen Vegas with children, but I didn’t want to say anything negative. “I know Vegas is very friendly and fun-loving.” I remembered that Josh had hoped to keep Vegas and Reno together, so I added, “And so is his sister Reno.”

Reno was peeking through the fence, blinking her big, brown eyes as she watched Vegas.

“They’re littermates,” I said.

The little girl scampered back to the fence, reaching through to pet Reno.

“We have a Lab at home,” the woman said. “He’s thirteen already.” She looked a little wistful. “Time goes by so fast.”

“It does,” I agreed. “Are you thinking about adding another pet?”

She looked uncertain. “I’m not sure how Sasha, that’s our Lab, would react to new a dog.”

“Sasha loves dogs,” the little girl said. “She plays with Benjy all the time.”

“Benjy is our neighbor’s dog.”

Josh appeared beside me. “Hello, I’m Dr. Rowin.”

“Wanda Fitzgerald.” She shook Josh’s hand. “And this is my daughter, Christy.”

I looked back at Butch and saw he was gone. I quickly looked the other way to see him on a leash being led away by Cheryl Bing and her husband.

My heart sank unexpectedly. Was that it? Had Butch just been adopted? Would I get a chance to say goodbye? That couldn’t happen. The depth of my disappointment took me completely by surprise.

Josh gave my hand a quick squeeze as if he was comforting me. “Adopting a new pet is a big decision,” he said to Wanda.

I could hear his voice, but my attention was still on Butch.

To Christy he said, “Would you like to go inside the pen and play with them?”

Christy beamed. “Oh, yes.”

Josh took Vegas from Wanda’s arms. “You’re welcome to join them.”

Butch slowly disappeared between the displays.

When I looked back, Christy, Wanda, Vegas, and Reno were all playing inside the pen.

I went to Josh. “What happened? Is Butch gone?”

“No. They’re just getting to know him.”

“But do they want him? Are they adopting him?” I knew I should be happy, but I didn’t feel happy. I felt abandoned.

“I don’t know yet.”

“It seems so sudden.”

Josh wrapped a comforting arm around me. “You know he can’t live in your apartment in Manhattan.”

“I know.” That wasn’t what I was thinking. I didn’t exactly know what I was thinking.

“He needs a good home, Laila.”

“I want him to have a good home.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I think he’ll miss you as much as you miss him.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

I knew Butch wouldn’t remember me long. If he found a good home, he’d bond with his new family, and he’d be perfectly happy.

I only had a few more days in Rutter’s Point. Max was due to arrive soon, and then I’d be on my way. That was good, obviously. It would give me a chance to get out in person, meet with professional contacts in New York, get some leads and referrals, and find myself a new job.

But I had to leave Butch and Josh behind to get back to my normal life.

I realized now that I was counting on these last few days in Rutter’s Point. I’d planned to savor the time I had left.

“Oh, dear,” Wanda said, but there was a thread of laughter in her voice.

It got both Josh’s and my attention.

Christy was lying on her back on the grass with both of the dogs frolicking on top of her. She was grinning from ear to ear.

“I think we’re going to have to take them both,” Wanda said.

“Can we, Mommy? Can we?” Christy shot into a sitting position, looking both thrilled and hopeful.

“We have a huge backyard,” Wanda said. “And these guys don’t look like they’ll eat too much.”

“They’re still young, but they’re fully grown,” Josh said.

Victoria came into the booth with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. She smiled when she took in Christy and the dogs. “Well, they look like they’re having fun.”

Wanda looked resigned but happy. “It looks like we’re adding to the family.”

“We have a little bit of paperwork,” Victoria said. She cocked her head. “I can help you with that right over here.”

As they walked to the other side of the booth, Josh leaned into me. “Way to close the deal.”

I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder to see if Butch was on his way back. “I didn’t