few minutes it would take to reach the intersection of Madison and Montgomery Street, where my meeting was. She was a puzzle for me. One I couldn’t wait to piece together.
"How long are you staying at the shelter?" I asked.
“I don't know. Two or three hours, I guess. It depends how long it takes me to do everything I have on my list."
“My meeting will be over by then. I’ll pick you up.”
“What? Why?”
"You made me curious about this place. Besides, it’ll probably still be raining.”
“I’m sure I’ll find an umbrella at the shelter.”
“Don’t make me pull the secrets card again,” I said with a grin.
She laughed, running a hand through her thick hair. “Oh no, I wouldn’t want that.”
“So? What do you say?”
“If you insist.”
“I do.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“My pleasure entirely.”
She swallowed hard, fiddling in her seat.
We arrived in front of the building a few seconds later. I walked quickly from the car to the entrance but still got my suit jacket wet.
The meeting was on the fourth floor. It was with a smaller firm that we’d recently acquired. The team consisted of five people, and they’d developed a kick-ass airdrop software. We were in the process of integrating it into one of the core products we offered to our longtime customers.
We met three times a week so they could update me on their work. Usually I couldn’t wait to meet with these guys. I liked their energy and the way their minds worked.
But for the first time since we’d acquired them, I couldn't wait for a meeting to be over. My mind was on Melanie. I could imagine her with that cute smile and positive attitude, convincing people to take dogs home with them. She could convince anyone of anything.
All these details we were debating today were important, but we could discuss them another time. The team had enough to do anyway.
Nearly two hours later, I was itching to get out of here. I was looking at the clock more often than was polite. My host, Dean, took the hint—he was also the boss of the team.
"Dylan, I think we have enough details pinned down. I'll discuss it with the team, and we'll come back to you with more ideas another time," he said.
Perfect. I got up, shaking their hands before leaving. I loved working with people who could take a hint and interpret nonverbal cues and act on them. Not having to explain myself saved time. I’d asked Jeffrey to leave the car in the nearest parking space and share the location on Google Maps. He’d left the key with the doorman of the building.
While I searched for the car, Isabelle’s warning rang in my ears.
“She wants a relationship and everything that comes with it.”
I ignored it, just as I had all the other times it popped in my mind. The desire to see Melanie won over logic and reason.
There was a lot of traffic, but even so, I arrived at the shelter in forty minutes. There was a small parking lot with only one other vehicle, a minibus. I parked in the spot nearest to the shelter and went to look around. The shelter was small and required a thorough renovation. The white paint was chipped off, and a window was cracked.
I immediately noticed Mel in front of a pen at the side of the house, taking some kids into it. A dozen or so puppies were running around. A kid left the door of the pen open, and one of the puppies ran out. He was black and plump and made a beeline for me, jumping right on my leg. His tiny paws were full of mud, and no matter how much he jumped, he could only reach up to my knee, but that didn't seem to discourage him. It was obvious he wanted me to hold him, so I bent at the waist and picked him up, not just to stop him from ruining my suit but because he wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted.
Mel came over to us with a huge smile. Her dress was full of mud.
“I’m not dressed for this, I know, but Charlotte texted me when I was at Genesis, and I didn’t have anything else to change into. When did you arrive?”
“Just now.”
"Someone likes you," she said softly. "And let me tell you, he's shy. He usually hides when we have visitors."
"I think that's what he was trying to do. He wanted to escape the crowd of