up easily. “You ready for a chase?”
“Aye aye, sir,” she replied.
25
Beck
The stray made a break for a crowded part of the beach and Luna and I followed it.
“The goal is to follow her quickly without making her feel like she’s being chased.”
“So… like super-fast walking while pretending to stare at something else?” she suggested.
“Exactly,” I replied. “Let’s go.” The dog was loping around a long row of food trucks, clearly searching for food. I gave a whistle and she turned to me, ears lifted. Walking swiftly now, I held out the bacon.
She bolted again.
“Oh, shit,” Luna swore, this time grabbing my hand. “Come on, we got her.”
We moved through vendors selling pork dumplings and bánh mì, cubanos and street tacos. A frisbee sailed past us and I snatched it out of the air before it hit Luna in the head.
“Whoa, thanks,” she said. “Hazards of the job, huh? I guess my biggest hazard is like thumb sprain from Instagramming too hard.”
I grinned at her joke and almost walked right into the restroom wall. She stopped me just in time.
“We make a good team,” she sighed. “If a clumsy one. Should we split up?”
I gave her a strip of bacon. “Whoever sees her first, okay?”
She snagged her bottom lip. “Feels like we should give her a name. Since we’ll probably be chasing her across the entire city.”
“Uh… okay. What do you think?”
“Beach Ball,” she said.
“How about no,” I countered.
“You don’t think Here, Beach Ball has a nice ring to it?”
My lips twitched. “No, I do not.”
Luna must have been wearing glitter on her skin. She was sparkling in the sun.
“What about… Sunshine?” I said.
Luna threw her hands in the air. “That’s perfect. We’ll get her. I’ve got bacon, gloves and a can-do attitude, as usual. See ya on the other side, boss.” And then she slinked off toward the front of the building.
There were plenty of corners and crevices for a dog to hide in as I crept against the back wall. I was concerned—if we couldn’t catch her, I didn’t want to think about what her future would be.
But I was also having fun with Luna.
When was the last time that had happened?
A flash of tan caught my eye. I stilled, listening. I peeked my head around the corner—saw Sunshine’s tail. She was hiding beneath a bush. Caught sight of me—and ran away.
I let out a frustrated sigh. Turned the corner. And Luna crashed into me.
“Shit,” I said, taking a step back at the impact.
“Oh, sorry,” she squealed, face squashed into my chest. I grabbed her upper arms. Steadied her. She was out of breath—staring at me with determination in her dark eyes. I was tempted to brush the strand of hair from her forehead. “Part of my can-do attitude is running into things.”
Sunshine streaked past us toward the ocean.
“Oh, shit,” we both cried out, breaking into a sprint. Luna and I skated through a volleyball game and leapt over sunbathers arranged like dominoes.
“I see her,” Luna called over her shoulder, running faster. Her foot caught in the leash she was carrying and she flew face-first toward the sand.
My arm banded around her waist before she could hit it. I tugged a panting Luna back against me, and her full citrus scent almost knocked me over.
“Nice catch,” she gasped. “I’m usually more graceful.”
I gently let her go. “Don’t, uh, worry about it.”
Sunshine was racing like a greyhound toward the waves.
“Are these rescues usually filled with this many wacky hijinks?” Luna asked.
“Not really,” I replied. Sunshine looked seconds away from freaking out in the frothy waves. I didn’t know if she could swim and I felt fucking awful that we’d put her in this scared, survival-mode position. “Call Jem,” I said. “Have her meet us in the parking lot with the med kit and a crate.”
I reached behind my head to take off my shirt, but to my utter surprise, Luna was racing into the waves like a lifeguard. Sunshine tried to swim away awkwardly but Luna reached forward, wrapping her arms around her neck.
“Her mouth,” I called, completely fucking alarmed. “Luna, watch her—”
But Sunshine went willingly—or was at least extremely excited by the prospect of wet bacon in Luna’s hand. Her shaggy head rested on Luna’s shoulder as she stood in the waves and walked toward me, soaking wet and grinning.
“I got her!”
I exhaled raggedly. She was crazy. That had to be the reason why a woman with a net worth of a billion dollars had dived into the waves