Pressly took the card with a laugh. “Looks just like you.”
The cartoon drawing of a woman with a headful of curls walking four dogs at once did look a lot like me. She even had a nose ring.
“Call me if you decide to adopt him.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Nice meeting you.”
Lots of people talked to me while I walked the rescue dogs. They were drawn to me like I was some kind of entertainment. Many promised to adopt dogs. Some followed through on their promises. Most didn’t. I watched Pressly hurry up the hill to get her daughter, and I wondered which category she would fall into.
Chapter 2
I made it all the way to the other side of the park before I found out. My phone rang, and I shuffled the leashes into one hand to dig it out of my coat pocket. I pulled out my trusty “dumb” phone and flipped it open to see an unfamiliar number with an out-of-state area code.
“Hello?”
“Lacey, it’s Pressly.”
“Hi.”
“I’ve thought about it, and I want him. You’ll help, right?”
“Of course.” A skateboarder flew past me on the bridge, and the dogs surged forward. “I can come over every day if you need me.”
“This is going to cost me a fortune, isn’t it?”
“Nah. I’ll give you the friend discount.” Who was I kidding? I was already walking Aslan for free. I was a sucker for that dog. I had a huge grin plastered on my face.
“When can you start?”
I laughed. “You have to adopt him first.” I juggled the leashes as we neared the bridge. The dogs always got a little nervous when we crossed it. It was narrow, and people on bikes sped by in both directions. “I better go. Text me your address.”
“Thanks a lot!”
“You’re welcome.”
“And, Lacey?”
I jerked the leashes as a woman on roller blades whizzed past. “Huh?”
“I just wanted to warn you about my brother. Don’t bother him while he’s working. He’s pretty…intense.”
“Gotcha!” Another woman on skates squeezed by. “Text me.” We hung up and I folded my phone back into my pocket. “Congrats, buddy!” I told Aslan as we exited the bridge. “Looks like you’ve got a new home.”
And I would have some extra money. I had made some decisions right after high school which had landed me in a pile of debt. After seven years of living cheaply and paying down the principal, I was finally getting my head above water. Extra money meant I could indulge in my favorite purchases—books, matching bra-and-panty sets, and mocha lattes. In that order.
We exited the bridge and came upon a field where people were playing soccer. A ball flew past, and it was too much for Aslan to resist. He yanked the leash from my hand and chased after the ball. He didn’t see the biker heading toward him until it was too late. I held back a scream as Aslan darted right in front of the biker’s wheel.
Tires squealed, brakes screeched, and a string of curse words not suitable for tender ears rang through the air as the biker swerved. Aslan darted off the sidewalk, free from harm, but the biker wasn’t so lucky. The bike jackknifed, and he flipped over the handlebars and crashed into a row of prickly bushes.
I knew the biker was still alive from the curse words streaming from the bushes. My heart raced in my chest as I led the dogs—minus Aslan—over to the scene of the accident.
I peered into the bushes and saw the biker lying with his arms and legs akimbo. “You still in one piece? I know some first aid.” I recited the basics in my mind. RICE. It stood for rest, ice, compression, and… I couldn’t remember the E. And there wasn’t any ice around.
The biker stuck one leg out of the bushes. It didn’t look broken.
“Aslan!” I snapped, spotting him traipsing through the bushes with a popped soccer ball hanging from his mouth. I reached down to grab his leash.
