Bandit barks and toddles to the door. Like I said, he’s one smart dog.
I clip on his leash and ruffle his ears. “Hannah’s gonna flip when she sees you walk in.”
Here’s to hoping she’ll be happy to see me, too.
CHAPTER 32
Hannah
Iflop into the office chair at my desk. Ben’s words are still pinging around in my head. One moment, I’m ready to spew a profound apology to Nick. The next, I’m raging mad that the dolt doesn’t understand that I was just trying to help him get the ball rolling for those dang turtles of his.
After working with Ben, I did some follow up with Sparky. That dog…between him and Bandit, my doggy love tank is filled to the brim. Most of my furry patients have that effect actually. Even The General in all his gangly goofiness.
But Bandit…his place in my heart is extra special. And Nick seems pretty attached to him now as well. If we don’t wind up a couple, we’re going to have to find a way to share custody.
That thought makes me laugh out loud.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.”
I spin around and jump out of my chair all at once.
Bandit’s previous owner, Marcus, shuts the door and gives me a timid smile.
Heart racing faster than a greyhound, I dart my eyes to my purse on the counter, strategizing how I can maneuver over there and grab my mace. And right now, nothing would give me more pleasure than to unload an entire bottle of pepper sprayinto this man’s face. “What are you doing here? Came to destroy my office this time?”
His embarrassed expression is a far cry from the angry man I encountered the day we rescued Bandit. He holds his hands up. “No, please. I came to apologize.”
I put my plan to launch myself across the room on hold…for the moment. “Oh. Well, in that case, proceed.”
He flinches at my tone, but I’m holding on to that anger like a protective shield. If I can keep control of the situation long enough, my next patient is The General, and I’m pretty sure he could take Marcus down in a skinny minute.
“I’m so sorry I yelled at you and said those horrible things.” His voice cracks.
Okay…that’s a start. “And defaced and destroyed property.”
He nods, then reaches into his pocket.
I don’t know what he’s going for, but I grab my desk chair, which has wheels, ready to launch it at him, just in case.
He pulls out a folded white envelope and holds it out. “It’s not much, but it’s all I have. I hope this is enough to cover the cost of the damage.”
Still hesitant, I stay put, but I push the chair aside. My anger ebbs somewhat, but I’m not ready to let it go just yet. Plus, there’s the trust factor, of which I have none in this man. “Why did you do it?”
He works his mouth and swallows. “I lost my wife two months ago. JoJo was her dog and the last thing I had that made me feel connected to her.”
My heart aches for him. Even so, I have questions. “Sorry to be blunt—then why didn’t you take him to a vet to get help?”
He drops his chin. “I couldn’t afford it.”
“And leaving him outside to suffer?”
He flinches. “My shifts at work are long, sometimes ten hours. JoJo made messes all over the place, so I didn’t know what else to do.”
Braving a couple of steps toward him, I reach out and take the envelope. “I’ll give this to Animal Services to help cover his vet bill.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
One more question. And a big one. “Are you going to try and get Jojo back, because I’ll fight you on it?” Just sayin…
