“Out?” My eyebrows rose. “Like, permanently?”
“No.” Her head shook, moving my hand along with it. “But it’ll be at least an hour before the water heater warms enough.”
I hummed, wanting nothing more than to grab her and the dog and cart them over to my place—where there was never a shortage of hot water—but that would put a wrinkle in my carefully laid plan.
Shifting so she could peek around my shoulder to a view of Cannoli, she sighed. “He was already shaking from the cold.”
Aw, see? He was already growing on her. I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist his puppy charm.
“I’ve got an idea,” I assured her. “Stay here and keep watch over our little guy.”
Gemma’s lips pursed, but she nodded.
Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, I bounded down the stairs. Searching the kitchen, I found two pots, which I filled with water before placing them on the stove and turning on the burners. It wasn’t an ideal way to heat water for Cannoli’s bath, but it would work in a pinch.
Hustling outside, I made a few trips back and forth from my car, bringing in overflowing bags filled with dog toys, treats, and food, along with a soft cushion for him to sleep on. I had every intention of spoiling the shit out of that dog, just like I had plans to spoil his mom.
“Sasha!” Gemma’s voice carried down the stairs. “What’s taking so long?”
“Be up in a sec!” I called back, snagging a bottle of dog shampoo from one of the bags and stuffing it in my back pocket.
The water wasn’t boiling yet, and I dipped the corner of a kitchen towel into the pot to test the temperature. Warm, but not too hot. Perfect.
Turning off the heat, I grabbed the first pot and headed back upstairs.
When she saw me, Gemma’s brows drew together, creating an adorable little wrinkle between them. “What are you doing?”
“Fold a towel and place it on the floor,” I instructed.
Scrambling to her feet, she did as I asked, and I set the pot down. “I’ve got one more on the stove. Be right back.”
Once I returned with the second pot of warm water, I knelt beside where she was keeping watch over Cannoli. “Think you can help?”
She blew out a breath. “Help how?”
“I need you to hold his head up so when I pour this first pot of water over him, it doesn’t get in his eyes.”
Reluctantly, she rose on her knees, running her hands along Cannoli’s jaw and gently tilting his face toward the ceiling. “Have you done this before?”
“Nope. Kinda winging it. But isn’t that what all new parents do?”
She didn’t bother to hide her scoff. “Dogs are not the same as children.”
“Maybe not,” I conceded. “But you can’t deny that their owners love them as much as any other member of the family. Haven’t you ever seen stories on the news where people run back into burning buildings to save a beloved pet who was left behind?”
“Yeah. I always thought they were insane.”
It looked like I had my work cut out for me.
“Hold him steady,” I told her.
Threading her fingers through his fur, she held Cannoli in place while I brought the pot over his collar, tilting it so warm water cascaded down his back. The look of pure bliss on his puppy face had me chuckling.
“He looks happy,” Gemma remarked.
I bumped shoulders with her before setting down the empty pot. “It’s because he knows he’s home.”
“Yeah, sure,” she muttered under her breath.
