Then the door behind me opened, the receptionist standing there with a clipboard full of paperwork.
“Aren’t you two the cutest thing ever?”She walked across the turf and handed me the clipboard.“Reminds me of me and Edmund when we were your age.So much love.”
She shook her head as her eyes bounced between my grin and Alice’s strained smile.
“Well, I’ll leave you two to it.I’m sure Alice can go over any questions you might have.But remember, there are cameras all over this stretch of yard, so no funny business.”
Her cackle warred with the barking dogs as she opened the door and walked back inside the shelter.
I turned wide eyes to Alice and mouthedwhat the hell.
Alice’s cackle put the receptionist’s to shame.
And after a second, my laughter joined hers.
An hour later, we were walking through a pet store with DJ at my side as Alice pushed our shopping cart.It felt pretty damned domestic, and I didn’t mind in the least.
“Okay, so we got food.”I nodded at the fifty-pound bag in the cart.“What else?”
“You need treats, toys, a dog bed, unless…” She gave me a look.
“What?”
“Are you going to let him sleep with you?”
“Nah, too much drama when I have a woman over.I don’t need to be fighting the dogoffthe bed when I’m trying to get my womanonit.”
Alice rolled her eyes.“Sure, sure.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”I was maybe a little wary of all the born-again-virgin jokes that’d been flying my way lately.
Alice snorted.“You’re too big a softy to kick DJ out of your bed.I guarantee he’ll be sleeping with you in less than a week.”
“Well I am irresistible.”I brushed invisible dust off my shoulder.
Alice scoffed.“I’m not sure that’s the argument to be made against bestiality.”
“What the fuck?”I had to stop walking because I was laughing so hard.Bending at the waist, I got myself under control and wiped at my wet eyes.“You’re deranged, you know that?”
She shook her head with a pout.“I learned it from watching you.”
As we continued down the aisle, her hip bumped compatibly against mine, and I smiled.
When we got back to the house, Alice fussed over our In-N-Out dinner, taking the burgers and fries out of the cardboard tray and setting up our plates I’d pointed out to her between panting breaths as I carried the huge bag of dog food and supplies over my shoulder.
The toys scattered—to DJ’s delight—as I dropped the dog bed and the bag holding the toys and treats when the food shifted on my other shoulder.But I bent down and carefully set the food bag down on the ground without breaking it.“See?Told you I could make it in one trip.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t.”Alice raised her eyebrows.“I said you shouldn’t.There’s a difference.As evidenced by the mess you just made.”
DJ bounded over and grabbed a plush rabbit, and soon squeaks filled the previously silent house.I grinned.Hell, he looked so happy.I was worried he’d be wary and maybe pee everywhere, but we’d only been here a few minutes, and he already looked like he belonged.
“DJ doesn’t look like he minds.”
Alice’s expression softened as she took in the doggy joy prancing all over the place, clearly proud of his little toy.“No, he doesn’t.But you might want to pick up those treats before he finds them.He’ll eat until he makes himself sick if you let him.”
“Gotcha.”I nabbed the treats off the floor then stashed them in a cabinet.Walking over to the counter, I picked up my plate and tipped my head toward the living room.“What do you feel like watching?Chick flick?Comedy?TV show?Your call.”
Alice followed behind me and settled on the other end of the couch a whole mile away from me.Or at least that was how it felt.She picked up a floppy fry and studied it.“Whatever you want is fine.”
