Peeling myself out of bed, I groan loudly.I don’t want to. I don’t want to. If I say that enough times, will this commitment just disappear?
I mindlessly go about getting ready for the day. I throw on a long-sleeved dark gray dress and my favorite pair of brightyellow Converse. My wild hair is pulled into a messy braid with curls falling around my face.
Wallowing in my avoidance for today, I didn’t realize how short on time I was running. I put some food in Nacho’s dish before darting down to my car.
Yes, my cat’s name is Nacho. Yes, he’s the same bright orange color as the delicious fake cheese concoction served at sporting events.
I adopted him shortly after moving to town and starting to navigate things at the shelter. I thought we would be able to bond over being redheads.
I was sadly mistaken. I somehow lucked out with the leastsocial cat alive. I get that cats are innately antisocial, but I genuinely believe Nachohatespeople, including me.
I love the dude, but he really is a little asshole.
The next hour is a blur of getting everything loaded up from the shelter and over to the firehouse. Luckily, Hadley helped—there’s no way I would have gotten all the animals over here with just my car alone.
With a heavy sigh, I grab one pet carrier and walk toward the front of the firehouse where the large doors are wide open. One of the fire engines has been moved out of the garage to make room for our little photoshoot.
At first, I don’t see anyone until Grayson steps out from the hallway in the far corner of the space. We both freeze mid-step.
How do I even act around him now when he and two of his buddies offered to help me like sex again?
“Where do you want me to set everything up?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Oh, uh, you can take the pictures wherever you want, but this room is mostly empty. You can put your stuff in here.”
He opens a door to his left, revealing a small room with a few tables in the far corner.
“Feel free to set up whatever you need. Just leave a path for the trucks to get out, and don’t mess with the gear room. We never know when we’ll get a call.”
The cat meows when I set the carrier down on the floor. “Thank you for letting us do this.”
He gives a jerky nod. “Of course.” He looks like he wants to say something else, but Hadley walks into the room with Cash on a leash.
Cash is a Burmese Mountain dog mix. Hadley instantly fell in love with the big oaf of a dog when she started working part-time at the shelter with me.
I secretly hope he doesn’t get adopted, so she gets a chance to do so when the time is right for her.
Grayson chuckles when Cash rams his large head into the back of his leg. “Hey, bud,” he says, patting him.
“I’m here too,” Hadley says, glowering at her brother.
“Hello, sister,” he says dryly. “I’m guessing you guys have a lot more stuff to bring in.”
Hadley and I both nod.
“I’ll go get the guys. They can haul it all in,” he says before disappearing.
Not wanting them to do all the work, I walk back out to my car. I grab one of the other carriers with a cat in it from the back of my car.
“I can bring that in,” Tucker says from right behind me. He’s so close, I swear I can feel his breath on my ear.
I spin around, probably making the poor cat dizzy.
“Be careful. The cats can be kind of feisty.”
He gives me a devilish smile. “I’m good at handling pussy, especially the feisty kind.”
With that, he grabs the crate from my hand, as well as the other one resting in my backseat. Without another word, he walks away.
