It means a lot.
I hope I’m as good a friend to them as they are to me.
Stella put her phone away and held Logan’s hand. Blue Rock was a generally very welcoming place to people of all identities and preferences. It felt so good to be able to walk hand in hand with Logan and not fear any nasty comments orjudgmental looks from strangers who might see the age gap and come to their own conclusions.
After a quick pit-stop to pick up two flat whites, Stella and Logan made good time in their walk toThe Dog Den. On arrival, it was clear from the chaos going on that their arrival was perfectly timed.
With the potential dog adopters arriving in less than an hour, there was a serious amount of work to get through, and Kim wasn’t shy about letting everyone know just how much…
‘Okay, guys and gals. We need to work our asses off!’ Kim said, looking as cute as ever in herDog Denuniform. ‘This is a big day, and I want us all to smash it. Remember, we’re doing this for the dogs!’
With that, everyone cheered, and the hard work could really begin.
Stella may have had a lazy start to the morning by her standards, but from this point onward it was very much a case of being back to some seriously strenuous work…
The morning and afternoon spent atThe Dog Denwas incredibly fun, hard work, and ultimately very satisfying. Stella was so happy to see a huge number of Blue Rock residents come and check out the center and fall in love with the dog who they would hopefully rehome in due time, once all the relevant checks had been undertaken.
‘Boy, that was something,’ Stella said, taking a small sip on the beer that Logan had bought for her. ‘And this bar is actually kinda neat too.’
Logan laughed.
‘See, I told you that you’d like it!’ Logan said, putting his hand on Stella’s knee. ‘And what about Sweetie? She had a fun time, but I don’t know if she met her forever family.’
‘I know, I felt so bad for her in the end,’ Stella said. ‘But she’s such a big dog. I can see why that might be off putting. I mean, I’d love to have her, but my place is too small. I’d want a bigger garden for her to rumble around in.’
‘She’ll find her home one day,’ Logan said reassuringly. ‘She’s got too big of a heart not to. It just has to be the right person who sees her potential and can handle her.’
Stella and Logan toasted to a hard day’s work and also to their beloved Sweetie. After sinking the first beer in quick time, Logan decided to go up to the bar to get another round in. Unfortunately for him, he did this at precisely the wrong moment. Suddenly, the bar had filled, and Logan found himself four deep as he waited for service.
‘Hang on kid, I’ll be back soon!’ Logan said, shouting over the suddenly loud bar.
Stella smiled and waved back enthusiastically. She didn’t drink beer all that often so waiting an extra few minutes before diving into the next beer might not be such a bad thing. Hopefully Logan would pick up a little bag of potato chips at the bar too. All the work atThe Dog Denhad given Stella an appetite for some junk food.
However just as Stella was about to message her friends to say what a great time she had at The Dog Den, she looked up and saw a figure towering over her.
‘Um, hello?’ Stella said, eyeing up the imposing figure with suspicion. ‘Can I help you?’
The man was at least six feet three inches and had a notable scar that zig-zagged just above his left eyebrow. His thick moustache and wicked smile were a strong look, but Stella wasn’t feeling this stranger’s energyat all.
Suddenly, Stella wanted Logan to arrive back from the bar in double-quick time.
‘I’m here with someone, so…’ Stella said, hoping to put off this stranger’s unwanted attention.
‘Well why not make it a threesome then?’ the man said, a creepy tone to his voice.
With his black t-shirt and tight-fitting black jeans, the man’s strong physique and tattoo-covered arms were intimidating to say the least. Stella was strong for her size, but she knew that a man like this was a whole other ballpark.
Stella looked anxiously over toward the bar and felt a sense of relief when she saw Logan walking toward them. However Stella’s relief turned to fear when she saw just how angry Logan was. If Stella didn’t know better, her instincts were telling her that Loganknewthis creep…
‘Hey, stay the fuck away Cole,’ Logan said, slamming his drinks down on the table. ‘I don’t want you in a hundred miles of my girl.’
‘Well maybe I wouldn’t have to be,’ Cole said. ‘If only you’d answer my messages…’
Stella was alarmed.
This didn’t seem like a good situation whatsoever. If anything, the mention of this Cole guy sending Logan messages was the worst thing of all. Why hadn’t Logan mentioned the messages? Or mentioned Cole for that matter?
Suddenly, Stella felt a little bit insecure.
