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Chapter Seven

CJ woke up before Kenna did and lay in bed with her sweet girl beside her.

A part of her sort of couldn’t believe she’d allowed Kenna inside her body. That she’d allowed anyone to do that. Maybe her stubbornness about being that vulnerable with anyone else was because they weren’t her .

But this was Kenna, and she had already worked her way inside her in more ways than one; she’d broken through the tough shell CJ had worn around her heart for most of her life, and she’d done it almost instantly.

Or, maybe not so instantly, because she’d carried her feelings for Kenna all these long years.

If she thought about it that way, it wasn’t brand new.

The new part was that Kenna was there with her, in her bed, in her arms.

She never wanted that to change.

She watched Kenna sleeping, the way her long lashes rested on her cheeks. The way her long brown hair was spread all over the pillows.

She loved her.

It wasn’t exactly news to her; she’d felt it almost from the start. But thinking those exact words was huge.

Except it was Kenna. She always went back to that. Nothing about how she felt for this woman was a surprise.

Her watch beeped as the alarm she’d set went off, telling her it was time to get up and get ready for the adoption event today at Last Chance Rescue. She rolled over and kissed the tip of Kenna’s nose, but her little kitten didn’t even stir.

“Kenna girl. Time to get up,” she said softly, not wanting to startle her, but Kenna didn’t move. “Hey, baby. Come on. Wake up.”

Still nothing. She stroked her shoulder, then gave her a small shake. “Babygirl? Come on. Open your eyes.”

Kenna didn’t move, but CJ saw that she was smiling.

“Ohhh, you’re in trouble now, faker,” she told her as she rolled on top of her and began to tickle her sides.

“Ahh! No, no, no!” Kenna yelped.

“Oh, yes, yes, yes!” CJ told her as she kept tickling.

“Nooo!” Kenna protested, still giggling.

“Don’t we have to go get some puppies adopted?”

“Yes! Okay, okay. I’m up!”

“That’s my good girl,” CJ said, leaning in to kiss her before sitting up. “I’ll start coffee, then we need to shower, because I smell like pussy.”

“So do I,” Kenna said, batting her lashes at her. “I smell like you.”

Normally that kind of comment would make her feel uncomfortable, but everything was different with Kenna. She didn’t need to hide from the fact that she’d dropped her guard so completely with her. The truth was, she could hardly wait for it to happen again.

But today was all about the puppies.

They got up and got ready, and even though the morning was a bit rushed, there was a comfortable ease about everything as they ate a quick breakfast in the kitchen before they showered and dressed. Then CJ ordered a Lyft, and they were off.

They arrived at Last Chance and Kenna led the way into the office, which was filled with busy people working at computers, hanging leashes on a row of hooks by the back door, and hanging small posters on a big whiteboard with different dogs’ pictures and information.

“Hey, Kenna!” a tall woman with bright-red hair called from a desk in the back.

“Hey, Toni. This is CJ. CJ, Toni is our other manager.”

“Ah, your friend who’s helping today,” Toni said. “Hey, CJ. Thanks for coming.”

“Hi, Toni. Nice to meet you. And I’m happy to help.”

“Kenna, do you need me to assign her tasks, or do you want to take charge?”

“I’ll show her around real quick, then have her work with Fernanda and Lan today.”

“Okay, perfect.”

“Come on; I’ll give you a little tour so you know where things are. And don’t worry; I would never presume to take charge with you,” Kenna said with a coy wink, making CJ laugh.

“Trust me; I was not worried about that at all, baby. But this is your place of work, and you actually are the boss here, so just tell me what you need me to do.”

CJ followed as Kenna walked her through the back door of the office and into a huge supply room with a row of washers and dryers, shelves full of towels, and four dog baths, then through another door to one side that led to a small room where Kenna told her prospective adopters could spend quiet time with the dogs.

Then they went out that door to an outside area under a big awning with a few benches, where two people were setting up metal gates to section off the area.

“This is where most of the meet-and-greets will be,” Kenna told her. “And this is Lan and Fernanda. Guys, this is CJ. She’s my volunteer today.”

Both women smiled and waved, their gazes lingering just long enough for CJ to realize they knew exactly who she was to Kenna.

“Nice to meet you two. Just tell me what to do. I’m here for whatever you need.”

“Awesome,” Fernanda said. “Can you hold this here while I go grab a zip-tie? Thanks.”

“I have to run, but I’ll see you later,” Kenna whispered in CJ’s ear. “Thanks so much for helping today.”

“Sure! I’m looking forward to seeing how it all works—and to meeting some dogs, of course.”

CJ worked for almost an hour with Lan and Fernanda setting up the outside area: they set out a few buckets for trash, stocked the dispenser with waste bags, filled several water bowls, and hung towels over the fencing where they could be easily reached.

Toni stuck her head out the back door and called, “People are lining up outside; time to get started.”

Things got busy within minutes as people filed into the shelter, and volunteers CJ hadn’t met yet started to bring the dogs out.

There were a couple of puppies, but most of the dogs were at least a year old, some were seniors, and all had their own challenges.

There was a young Dalmatian who was deaf, a tiny Chiweenie whose hind legs were in a wheelchair, a big shepherd mix with one eye, an elderly poodle with a snaggletooth, and a pair of old, graying Yorkies.

CJ was kept busy leading the dogs into the fenced area for people to meet, and cleaning up after the dogs’ inevitable accidents.

By lunchtime, four of the puppies had been adopted, a nice couple had submitted an application for the Yorkies, and a family wanted the Dalmatian.

She saw Kenna running around, but things were too busy for them to do more than send each other a quick smile.

Not that she was complaining; it was great to see Kenna handling all the commotion, and she was enjoying being with the dogs and the other volunteers.

They took a very quick lunch break, with everyone eating pizza in the main office, then it was time for more potential adopters and a new group of dogs. As Lan handed CJ the leash of a three-legged husky, Kenna came by to check in with her.

“How is it going? You doing okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Honestly, this is great. I think I didn’t expect to feel so… emotional about each dog, and the way the people are interacting with them.”

“This part is incredibly rewarding. This is why I do it.”

“I can see that,” CJ told her.

“Okay, Bear—let’s find you a home,” Kenna said, rubbing the husky’s head.

“I’m on it!”

More dogs and more people filed through the visiting area, and several more went to their new homes. CJ was a bit worn out by the end of the day as she went to the office to find Kenna. But she wasn’t there.

“Toni? Any idea where Kenna might be?”

“I think she’s out back at the kennels.”

“Okay, thanks.”

CJ went through the back door to the outbuilding that housed most of the dogs, and saw Kenna in one of the outdoor kennels with what looked like a fawn-colored pitbull mix with black eyebrows and a black muzzle, and a tiny Chihuahua.

CJ approached the kennel slowly, not wanting to startle the dogs. “Who do we have here?”

Kenna looked up, smiling. “These are two of my favorites. This is Chonk,” she said, rubbing the three-legged pittie’s head. “And this is her buddy, Beans. They’re a bonded pair, and really hard to place, but they’re so sweet. It’s always hard to adopt dogs together. Come in and say hi.”

CJ opened the gate, and Chonk wagged her tail so hard, she nearly knocked little Beans over.

As soon as CJ knelt down, Beans jumped into her arms, and she laughed in surprise as the tiny creature licked her chin, Then Chonk came over to investigate, her tail still wagging at a hundred miles an hour as she bumped CJ’s hand with her nose.

“She would like a head rub, please,” Kenna told her, and CJ obliged. “Oh, she likes you! They both do. Aren’t they the sweetest?”

As Beans snuggled closer, CJ looked into Chonk’s golden brown eyes. And promptly fell in love.

She did not need a dog at the moment, never mind two. It hadn’t been that long since she lost Deacon, and she was hoping to get some travel in.

But…

Chonk gazed at her soulfully, and Beans made a small whimpering sound as she tried to climb her way into CJ’s arms. She stroked Chonk’s big, blocky head and cuddled Beans to her chest with the other.

“These two are really…” She trailed off as emotion surged through her. “They’re really getting to me. How have they not found a home yet?”

Kenna shrugged. “People want either a big dog or a small dog. And Chonk’s a tripod, which makes it harder, but she’s adapted really well.

We’ve taken her for runs on the beach and she does great.

But we won’t let them be separated—they’re too close.

Their owner got sick and couldn’t care for them anymore, so they’re all each other’s got.

Chonk is only around two, so she has a lot of energy.

And Beans is seven, but she’s still got some spunk in her. They’re just such sweethearts.”

“Yeah, they are,” CJ said as Chonk gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

“CJ? What is that look on your face? Do you want me to get Chonk to stop kissing you?”

“No, she’s all good. Um… they’re both healthy? And adoptable? You didn’t bring them out for the event today.”