Page 4 of Forever Home

“I run a dog rescue,” Sunny explained, as she switched out leashes, unclasping the one Delaney had found in the shop and attaching the one she’d brought. “It’s called Pittie Place. Poor Sinbad has been passed around since he was born.”

“I can tell.”

“You buying this shop?” Sunny’s voice brightened.

“I hope to.” Delaney shrugged.

“That your bike?” She nodded at the Rebel.

Delaney followed the look, then stuffed her hands in her back pockets. “That’s one of them.”

“Nice. Are you new to the area?”

“No, but I’ve been living on Quantico. Time to get my own space.”

“Marine?”

“Yeah. Just retired. Been in since I was seventeen.”

“Impressive.”

Delaney shrugged.

“Alright. Not really the chatty type, are you?” Now Sunny did smile. It was a deep, genuine, beautiful thing. “Well, it’s cold out here. I’m sure you’ve got somewhere you need to be. I’m going to get Sinbad back to the rescue. Start over from scratch. Huh, boy?” Sunny petted behind his ears and he seemed to smile a little bit. “Thanks again for calling. Nice meeting you and let me know if I can help in any way. I’ve lived here all my life and know all the curvy back roads.” She glanced at the bike and winked.

Cute. “Thanks.” Sunny started to walk away but Delaney called her back. “Hey. One thing you might be able to help me with. I need a gym, now that I won’t be using the one on base. Like ASAP. Nothing fluffy. Somewhere I can get some serious work done.”

“A gym?” Sunny dug around in her coat pocket. “I’ve got just the place.” She pulled out a dog-eared business card and passed it over. “The guy that owns this place is also a Marine Corps vet. If you want hard-core, this is your jam.”

Semper Fit. Yeah. Delaney should fit right in. As much as she ever fit in, anyway. “Thanks, I’ll check it out.”

Sunny raised her hand in a wave as she walked Sinbad to her truck. She hustled him into the passenger seat, then came back around to the driver’s side.

“Hey!” Delaney called out again.

Sunny halted. “What. You the type that only wants to talk when someone’s trying to leave?”

Ha. Cute and clever. “I don’t think Sinbad is his name.”

Sunny’s brows knitted.

“I just—” Delaney shrugged “—don’t think that’s who he is. It won’t fix all his problems, but finding his real name should be the next step.”

Sunny poked her tongue in her cheek, then laughed and shook her head. “Well, I’ll keep that in mind, Delaney. Thank you.”

Sunny backed up and drove past slowly, offering a wave. The pit bull, upright in the passenger seat, stared right at Delaney as they went past. His eyes were droopy and sad. Delaney watched him go, the empty leash from the storeroom still clasped in her hand and dangling on the cold ground.

She stood there until the sun had set and the sky went dark, didn’t even realize she was shivering until the cold had seeped into her bones. Time to head back to her hotel and wait for Ronnie to reach out about the next step. This might be a little crazy, and she might be sticking her neck out, but Delaney was convinced that she had to give this a try.

Triple M Classics deserved a chance, and now that Dad was dead, Delaney was the only one who could make that happen.