Page 4 of Last Date

I smiled. “Yeah, but he didn’t eat couches. He was just being a kooky puppy.”

Merrick laughed. “He’s a great dog. I’m glad you took him. I hate to think of him in the pound.”

I shuddered. “No way. That’s why I’m helping Patsy. I really would prefer she not send her dog back there.”

“Yes.”

I frowned. “Would you say Patsy is a dog person?” I suspected she wasn’t. She’d sounded very out of her element when it came to her dog.

“Not really. She saw a documentary on kill shelters and got a bee in her bonnet that she wanted to save a dog.” He grimaced. “She had good intentions, but Bruno is husky and German shepherd. He was about four months when she got him and a manageable size. Now he’s huge and out of control.”

“Ahhh. Yeah, people seem to forget that puppies grow up.”

“If the more exercise thing doesn’t help, Bruno’s fate may be grim,” he said softly.

Wincing, I said, “I’m hopeful the walking will calm him down. If not, I know a few trainers I’ll recommend to her. The question is, will she be willing to put in the work? Dog trainers can only do so much. It’s up to the owners to follow through.”

“This is why I don’t have a dog.” He sighed. “I think about it sometimes. I love dogs. But I’m at work twelve hours a day. Any dog I had would be alone too much.”

I smirked. “You could just hire me. Red Leash Walking Services, where we bring a smile to your dog’s face.”

“Is that actually your slogan?”

I laughed. “Nah.”

“Thank goodness.” His lips twitched. “If I got a dog, it would be for companionship. But if I’m never there… then the dog wouldn’t have companionship.”

“My guess is you must not really want a dog.”

He frowned. “Of course I do. I just said I did.”

“Well, you probably just like the idea of having a dog. If it was just about time, you’d make time.”

He scowled. “How? By adding more hours to the day?”

I shrugged. “You somehow find time for Peter.” The minute the words left my lips, I regretted them. I had absolutely no idea why that stupid comment had even slipped out, and he immediately looked defensive.

He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, I get it now.”

“There’s nothing to get.” I tried to backpedal. “I’m just saying we manage to find time for the things we really want.”

“The thing is, I don’t need to walk Peter after work.”

I winced. “Right. Dogs are different than… boyfriends.”

“Why don’t you like Peter?” he demanded.

“Who said I don’t like Peter?”

“You always have this certain tone when you say his name.”

“No.” I gave an uneasy laugh. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“It is.”

“I… I just meant, people carve out time for things they need. I don’t think that’s wrong or a bad thing. I do it too. We all do.” I swallowed loudly. “In… your case… you’re making time for Peter.”

Judging by the tension in his jaw, he didn’t completely believe my explanation. Why did he care if I liked Peter or not? Did that actually matter to him? I couldn’t imagine why my opinion had any weight.