Page 90 of Love Arranged

“No.” I shift my weight while trying to hold eye contact. I do my best, but when he doesn’t stop staring at me, I cave and look away.

“Ellie mentioned you’re getting engaged. Is that still true?”

“Uh…yes.”

“Fuck.” He spears his hands through his hair, and the shorter strands stick up. “A fake relationship is one thing, but an engagement? What are you thinking?”

Words evade me.

Rafa’s eyes follow the flush toward my neckline. “I’m going to come out and ask: do you like him?”

“No!” I say too loudly, startling the kittens playing by my feet.

“You sure about that?” he asks, my face turning redder.

“Okay.” I sigh. “Listen. I did like him once. Past tense. But that was nearly a year ago.”

“And you think those kinds of feelings go away?”

Before the cooking class, I would’ve said maybe, depending on the circumstance, but now…

“I thought so,” he says.

“I can’t like him, Rafa.” I shake my head, wishing I could turn back the clock so this conversation never happened.

Rafa carefully walks around the kittens and pulls me into his arms. “Why not?”

“Because he’s never going to feel the same way.”

Rafa is in the middle of paying the bill when a dog is rushed into the clinic, being carried like a baby in an assistant’s arms. We both pause our conversation, too distracted by the swarm of vet techs scurrying about, trying to find an empty exam room for the pit bull mix.

The pit bull’s brown eyes find mine, and my chest aches at the heartbreaking whine it lets out. There is something about the sound combined with the overall deteriorating state of the dog that makes me want to cry on its behalf. It is clearly malnourished to the point of having protruding bones, and its fur is in a state of disarray, the neglect evident to anyone who has eyes or a nose.

I’ve seen my fair share of abused animals thanks to all of Rafa’s rescue efforts and my time volunteering at the shelter, but this… This one hits me hardest, and I’m not sure why, but I want to walk over and pull the dog into my arms.

It’s hard not to feel attached when it looks at me and lets out this piercing sound that drills a hole through my heart.

“Where did they find the dog?” Rafa asks the person working the front desk.

“A junkyard not too far from here. The owner skipped town and left her tied to a pole for who knows how long.”

“Is she going to be okay?” My voice trembles.

“Daisy’s in critical condition thanks to some infection she got from another dog bite. The doc is going to do a full evaluation and blood panel now to see how bad it is, but he’s hopeful.”

“Her name is Daisy?”

“According to her collar, yes.” The secretary gasps. “Wait. You’re both named after flowers. How cute.”

I shoot her a soft smile. “Love it.” Before I can stop myself, I ask, “Will you call me once you have an update on her condition?”

The secretary hands Rafa’s card back. “Sure.”

Rafa looks at me, his eyes roving over my face before he turns to hand the secretary his card again. “I’ll cover the treatment costs.”

I give his bicep a squeeze and smile. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”

“Consider it an adoption present.”