Page 11 of Mr. Green (Mr. #2)

Lana

I ’ve been keeping my routine going now for the whole week, avoiding Scarlett’s office at all costs.

If I “run into” Grant again, I’m going to lose my shit.

Everyone can tell I have a thing for him, apparently.

I hate my body’s reaction every time I see him.

I want to melt into him, but I can’t. He’ll just leave and break my heart.

It’s Friday finally, which is coincidentally my rest day. I could sleep in, but the sound of my alarm did its job. I’m antsy and all I can think about is how good it’ll feel to get my legs moving. Going out on a morning run has been something I’ve begun to look forward to.

I put my usual black, baggy clothes on in the bathroom. They’re comfortable and the color fits my mood. The whale picture on the wall catches my eye, bringing up memories of my favorite place in Hawaii.

My parents took our family there on a winter vacation one year.

It’s a place that’s hard to forget. It’s also where I fell in love with dolphins and whales.

Whales were popping out of the water frequently, since they’re migrating that time of year.

Seeing them jump out of the water was empowering.

They’re one of the heaviest animals, but they do flips up in the air. Epic.

I make my way down my apartment steps. As my feet hit the pavement, I have a renewed inspiration.

If the whales can travel such a distance and jump up a great height, then so can I.

I’m down the road and about to go into my favorite neighborhood.

I pick up my pace. I’m shooting for four miles today. Fuck resting.

My feet are hitting the sidewalk, one after the other. The chill in the air cools me off from my sweat. I have the coordination of a cat landing on all fours.

Then, I turn a corner, and something hits me around my knees. I don’t fall, but I stumble. I look down to confirm what I tripped over. Yup, I got tripped by a dog.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter, frustrated at being taken away from my superpower running.

The dog comes up to me, jumping onto my waist and starts licking me.

“Okay, okay. Thank you, I’m good.”

The dog jumps down and is staring back at me with their tail wagging.

They’re pretty cute and they let me pet them. “Sorry, buddy. Didn’t see you there. Do you have a name?”

I check to see if there’s a collar, but none exists. The dog doesn’t look like it’s in bad shape, just dirty with a bit of matted hair. It’s mostly black with a white and brown face. Maybe an Australian Shepherd mix.

My apartment complex allows dogs, surprisingly. It’s a crazy deposit, and I’m not sure I want to commit to taking care of a dog. I’m trying to get a hold on myself. Surely, someone in this beautiful neighborhood knows who this dog belongs to.

I give the dog a pat on the head and then start running again. The dog follows. Fuck me.

I try to ignore the creature, but at the same time, I don’t want them to trip me again. So, I keep a pace they match easily, still following right behind me.

The dog stays with me the entire run home.

I get to my front door and hesitate. I could bring them to a shelter and let them find the dog a home.

At the very least they could check if they’re microchipped.

Most of those places are too crowded, so I’ll offer to foster her.

But if they put this dog to sleep or couldn’t find a home for them, I’d feel so bad.

Is this dog going to bark all night? Are they going to rip up all my shoes? Are they going to scratch at the walls? There’s so many things the dog could be capable of.

My eyes stare down at the animal with the cute face and puppy dog eyes.

I have a feeling this dog will be mine. Maybe I can adopt them right away.

I can recognize a soul I belong with when I see it.

I see it in everyone. I told Scarlett she was in love before she even knew Matt’s name.

This dog is here for me. It’s better than any man right now, that’s for sure.

Regardless of my feelings, I’m going to go to the humane society and double check no one is looking for this thing.

I’d be heartbroken if I took them away from their true family.

I walk down to my car. The dog follows. Once I open the door, the dog jumps in. I drive over to the humane society. It’s only a mile away and before I know it, we’re here. I get out of the car, but the dog looks stressed and starts shaking. Poor thing.

It’s not summer yet, and the weather isn’t close to hot or sunny. I put the windows down and walk in. I need to talk to someone about a possible missing dog.

“Hello.” A woman at the desk smiles at me, as a fat orange cat sitting atop the counter stares me down like I’m unworthy.

“Hi, I found a dog when I was out running.” I motion my thumb behind me. “They’re scared and wouldn’t come in. I don’t mind keeping them, I just wanted to make sure no one is looking for them. Can you check if they’re microchipped?”

“Sure. We can help with that. No one has called in about a missing dog, but it’s early.”

I nod my head. She grabs a machine and comes out to the car with me.

“Hi, beautiful,” she gushes after opening the door. It’s a girl apparently. Good, we women need to stick together. “Just need to look you over, pumpkin,” she coos.

The dog sits, shaking still and giving those cute puppy eyes. After the woman—Jenny, from what her nametag says—is all done, she pats the dog on the head. Then she stands fully and turns to me, closing the door .

“Looks like she doesn’t have a microchip. Come back with me. I need you to fill out a form. We’ll list her on our website. If anyone is missing her, they’ll contact you.”

We walk back through the doors. The front desk is set up in a way where you can see the side yard where the dogs play.

“Let me find the form. Do you want to purchase a leash or collar while you’re here?”

“Yeah. That’s a good idea.”

“Okay. Give me a moment.”

As I’m waiting, I step to the side and look out the window at the dogs.

There’s a small one running in circles after his tail.

There’s another one in a different section wrestling and playing with a guy.

My eyes stay glued, watching them roll around when I notice the man bun, the broad shoulders, and the beard. My stomach starts doing flips.

Grant is here.

He’s more attractive than I want to admit dressed in gray sweatpants and a blue T-shirt with the word “volunteer” pasted across the back. He volunteers here? That’s so sweet. He seems like such a good guy. My head tilts to the side as I gawk at him.

Lana, remember he’s a guy. You’re staying away from them.

I nod my head, listening to the directions of my brain. Jenny comes back in, holding out two choices of collars, three leashes, and the form.

“Which one?”

I pick a purple leash and collar. Then I get to work on my form. I hear the door open, but don’t look over.

“Oh, boy.” The familiar voice sounds behind me. “Did you let her in to the shelter? Keep your eye on her, Jenny. The last time she was here, she opened all the gates because she wanted to free all the animals.”

I look around to see who this crazy person is. I make eye contact with Grant who is smirking at me with arrogance and mischief playing in his eyes. Jenny is now staring at me like I’m going to break for the kennels any moment.

“I wouldn’t–” I stutter. “That’s not–” My face is getting hotter and hotter. I point at me and shake my head no. “He’s kidding. I wouldn’t do that,” I manage.

Jenny is eyeing me suspiciously.

Then Grant starts laughing. The tension from the room erases. “You should’ve seen your face, Sunshine.”

“Do you know her?” Jenny asks, pointing to me—the crazy person.

“Yeah. She’s harmless. I just like to give her a hard time.” He walks away, taking the dog he was wrestling with to the kennel.

I roll my eyes and get back to my form. I look down and mutter, “Idiot.” The sooner I get out of here, the better.

“Here you go, Jenny.” I hand over my form.

She’s staring after Grant like he’s God’s gift to women. I know that stare. I do it to him all the time.

I clear my throat. “Jenny.”

“Oh, sorry. Distracted.”

I give a small grin.

“The total will be nineteen dollars. Would you like to donate?”

“Sure.” I hand over my card. She hands me the leash and I walk out of there before I get distracted looking at Grant too.

~

I open the door to my apartment and the dog runs in. I get her some water and head to my shower, but I think the dog may need one first before I let her roam around my place. To the guest bathroom we go.

I start the water and find some soap. The guest bathroom has a tub-shower combination, so I lift the dog into the tub. These workouts are really paying off, this must be a forty-pound dog and here I am, lifting her up to get her washed like she weighs nothing.

Once she’s all clean, she shakes .

“Ahhhh! Good thing I haven’t showered yet,” I say under my breath.

Now water is all over the bathroom and myself.

I dry her off and then pull out the blow dryer to make sure the rest of my place doesn’t smell like wet dog.

Before I start the blow dryer, I make sure to wipe up the floor as best as I can and then start on drying her.

She’s rubbing against me, wagging her tail, happy to be clean.

Once that’s done, I lay a blanket down on the floor in the living room for her. She ignores my gesture and props herself up on my couch with her paws crossed. The queen is in town.

I head into my bathroom and start the shower. She follows me in and is now laying on the carpet, like she’s guarding the door.

What’s with this dog?

I carry about my business, showering and getting ready for the day. I’m going to need some coffee to handle whatever else is in store, so I head into the kitchen. The dog is right behind me. She takes her place as queen on the sofa while keeping her eye on me.

I make my coffee and grab my laptop. I check to see if there are any notifications about a missing dog, and then I make an announcement on our neighborhood app about a found dog. If anyone is missing her, they’ll have to tell me her description. I’m not going to give her up to just anyone.

I make a small flyer to post in the neighborhood I found her at, which has my e-mail listed.

I somehow know, she is my dog now. I look over to her, feeling happy the space has some life.

I’m excited to have a buddy to go running with and she’s the perfect size for my place.

Plus, I work from home a lot, so the dog won’t be alone.

“I think you should be Queenie. What do you think?” I ask the dog, waiting for a response.

She re-crosses her paws and tilts her head.

“I take that as a yes.” I smirk.

This is going to be good. Next step complete of getting myself back. Nice play, universe, nice play.