Chapter 12
W ill strolled into the lobby of his apartment building, the leash in his hand tugging taut behind him.
"Come on, bud," he said, glancing over his shoulder.
The golden retriever he thought was his dog, Fetch, sat stubbornly just outside the elevator doors, tail swishing across the polished floor like he had nowhere to be.
The elevator dinged. The doors glided open with a soft whoosh.
Will stepped in, tugging gently. "Let’s go, don’t make me carry you," he urged.
After a beat of theatrical hesitation—like she was calculating the risk of stepping into a magic portal she didn’t trust—Lady finally stood.
She let out an exaggerated sigh–– because drama was clearly her default setting–– and padded into the elevator with the reluctant grace of a dethroned queen.
Her tail flicked like she wanted to appear confident, but her nervous glance at the walls of the suspicious moving box nearly gave her away.
This definitely wasn’t a regular part of her routine.
Upstairs, Will unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside, unclipping the leash and giving the usual command. “Home sweet home. Go lie down,” he said, dropping his keys in the dish on the entryway table.
Lady launched into a full sprint, nails clicking across the hardwood, and flung herself onto the couch like a diva claiming her throne.
Will turned around just in time to see it. “Hey, you know better. Get down,” he scolded, pointing at the floor.
Lady blinked at him—zero intention of moving.
“Fetch, come,” Will said, hands on his hips.
Lady let out a sharp bark that echoed through the apartment like a warning shot, causing Will to flinch.
“Let’s go,” Will said, exasperated.
With a huff, Lady sprang off the couch and trotted over to sit obediently at his side like she’d been the perfect dog all along.
“What’s gotten into you?” he asked, eyeing her like she’d grown a second tail. “Are you mad we left the park?”
Will headed down the hall toward his office, laptop already calling to him with the threat of a blank page. Lady padded behind, grumbling in protest with every step.
Inside the office, Will collapsed into his desk chair and leaned back, cracking his knuckles. “Listen, be good, and we’ll go back tomorrow,” he said, glancing at her. “Right now, I have to figure out the next blockbuster-worthy love story.”
Lady didn’t move. She stood beside him, staring.
Will raised a brow. “Go to your bed. You know the drill,” he said, nodding toward the plush dog bed in the corner.
Lady turned in a tight circle beside his chair, then curled up right there on the floor, pressing against his foot like a canine paperweight.
Will exhaled in defeat. “Okay then. Picking my battles today. This must be what having a toddler is like.”
Lady barked in what he assumed was agreement—though if she’d been human, it would’ve come with an eye roll and a smirk.