Chapter Eight #2
“I’d like to show Abi around a little, and then you can put us both to work, and once that is done, we’ll talk donation.
” He would give Catherine everything she needed.
He specifically asked her to never allow a dog to be put down.
If she needed the funds to help, he would donate. Anything to keep them happy.
“You’ve got it.” She handed him a key. “You know the drill, and anything you need, you let me know.”
Catherine gave him a hug, then he took Abi’s hands and showed her what he loved, that was part of his private life. No one knew about this. He kept it secret.
“You’re a dog lover?” Abi asked.
He looked at each of the dogs in cages, and it broke his heart to see them that way.
Catherine always made sure they got as much time as she could allow them out of the cages.
She rarely went home. It bothered her so much leaving the dogs here even overnight, that he had funded her to hire someone as the night shift caretaker.
It was also hard for Catherine to trust anyone else with the dogs, as there had been a few employees who didn’t have the best record with patience for the dogs.
“Yeah, I’m a dog lover.”
“But you don’t have a dog,” she said.
“I know. My life is so hectic that I don’t want to adopt a dog and then not be there for him or her.”
He saw the smile on Abigail’s face. “You now, I know the guy that owns the building where I work, and the whole top floor is so spacious, that if he wanted to, he could totally bring a dog.”
Roman looked toward her. “I travel.”
“I do believe you can get special passports for dogs, and I heard you’re not short on cash.”
He couldn’t help but laugh, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in close.
“Here’s the thing, I’ve got this gorgeous assistant, and I don’t know how she feels about dogs.
She’s never talked about wanting to get a dog, or owning a dog.
Do you think she would like me to have a dog, and wouldn’t mind it coming into the office, perhaps nuzzling her legs? ”
“I don’t think she’d mind at all. In fact, she hasn’t really thought about a dog, because she works long hours, but a dog at the office to love, she’d like that.”
He kissed her temple and started to open the cages, one after the other. The dogs were in different sections, and Catherine had already told him certain dogs were not allowed to mingle with others. In this main section, all the dogs got along, and there was never any trouble.
With Abigail’s help, they showered the first group with lots of love and attention. They also cleaned out the stall, and there was one point he did hear Abigail nearly vomit. There were a couple of the dogs that liked to release a few stinkers and it did smell, that was for sure.
Once they had gotten them food, it was time to put the dogs back into the cages, and he moved Abigail down to the more secluded section, where not all the dogs mingled well together.
This required them to clean each cage individually, and they took turns.
He’d clean some of it, then swap with Abigail so he could play with the dog.
He loved playing with the dogs. They had grown to trust him, and that had taken a lot of time.
In recent months, there were not a lot of people able to adopt a dog. There had been quite a few families that had dropped off beloved dogs, but their circumstances had changed, and it broke his heart to see it.
This gave him a reality check. It was strange, because his grandfather always told him to find something that kept his feet firmly on the ground. For his grandfather, it was going to the soup kitchen and helping every holiday to serve food to those living on the streets, or in need.
His father never took the older man’s advice, and he nearly destroyed the company.
Roman loved all the dogs, and by the end of the day, he was shattered. He thanked Catherine and handed her a check that made her eyes go wide.
“Thank you, Roman,” she said.
“If you need anything, call me,” he said.
Wrapping his arms around Abigail, they stepped out of the shelter and he felt so drained.
“Do you want to go and grab a burger?” Abigail asked.
Usually, he was not fond of fast food, but in that very moment, he didn’t want to think or feel.
“Yeah, you pick the place.”
Much to his surprise, Abigail chose a diner that actually advertised that they served home-cooked food. The moment they entered, it smelled amazing, and she took his hand, finding them a small, quiet booth. He dropped down, and within moments the waitress was there, asking what she could get them.
He looked toward Abigail who ordered them a couple of house special burgers, some fries, and chocolate milkshakes.
“Thanks,” he said.
She reached across the table and took his hand. “You’re just a big softie, aren’t you?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know if I would be called a softie.”
“Certainly for the dogs. You didn’t seem that enthralled at the gala last night.”
Roman took a deep breath and shrugged. “Throwing money at things is the easy part. Getting stuck in, that can kill you.”
“You do love those dogs, don’t you?”
“All of them. I don’t even know where it comes from, you know? We never really had a dog growing up, not one I remember. I always loved them, though. To me, a horror movie sucks if a dog gets killed. In fact, any film, now that I think about it. Dogs should be the ultimate survivors.”
Abigail laughed. “You’re so sweet.”
The waitress came back and placed a chocolate milkshake in front of each of them, letting them know their food was going to be twenty minutes.
Roman didn’t mind. He still held Abigail’s hand as he took a long swallow of the chocolate milkshake.
He wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but it amazed him how good that actually tasted.