Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Allie grinned when Bryan entered the facility. Over the last two weeks, they settled into a pattern of working until five, dinner, then a game of pool or a movie in town. Bryan begged her to stay with him. They ended up compromising with him staying with her during the week and she returned with him to Seattle on the weekends and played the tour guide. Allie walked toward him as her phone rang. She frowned when her mama’s name popped up on the screen. Holding her finger up, telling him she’d return, she turned toward her office.
“Hey, Mama,” she greeted.
“Allison Kay Parker, why haven’t you returned my calls?” her mother demanded.
“I did. Daddy said you went out with your friends or were at book club. I didn’t want to bother you,” she lied. In truth, she avoided her mother. One whiff of hearing Allie going out with a man sent her mother into a never-ending spiral.
“I haven’t spoken with you in two weeks,” her mother accused.
“I’m busy with all the puppies and matching some patients. It takes time?—”
“Don’t even start. I don’t understand how you can make a living working with animals when it ruined your marriage to a nice young man,” her mother spat.
“Greg ruined it.” Allie rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Please don’t start.”
“They’re working you too hard. You barely call me and you know what happens when you get overtired or stressed,” her mother warned.
Allie took a deep breath. “Mama. My next patient arrived. I’ll call you later.” She hung up the phone. Her mother didn’t understand the importance of her job or why it meant the world to her.
Allie sighed as she left the office. Bryan approached her. “Hey. Samantha and Whiskey asked us to join them for dinner at Ty’s tonight.”
“I’m sorry. Tess asked me to help her with Tamale when she gets off work. I won’t get done until at least six-thirty,” she apologized.
“They asked to meet at six. I can ask them to delay it for thirty minutes and we have some business to discuss. Why don’t you tell me what to order and I’ll place it when you head down?” Bryan suggested.
“How about I text you when I’m done? Then, we can see how late it runs. I don’t want to rush Tess,” she explained.
Bryan nodded and started returning the items to their places in the training area. Allie retrieved Hero and started with the different floor textures. Bryan’s phone rang and he moved to the side to answer it while she started training. A minute later, he jogged toward her. “I need to make a business call. I’ll meet you at Ty’s.”
“I’ll see you then,” she nodded. Bryan gazed at her lips and bent, brushing his mouth against them. When he straightened, his eyes seemed darker.
“I can’t wait,” Bryan whispered as his hand caressed her arm, sending a shiver down her. She watched as he walked out the door. Her hand went to her lips, still feeling the electric tingle from when their mouths met.
She turned toward Hero with a lightness in her step, realizing she felt more for Bryan than she cared to admit.
At five, Tess rolled into the facility with Tamale at her side.
“Hi, Allie,” she said as she approached.
“Hey. I got your message about Tamale. What’s the matter?”
Tess gazed at her service dog. “I don’t know. He whines for no reason and keeps staring at me. When I give him a task, he doesn’t want to leave me.”
“Do you feel stressed about anything, more than usual? Did you change any medications? Sometimes, dogs pick up on those things,” Allie informed her.
“I’m dealing with some stress, but I don’t know how to command him to stop,” Tess admitted.
Allie knelt before her friend. “Listen to him. Tamale can sense more than we can. Sometimes, we need to take a deep breath, give an extra cuddle, reassure, and wait until it passes. It sometimes makes us slow our own emotions down.”
“You don’t think anything’s wrong with him?” Tess asked as she stared at her four-legged friend.
“Why don’t we run him through his exercises? Does he get enough play time?”
Tess glanced at her lap. “I’m not living on the mountain. I moved to an apartment in Seattle. I take him to the courtyard to play, except for rainy days. He seems to whine more then.”
Allie nodded. “Why don’t I send you home with a few snuffle toys and activity balls? Animals get bored like we humans do. If you release Tamale for playtime and he’s bored, he’ll focus more on you. Why don’t we give him some free time? He and Hemi can play. You can come here after work and let Tamale run inside if it’s raining or in the fenced-in field.”
Tess gave a slight smile. “Thanks, Allie.”
Allie gave Hemi his signal and threw a big red ball. Tamale waited until Tess released him before taking off. The women laughed.
“Rumor has it, you’ve disappeared several evenings with Bryan Jennings and was spotted out and about in the gossiping town of Serenity, where no one gets away from the wagging tongues,” Tess teased.
Allie grinned. “He asked me to show him around. His company’s expanding.”
“You move here, and no one’s seen you socialize until Bryan shows up. I think you like him,” Tess surmised.
Allie felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she glanced away. “You know why I don’t date.”
Tess cocked her head and stared sadly at her. “If you find a love worth fighting for, do it. You’ll never know what you might miss. Even if it’s only for a little while, you’ll keep the feeling in your heart forever.”
“I thought I already found love. Unfortunately, Greg didn’t accept my medical condition or my dog. Having an invisible disability makes it hard sometimes for people to see you as sick until the bubble of reality smacks them upside the head. I’m having a good time while it lasts,” Allie defended.
“Then why go out with him? I saw how he watches you. Bryan likes you, Allie. Don’t you owe it to him to tell him the truth and let him decide for himself?”
Allie swallowed. For the last few weeks, she had felt on a never-ending high and looked forward to seeing him. She didn’t want Bryan to see her differently, but reality promised to hit, and she didn’t want to think about what happened then.