Chapter 5
FIVE
RENARD
My wolf hadn't shut up since the night at the bar.
Find him. Talk to him.
I'd tried everything. I’d done extra sessions at the gym and been for long runs. I’d even tried meditation which lasted about thirty seconds before my wolf started pacing again. Nothing worked.
Monday morning, I gave up fighting it. Maybe if I went to the park, just to clear my head, my wolf would settle down. Julian probably wouldn’t be there. I wasn’t going because of him.
Liar.
I ignored him.
There were people on lunch breaks at the park, but nowhere near the weekend crowd. I walked the familiar path, trying to find that focus I usually got from being here.
My wolf perked up and even without looking, I knew he’d seen them.
Julian was near the water with four dogs this time. I recognized Bailey immediately. She seemed to have decided I was worth her attention. The other three were new to me.
This time I didn’t turn around or finish my walk on a different path and go home. Instead, I moved closer.
Julian was crouched next to Bailey with his hand on her side. The dog was panting heavily and her whole body was tense. Even from a distance, I could hear her whining.
Help him.
I was already jogging toward them when Bailey started vomiting.
Julian's head snapped up. My heart paused for a beat as I gazed at his panicked face. He pulled out his phone with shaking hands, trying to manage the other leashes while keeping Bailey close.
"Hey, Rita? I need help. Bailey's sick. She's vomiting and she won't stop panting." He listened for a moment. "No, I don't know when. She was fine an hour ago but yes, I'm at the park. Can you reach Mrs. Walker?”
I stopped a few feet away. I could almost see the stress rolling off Julian and like me, my wolf was on edge.
"Julian."
He glanced up. Relief flashed across his face before he frowned and his lower lip quivered. "Renard. Bailey's sick. I think she might have eaten something she wasn’t supposed to."
Bailey vomited again. I screwed up my nose at the dark brown mess on the grass. The smell hit me immediately and my wolf and I knew what had made her sick.
Chocolate.
"When did she eat chocolate?" I crouched down beside him, keeping my voice calm.
"I don't know. Maybe before I picked her up?" Julian's hand was trembling on Bailey's back. "Oh gods, what if it was a lot? What if—"
"She needs a vet."
"Rita's trying to reach Mrs. Walker for permission." He checked his messages. "She's not answering and I’m not sure if the emergency clause in the contract allows us to take her to the vet."
"My car's close. I can drive you." I took hold of Bailey's leash. "But she needs help now, not in twenty minutes when someone calls you back."
The emergency vet clinic was fifteen minutes away. I drove while Julian sat in the back with Bailey, murmuring reassurances that did nothing to hide the fear in his voice. The other three dogs were sitting beside Julian looking at the window.
At the clinic, the vet tech rushed Bailey back. Julian started to follow, but they stopped him.
"We'll take good care of her. The vet will be out to talk to you soon."
And then we were alone in the waiting room. One by one the three other dog owners collected their pets from him. Julian sank into a plastic chair with his head in his hands.
"This is my fault. I should have noticed something was wrong earlier."
"You got her here. That's what matters."
His voice cracked. "Mrs. Walker trusted me with her dog."
I sat beside him, close enough that our shoulders almost touched and I could smell his shampoo mixed with the park scent combined with a hint of puppy. "Most dogs recover from chocolate poisoning if they're treated quickly."
"How do you know that?"
"I looked into it once after a scare with a teammate's dog." One of the guys on the team had nearly lost his husky to chocolate last year.
Julian really looked at me for the first time since we'd gotten to the clinic. His eyes were red-rimmed, and there was a streak of dirt on his jaw from handling the dogs. "Thank you for driving us. I know you probably had other things to do."
My wolf wouldn't have let me walk away even if I'd wanted to.
Julian kept checking his phone for updates from his office. His knee was bouncing with nervous energy. Every few seconds, his hand would rub the back of his neck. I wanted to reach over and still that movement and I’d whisper that Bailey would be okay.
"How did you become a dog walker?" I wanted to get his mind off Bailey.
Julian raised a brow. "That's random."
"We're going to be here a while."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Fair point.
" He leaned back in the chair, and his shoulder pressed against mine.
He didn't move away. "I graduated with a degree in early childhood education.
The plan was to become a teacher. I did student teaching and I loved kids but hated the bureaucracy including the paperwork and the standardized tests. "
"So you switched to dogs."
"I needed a job while I figured out what to do next. A friend worked for a dog walking company and mentioned they were hiring. I figured it was temporary." He shrugged, and his shoulder brushed on mine again. "That was three years ago."
"You obviously like it."
"I love it." His voice had more depth when he talked about his work. "The dogs are adorable, the schedule's flexible, and I get to be outside instead of stuck inside.” He paused. "Though days like this make me question my choices."
"Bailey's going to be okay."
"You don't know that."
I did. My shifter hearing picked up the sounds from the back room. Bailey's heartbeat was strong and her breathing was steadier than it had been in the car.
Julian studied me. "You're very calm for someone who just drove a stranger and a sick dog to the emergency vet."
"I don't think we're strangers anymore."
The tension in his expression slipped away.
"No," he said quietly. "I guess we're not."
He was still looking at me, and I couldn't look away. That smudge of dirt on his cheekbone needed to be brushed off and I wanted to be the one to do it. His hair was messy, probably from running his hands through it.
"What?" Julian asked and touched his cheek.
"You have dirt on your face."
He wiped at the wrong cheek. "Did I get it?"
"Other side."
He tried again and missed. I reached over and brushed my thumb across his cheekbone.
"There." I pulled my hand back.
"Thanks." There was color in his cheeks that hadn't been there before.
We sat with our shoulders touching. His scent was a little different without the panic underneath. I was tempted to lean closer and figure out if it was his body wash or just him.
The vet came out twenty minutes later with good news. Bailey had been given activated charcoal and was on IV fluids. She'd need to stay for observation, but the prognosis was good.
Julian's relief was immediate. He took a deep breath and grinned. I pictured the tension draining out of him.
"Thank you. When can Mrs. Walker come get her?"
"We'll keep her overnight for monitoring. You can have the owner call us to arrange a pickup tomorrow."
After the vet left, Julian pulled out his phone. "I should call Rita and Mrs. Walker." He managed a shaky smile. "And probably cry a little, but I'll save that for when I'm alone."
"You held it together."
"Barely." He looked at me. "Seriously, thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there."
He would have driven or called an Uber. He was resourceful and would have figured it out. "I'm glad I could help."
We walked out to the parking lot. "I can drop you wherever you need to go," I offered.
"The van is still at the park."
The drive was non-eventful. Julian kept glancing at me, and I inhaled his scent which was more potent in the confines of the car. I couldn’t help noticing his knee was inches from mine.
When we pulled up at the van, Julian didn't immediately get out. He placed his hand on the door handle.
"It's complicated," I said. I hadn’t planned on saying that.
"What is?" Julian asked.
"The thing that’s stopping me from you know." I couldn't look at him.
"From opening up more?” There was no accusation in his voice.
"Yeah."
"It's okay." He grinned. "I'm pretty patient."
Then he got out, but before he closed the door, he leaned back in.
"Next time you want to almost kiss me in a hallway, maybe actually do it."
Then he was gone and I sat in my car trying to remember how to breathe.
My wolf was purring with satisfaction.
He wants you. Even without understanding what you are.
I drove home with Julian's words echoing in my head. There might be a next time. He was giving me permission to try again.
And gods help me, I wanted to.