Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
“ I t’s not too late to back out now,” Neil said as I approached him in the apartment building carpark on Friday morning.
I screwed up my face in mock disdain. “What makes you think I’d want to back out?”
Neil just smirked in that cocky way of his. “Get in,” he said, opening the car door.
I had dressed in old jeans with a hole in one knee, sneakers, and a baggy black t-shirt tucked in at the waist. I wore my hair pulled back in a messy pony. Neil sported a similar ensemble: jeans and a t-shirt. His usual luxury watch was absent from his wrist, and he lugged a backpack over one shoulder. He hadn’t shaved for the occasion, the greying stubble on his chin, throat, and cheeks eliciting a thrill in me.
I flung a bag containing wet-weather gear and a packed lunch into the car, then slid into the passenger seat. As Neil drove me to the animal shelter, he ran through what to expect. His confidence on the subject made it clear he knew what he was talking about.
“You’ve done this before,” I said.
“I adopted Bowey and Chichi from the shelter not long after I arrived in New Zealand. Since then, I’ve volunteered a few times.”
“So, this is how you spend your days off…”
“I wouldn’t go that far. I just help out occasionally.”
“You must really love animals.”
“I do.”
Of course, I already knew that. His affection for his two cats was evidence enough.
As we entered the motorway, the sky turned a deeper shade of grey, and raindrops began to batter the windscreen.
“Great day for it,” Neil said.
The wipers squeaked against the windscreen as I watched city high-rises give way to suburban sprawl.
When we arrived at the facility—an austere building on the outskirts of the western suburb of Henderson—Neil ushered me inside, the smell of wet dog wafting over me. An elderly woman emerged from a room behind the counter. Her greying hair was pulled back in a low bun, and she wore a polo shirt embroidered with the shelter’s logo.
Her wrinkled face lit up when she saw us. “Neil! So wonderful to see you again.”
Neil returned a polite smile. “Good morning, Margaret.”
I made the connection at once. This was the lady who had sent Neil the dog plush toy.
“Thank you so much for volunteering today. You already do so much with your generous donations.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
Donations? So he donates as well…
My heart fluttered at yet more evidence of Neil’s kindness and generosity.
Margaret turned her attention to me. “And this must be—” She drew a blank and looked at Neil for support.
“My…” Neil started. “Amelia.” His face coloured.
My Amelia.
It sounded nice, even if he hadn’t intended it to come out that way.
“Nice to meet you, Margaret,” I said.
“Nice to meet you too.” Margaret clasped her veiny hands together. “Right. Let me take you through.”
She led us down a dim corridor lined with locked doors. Faint barks and whimpers emitted from behind them. A young woman with short hair and a side-swept fringe sat at a table, reading an old magazine. She had fair skin, a smattering of freckles across her nose, and bright green eyes.
“This is Jade, one of our longest serving team members,” Margaret said. “Jade, this is Amelia, and of course, you already know Neil.”
Jade stood to greet us. “Hey.” She beamed.
“Jade will show you around and assign your tasks for the day,” Margaret said before retreating back to reception.
“Let’s get you started,” Jade said. “I’m going to put you both on canine today, since that’s what Neil has the most experience with, and we need a lot of help. We’ll start with a tour, then I’ll introduce you to some of our dogs. They’ll be excited to get some attention.”
Jade showed us around the kennels, infirmary, grooming room, and indoor and outdoor play areas. The shelter housed around thirty dogs, mostly larger, mixed breeds.
Jade led us to a row of kennels. The dogs erupted into eager barks and whimpers at our arrival. I cooed at a dog with a fluffy coat as it strained against the gate of its pen. Neil watched on with a hint of a smile.
“Let’s take a few of them out to the field so you can get acquainted,” Jade said.
Neil and I put on our rain jackets and gumboots before going outside. In the grassy field, moist with continued drizzle, Jade released six dogs of various sizes and breeds. They frolicked around us, vying for head pats and belly rubs. A black Labrador nuzzled at my hands until I gave her the attention she desired. Meanwhile, Neil stood back, allowing the dogs to come to him. A pair of pit bulls arrived at his feet, tails wagging. Neil rewarded them with gentle strokes along their backs.
While the dogs familiarised themselves with us, Jade fetched a bunch of leads.
“Time for the fun part,” she said upon her return. “Walking the dogs. Do you have any experience with walking dogs, Amelia?”
“No, I must admit I don’t.”
“Don’t worry.” She clipped leads onto the collars of two terriers with perky ears and button noses. “I’m sure you can handle these little ones.”
I felt the excited dogs yank the leads as she passed them to me. I tightened my grip.
Next, she leashed the four largest dogs and passed the reins to Neil. “Since you have more experience, you can take this rowdy group.”
Neil nodded. “Not a problem.”
“There are doggy-doo bags on the leads and rubbish bins situated around the track. Give the small dogs at least two laps around the trail, and the big dogs will need at least three.”
Jade flicked up the latch on the gate and opened it, revealing a walking trail which looped around the perimeter of the property. I wrangled my yappy pair through the gate, Neil and his pack following behind me.
“Have fun!” Jade said as she closed the gate behind us.
The rain continued, dusting my jacket with glistening beads of water. The ground was slick with mud under my boots. Neil’s group of large dogs dragged him along with boisterous energy. Within seconds, they were far ahead, disappearing from view into the trees. I took my time with the small dogs, letting them sniff and explore at their own meandering pace, their paws leaving dainty prints in the mud.
I completed one lap of the track with no issues apart from the expected task of having to pick up and dispose of dog poo. But on my second lap, I came into trouble.
One dog veered from the path, nose to the ground. I stepped sideways to follow its lead, my foot landing in a patch of sloppy mud. My boot sank in up to the ankle. I tried to take another step but lost my balance, toppling backwards into the mud. My clothes soaked through in an instant.
The cheeky dog stared at me, head cocked. Its shiny coat was pristine compared to my muddy state.
“Why, you little…” I muttered, scrambling to stand.
The other dog let out a sneeze, as if laughing at my mishap. I grimaced.
Squelching footsteps approached. Neil emerged through the trees, the dogs at the ends of his leads tugging him along. He surveyed me up and down, eyes gleaming with mirth. “What happened to you?”
“Oh, shut up,” I snapped, cheeks burning. “One of these dogs led me off the path.”
Neil bit his lip, holding back a grin. “Do you want me to take over with these two?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Neil stepped closer. “You know, it’s not too late to admit defeat, call it quits?—”
“Absolutely not!” I huffed.
His lips twitched. “If you insist.”
We finished up the walk, then left the dogs in the enclosed field for the staff to attend to before heading back inside the shelter. I ditched my muddy gumboots by the door and hung my wet jacket on a coat hook. My clothes underneath were soaked as well, clinging to my body and dripping dirty water on the lino floor. I shivered, my teeth chattering.
Neil tsked. “Look at you.”
I brushed off his teasing remark. “I think I’m gonna need some time to dry off.”
Jade caught up with us momentarily. She took one look at me and chuckled. “Rookie mistake. It gets real slippery out there in the rain. Did you bring a spare change of clothes?”
I frowned. “No. I didn’t.”
“I did,” Neil said. He took his backpack off its hook, unzipped it, and pulled out a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a towel. He offered them to me with a smug look on his face.
“Thanks.”
It struck me that this was my second time engaging in the intimate act of borrowing clothes from him, but I was too grateful to be embarrassed about it.
With my arms loaded with the dry clothes and towel, I made my way to the restroom to clean up. The sight of a shower stall drew a sigh of relief from me. I peeled off my dirty, wet clothes, then submerged myself under the shower’s hot spray. In a matter of minutes, I was clean, warm, and dry. I left my dirty clothes hanging over the shower door as I changed into Neil’s sweatpants and t-shirt. The clothes were ill-fitting, but far better than the alternative. I pulled the draw cord of the pants tight around my waist and tucked the loose t-shirt in to control the excess fabric. The result was serviceable, though unstylish. If I squinted at my reflection in the mirror, I did look kind of cute, in a “boyfriend’s clothes” type of way—ignoring the fact that Neil wasn’t my boyfriend.
“Knock, knock,” Jade said, tapping on the bathroom door.
“Come in.”
Jade entered, brandishing a bucket full of water. “Chuck your dirty clothes in here to soak.”
“Good idea. Thanks.”
She looked me up and down. “Good thing your man came prepared, eh?”
I choked. “My man ?”
“Neil, of course. You’re together, aren’t you?” She bit her tongue. “Wait, am I wrong?”
“He’s my boss! This is a work thing. A volunteering day. I’m his secretary.”
Jade’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? I’m sorry, I just assumed it from the way you two look at each other and interact. You seem so close.” She eyed me sceptically. “And you’re wearing his clothes right now.”
She had a point, but still…
“Plus, you bicker and tease each other like an old married couple. It’s very cute.”
“C-cute?”
Jade chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything in front of Neil. But are you sure there’s nothing going on between you?”
“There’s nothing going on between us.”
“If you say so,” she singsonged as she sauntered out.
I finished up in the bathroom, Jade’s words echoing in my head as I dropped my dirty outfit in the bucket to soak.
Do we really look like a couple?
I reminded myself that it wasn’t the first time we had been mistaken as such. We looked good together—even Neil had said so. I stared dreamily into the mirror, imagining what it would be like if we really were a couple. Walking hand in hand with him, kissing him, waking up next to him…
My daydream came to an abrupt halt when the door scraped open behind me, and a staff member entered the restroom. I took that as my cue to leave and get back to work.
I found Neil waiting for me in the break room, two mugs of tea prepared on the table. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly when he saw me swimming in his oversized sweatpants and t-shirt. “I see the spare clothes worked out,” he said, his voice sounding slightly strained.
“I would have brought my own change of clothes if you had warned me to, you know.”
“I thought that would have been common sense.”
I huffed, then sighed, my shoulders slackening. “Well, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
I tucked my still-damp hair behind my ears self-consciously as Neil’s gaze drifted over me. Something unreadable flickered in his eyes before he seemed to catch himself staring and looked away. “Of course,” he said. “I’m glad I could help.”
He busied himself adding milk to the mugs of tea, though he couldn’t seem to suppress a faint grin. Seeing me dressed in his clothes always seemed to rattle him. I wondered if he found it attractive. Now there was an interesting thought…
My face grew warm, exacerbated by the recent exchange with Jade and my little girlfriend-and-boyfriend fantasy.
“Here. This will warm you up,” Neil said, nudging one of the mugs towards me.
“Thanks.”
I wrapped my cold hands around the hot surface, absorbing its warmth. The heat spread through me with each sip of sweet, milky tea.
“I’m glad you’ve recovered,” Neil said. “That was quite a fall you took back there.”
I shot him a glare for bringing it up again. “Don’t pretend like you weren’t two seconds from falling in the mud yourself with those dogs dragging you every which way.”
Neil laughed. “Fair point.”
His hearty laugh made my insides turn to mush. I grinned stupidly back at him, feeling like falling in the mud had been worth it just to hear that laugh. Neil’s eyes locked with mine. He bit his lip. I almost forgot to breathe.
Caught in the moment, I didn’t notice Jade poke her head into the room. She cleared her throat. “Am I interrupting something?”
I broke eye contact with Neil.
“Not at all,” Neil said smoothly.
“Just wanted to let you know the kennels are ready to be cleaned whenever you’re done with your tea.” Jade looked between us, an impish grin on her face. “But take your time!”
She disappeared from the doorway with a wink. I avoided Neil’s eyes, suddenly very interested in my mug of tea.
The pungent smell of ammonia stung my nostrils when we returned to the kennels. Jade demonstrated the cleaning process, spraying down the concrete floors and scrubbing them, then replacing the bedding with fresh blankets.
Armed with buckets, hoses, and sponges, Neil and I got to work. I took my time, ensuring every speck of grime was erased. Meanwhile, Neil rushed through the task with broad strokes, finishing each kennel in half the time it took me. We didn’t talk much, except when we took a moment to inspect each other’s work.
“You missed a spot,” I teased.
“Done is better than perfect,” Neil retorted.
When Jade came by to survey our efforts, she nodded in satisfaction at my spotless kennel floors but shook her head at the corners Neil had neglected. “Next time, be a bit more thorough.”
“My mistake,” Neil said. “I’ll try harder.”
I shot him a triumphant look, and he eyed me back like, “Don’t push it.”
We took a break to eat lunch, then returned to clean more kennels. I was exhausted by the end of it, but I wasn’t about to let Neil know it.
“You two have worked so hard today,” Jade said. “But I hope you’ll stay and play with the dogs a while before you leave.”
“Of course we will,” I said, without consulting with Neil. Even though I was tired, this was the part I had most been looking forward to, so I wasn’t going to pass it up.
Jade beamed, pumping her fist. “All right. It’s play time!”
With her arms full of toys and treats, she led us to a wide open area with indoor and outdoor sections, where several dogs were relaxing, including some we had walked earlier. The rain had stopped, and sunbeams extended from gaps between the clouds.
I settled on the floor inside. The two small dogs from earlier approached tentatively before recognition sparked in their beady eyes. Their tails wagged, thumping against the floor. I offered them treats, and they nibbled from my palm, their warm tongues tickling my skin.
Meanwhile, Neil played ball with a couple of German shepherds. They scampered after the ball, returning it dutifully to Neil’s feet each time, gazing up at him with wide, adoring eyes. Neil ruffled their pointed ears, eliciting contented tail wags. I couldn’t decide which was more adorable—Neil, or the dogs.
Over the course of the afternoon, I received my fair share of sniffs and licks, but one dog stayed slumped in the corner, ignoring all the treats and toys. He was a sad-looking dog with scruffy salt-and-pepper fur, droopy ears, and mournful brown eyes. While the other dogs vied for my affection, this one kept to himself, resigned to his solitude.
Drawn to the lonely dog, I cautiously approached him. “Hey there, little fella,” I said, offering a pat.
He wearily accepted my hand with a soft grunt. I thought maybe he wanted to be left alone, but when I moved away from him, he trailed after me, and when I sat down, he rested his head in my lap.
Jade came up beside me. “Awww. I see you’ve made friends with Archibald. He’s one of our longest residents. Been here for over a year now.”
“How come he hasn’t been adopted?”
Jade’s expression turned sombre. “He’s an old dog, and he has some health issues.”
“But he’s such a sweetheart.” I stroked my hand through his short, dark fur, slightly coarse to the touch.
Jade smiled. “He’s taken a liking to you. He’s usually very shy and reserved.”
Neil walked over to us, joining in our conversation and fuss over Archibald.
“Good boy,” Neil said, scratching him behind his ears.
“Gosh. He likes you too,” Jade said. “Two friends for Archibald in one day. It’s a new record.”
“What’s his story?” Neil asked.
“It’s a sad one. His owner was an elderly man who passed away in his home and wasn’t discovered for several days. During this time, Archibald was left with no access to food or water. He was starving and dehydrated when someone finally found him. His owner had no family who could take him, so he was sent here.”
“The poor thing,” I said. “No wonder he’s so timid and withdrawn.”
“I hope someone will come along and offer him a forever home soon. There’s only so much we can do for him here.”
Archibald nuzzled against my palm, looking up at me with his big, forlorn eyes.
Ouch. My heart.
“I so wish I could adopt you,” I told him. “But I’m going overseas soon, so I can’t.”
“What breed is he?” Neil asked Jade.
“He’s a mix, but we think he must be part basset hound, wouldn’t you agree?”
Neil nodded. “He reminds me of a childhood pet.”
“Oh, really? What was your pet like?”
“He—” Neil hesitated, suddenly tense. His next words were strained. “It’s a painful subject. I’d rather not talk about it.”
The sudden display of fragility from him caught me off guard. Before I knew what I was doing, my hand was on his arm. To my surprise, I felt him lean in to my touch.
“I understand. Childhood memories can be a touchy subject.” Jade got to her feet. “Oh well. I better get back to the kennels now. It’s nearly feeding time. Come find me and say goodbye before you leave, won’t you?”
I nodded, then realising I was still touching Neil’s arm, I dropped my hand, embarrassment catching up with me.
Jade left. Beside me, Neil turned rigid and unemotional again. I wondered what had happened to his childhood pet to upset him so much. A heavy silence descended between us, unbroken until a yawn escaped my mouth.
“You’re tired,” Neil said. “We should get going soon.”
I gave Archibald one last rub between his ears and down his back before attempting to gently shift him from my lap. He let out a heart-wrenching whine in response.
“He knows we’re leaving him,” I said, pouting. “Poor old Archie… Oh! Neil, I just realised. His name—it matches. Archie, Bowey, Chichi. Isn’t that funny?”
Neil laughed. “I think that settles it. I’m going to adopt him.”