Chapter 13 - Scarlett
THIRTEEN
SCARLETT
Three days later, the autopilot I’m used to running on feels more depressing than usual. Even my classes aren’t enough to bring me out of the haze I’ve sunken into. Instead of them being a flicker of excitement on my usually drab days, they just make me feel…desperate for more.
I think that’s why Nico’s comment about fostering continues to roll around in my head.
I don’t think I’d be ready for a pet in my apartment just yet, but there are temporary fosters, right?
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen videos of people taking dogs out of the shelter for an afternoon. That could be fun…
A quick search tells me there’s a meet-and-greet hosted by a local rescue this weekend.
It’s only a two-hour event, and they’re desperate for volunteers.
If they needed people to work hands-on with the animals, I don’t think I’d be able to talk myself into it, but when I see they need a few people to assist with admin duties, it’s less of an inner debate to make my decision.
It only takes a few clicks to register as an assistant.
And now I have three days to panic about this commitment I’ve made on a whim.
By the time Sunday morning rolls around, and I’m sitting in a taxi on my way to the event, my nerves have only tripled. What was I thinking? Why would I step out of my routine like this?
Sundays are normally my off days. Not that they look much different than my other days—besides the not seeing clients part. But knowing what I have to look forward to has been a comfort. Today’s shaking me more than I thought it would.
When the taxi stops at the event, I’m breathing heavily and about to ask the driver to turn around. I shouldn’t be here. I add no value here. I’m not even wearing the right clothes, why did I think I should wear a sundress to an event like this? I need to leave. I—
And then I see him. Nico.
He’s kneeling in front of a golden retriever whose tail is going a mile a minute, who can’t stop licking Nico’s face long enough to let the man get his balance. Sure enough, he goes down with a loud laugh, disappearing behind a cloud of yellow fur.
My breathing slows. So does my heartrate.
“Thank you,” I tell the driver, passing some cash over his shoulder. “Keep the change.”
My feet carry me to Nico before I can think better of it. I stop thinking about how I should be questioning why a client is in the same space as I am, or that I need to check in to do the job I signed up for—I just need to be around him. Just for a second.
Nico’s managed to right himself to a somewhat standing position, still bent over and petting the golden, when he spots me. His eyes go wide.
“Red,” he says, straightening. “You’re… You’re here.”
“You’re here,” I say in an accusing tone. But it’s playful. “Should I be worried you’re stalking me?”
His eyes go wider. “What? No!”
I gesture around the parking lot where there are two dozen dogs and their foster parents. “So dropping a foster idea last time I saw you was pure coincidence?”
He’s adorable when he blushes. “It is. I swear. My brother set this up as a PR thing.” That blush deepens. “Not that I don’t do this at home, too. I love dogs. I help rescue organizations all the time. This has nothing to do with you.”
I give him a small smile to let him know I don’t actually think he intended for this to happen. “I believe you. But it is a funny coincidence.”
Something occurs to him, and he frowns. “Wait. Have you done this before? Or did you really come here because of what I said?”
Now it’s my turn to blush. “I really came here because of what you said,” I admit quietly.
He practically beams. “Amazing. Are you planning to foster? Because if so, I’ve got the perfect good boy for you right here…”
I let out a laugh at that. “I should’ve known you’d be good at this. That dimple is far too persuasive.” Proving my point, he flashes me a crooked smile. “But no, that’s not why I’m here. I signed up to help.”
“Ah. Well, that’s good, too. Do you know where you’re stationed?”
I shake my head. “I just got here. I need to check in.”
Nico looks around the parking lot. “I think the organizer is at the front desk inside the shelter. I can come with you to—oh, here she comes.”
I turn to see the woman whose face is plastered on every post for the rescue organization. When our eyes meet, she smiles.
“Hi, there. Are you here as a foster parent, adoptive parent, or volunteer?”
“Volunteer,” I tell her. “I’m—”
Suddenly, my gaze shoots to Nico.
I registered under my real name for this. The name Nico doesn’t know.
I could probably pull the lady aside, make up some lie about needing to change my name for security reasons. I doubt they’d care, or even ask any questions.
Or I could give her my real name. With Nico standing right here.
I’ve never given a client my real name. It’s always been an easy level of protection, one I’ve never even thought to reconsider. But with Nico…
Do I want to keep hiding myself from him?
The answer comes in the split-second it takes these thoughts to fly through my head. I hold Nico’s gaze as I tell the organizer, “My name is Scarlett. I registered as a volunteer.”
Nico’s eyes widen as understanding dawns.
Then...he grins.
“Oh, perfect, we were just finishing assigning positions,” the organizer says, oblivious to us as she looks down at her paper.
“The foster parents are fine as holders, and I think we have the front desk covered to handle signups, but…” She looks up, searching for something, and immediately brightens when her gaze locks on Nico.
“Oh, Nicholas! There you are. How’s it going meeting the dogs? ”
I quirk an eyebrow at him when he stops beside me. Nicholas? I mouth.
He shrugs, that damn dimple making another appearance. “It’s great, Mrs. Ross. I think I managed to introduce myself to everyone.”
“Perfect. In that case…” She turns her attention to me. “Would you be okay with helping Nicholas conduct interviews of our harder fosters?”
My brow furrows in confusion. “He’s interviewing the dogs?”
I turn when Nico chuckles beside me. “I’m just shooting some videos for socials. It’s basically a few minutes per dog, petting them, telling viewers about them, that kind of thing.”
I look back at the organizer. “Do I need to be on camera?” Because that’s a giant no.
She’s already shaking her head. “No, of course not, dear. We just need someone holding the camera.” She seems to finally clue in to my hesitation—I thought I’d be handing out papers or something, not spending more time with a client—so she adds, “Or I could put you at the front desk and ask one of the other girls to help Nico?”
“I’ll do it,” I blurt out. Too fast. “I mean, as long as I’m not in the video, I can help.” Suddenly unsure, I glance at Nico. “If you’re okay with that.”
His grin couldn’t be bigger. “More than okay.”
Why does that make me giddy? “Okay,” I whisper.
“Great,” he chirps, grabbing my hand. “Then I’ve got the perfect little puppy to introduce you to…”
A minute later, I’m staring down at the biggest dog I’ve ever seen. “This is a puppy?”
Nico nods as he squats down to pet what I’m assuming is a Great Dane. “Yup. Nine months. He’ll get even bigger, believe it or not.” Looking up at me, he smiles. “Wanna pet him?”
I’m doubting if I made the right call coming here. I’ve never been around animals, never had a pet of my own. I just always liked how people talked about their pets. I liked the idea of how they love their human unconditionally.
Nico must sense my hesitation because he stands up, sobering. “Here,” he says softly, reaching for my hand again. Slowly, he extends it toward the Great Dane. “Just let him smell you first. He’s a good boy.”
I wait with bated breath as the puppy sniffs my hand, seeming just as unsure of me as I feel about him.
“You can read their body language the same way you can read people,” Nico murmurs. “If their ears are back, or he looks tense, or too still, then I wouldn’t recommend petting them. But if they—”
A giant tongue shoots out to lick the entire length of my hand.
I shriek and jump back, but the shout quickly becomes laughter.
“He likes you,” Nico says as I extend my hand again, this time to pet the dog’s head.
“I like him too,” I say with a soft smile.
It takes me a minute to realize I’m still petting the dog, and that Nico is watching me do it. Blushing, I pull my hand back.
“So… How do you want to do these interviews?”
Taking the phone from his back pocket—he’s wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, looking entirely too delicious—he unlocks his phone and hands it to me. “Just press record and aim it at me and the dog. I’ll do the rest.”
Perplexed, I stare at the phone. “Did you just hand a girl your unlocked phone?”
He grins at me. “Dig through whatever you’d like, baby. I have no secrets.”
My eyes narrow at him. “That’s a little terrifying.”
He shrugs. “I’m not interesting enough for secrets.”
“Well, we know that’s not true,” I mutter, swiping open the camera app. I don’t miss Nico’s chuckle.
For the next five minutes, I record Nico as he pets the Great Dane and chats with the dog’s foster parent.
He’s a natural, with both the dogs and the interviews in front of the camera.
He gets the most playful side of the dog, and he asks the important questions of the parent.
By the time I press stop on the recording, I completely understand why his fans love him.
He’s everything genuine and lovable in a professional athlete.
“Alright, who’s next?” I ask when he leads me across the parking lot.
“This,” he says, “is Bossman. Boss for short. He’s forty-five pounds of lovable micro bully.”
But for some reason, Boss doesn’t go for Nico. He goes for me. He trots over on his tiny legs and presses his flat face directly into my thigh.