Chapter 3Rose
Chapter 3
Rose
I couldn’t help myself.
As we were walking the few blocks back to the Chocolate Lab, I had a ton of questions for Rafe. All about Princess, of course.
Sure, I should’ve been asking more about his coffee-roasting background, beyond what Pete had shared. Yeah, I could’ve been finding out how he planned to get my roastery up and running again. Or I could’ve been quizzing him on his experience with computerizing inventory.
No, I was peppering him with questions about his rescue pup. Because, well, dogs.
And maybe because I was curious?
How did this muscular beast of a guy end up being a girl-dad? Was Princess as dainty and as demanding as her name implied? Did she bark when she got excited, like he did?
I ran-walked alongside Rafe—I had long legs, but I could barely keep up—and threw my nosy questions at his profile.
“So, where’s Princess right now?”
“She’s hanging out with Pete at his place.”
“Will she be with Pete when you’re working at the roastery?”
Rafe side-eyed me. “No….she’ll be with me. Not in the roastery, of course. I’ll park my pickup nearby, and she’ll stay on her blanket throne in the back of the cab.”
“Blanket throne? Oh, right, right, she’s a princess. I’m picturing cashmere blankets and silk sheets embroidered in gold with tiny tiaras.”
He smirked. “Not quite that over-the-top, but still pretty comfortable. That way, on my breaks, I can take her around the block, feed her, and give her water.”
I frowned. Typically, Rafe would be working four-to-six-hour shifts, four to five days a week. Would Princess be okay stuck in his pickup for that long with just short breaks?
They’d obviously done this before, so I kept that particular question to myself. But I snuck in a few more before we got back to the café.
“How is Princess with other dogs?”
“Good, as long as there’s plenty of time for get-acquainted sniffs. She rat-packed around with a bunch of other camp dogs for her first year or two.”
“How about people?”
Rafe grinned, the smile going all the way to his beautiful blue eyes. “Well, she is a princess. She’s a bit imperious, and she expects you to obey her every command. You have to earn her trust.”
I smiled right back. “I can hardly wait to meet Her Highness!”