Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
One night was a lie.
Sam woke up Monday morning relegated to a small sliver of his bed, while Daisy snored softly next to him, her body spread across the majority of his bed. For a twenty-five-pound dog, she knew how to take up a lot of space.
“Your morning breath is horrible,” he grumbled, scratching her chest. Daisy sighed, unbothered.
On his nightstand, his phone lit up and buzzed. Sam groaned and rolled on to his side, checking the number. The area code matched the one Crane Cove and the surrounding areas used, so he decided to answer it.
“Hello?”
A chipper woman responded, “Hi, is this Sam?”
“That depends on who’s asking.”
“My name is Kiana, and I’m calling from the animal shelter. I understand you’re fostering a…” There was a pause. “A mixed-breed female named Daisy. Is that correct?”
“It is.”
Daisy gave him a dirty look that seemed to say that she was unhappy he’d woken her up, and she hopped off the bed, the sound of her nails clicking on the wood floors echoing through the room.
“Well, I’m happy to tell you we had some adoptions over the weekend so we can take Daisy this afternoon if you’re ready to bring her in.”
Sam’s heart plummeted like an elevator with a broken pulley mechanism. His chest shrank until there wasn’t enough room for his lungs and he couldn’t take a full breath.
You are not going to spiral , he chastised himself, clawing for calm. Breathe in. Hold, two, three, four. Breathe out, two, three, four.
The counting soothed him almost more than making sure he got adequate air. It felt like counting music.
“Sam? Are you still there?”
“Um, yeah. I am.” Sam sat up in bed and drew his knees to his chest. “Do I, um, have to bring her in?”
“No, you don’t need to bring her in,” Kiana said. “Does that mean you want to keep her?”
Was he ready for the responsibility of a dog? Was it responsible of him to keep a dog with his schedule commitments? Loving something immediately didn’t mean it was a good fit.
“Can I think about it?”
“How about this? You think about it and call me back at the end of the day. I’ll be around until five.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Fostering is an option too, Sam. You could hang on to her while we work to find her a home.”
The wave of anxiety rose like an approaching tsunami. Sam closed his eyes and focused on visualization, a technique he’d worked on with his therapist. If his anxiety was a wave, it would break before it hit him and he’d only be sprayed with mist.
“I’ll consider that too. Thank you for the call.”
“You’re welcome, Sam. Have a good day.”
Sam hung up and flopped back onto his pillow. No matter which way he turned, he was boxed in by an anxious thought. Was it selfish to keep Daisy? Was it cruel to give her away, not knowing what kind of home she would be going to?
Maybe Jordy wanted a dog.
Sam picked his phone up and found Jordy’s number in his favorite contacts. It rang three times before Jordy picked up.
“Oh, hello, stranger. Finally decided to call home?”
Sam rolled his eyes, but some tension leaked out of his shoulders at the sound of his best friend’s voice.
“If you weren’t so fucking obnoxious, maybe I’d call more.”
”You’re such a charming bastard.” Jordy chuckled. “What’s up?”
Sam rubbed an eye with the heel of his palm. “Any chance you want a dog?”
“Eventually, but not yet. Why?”
“Because I have one right now and I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” Sam blew out a tense breath. “She’s really cute.”
“Why’d you get a dog if you’re not sure you want one?” Jordy asked, the sound of a sink turning on and then off in the background.
Sam stared at the ceiling. He hadn’t told Jordy about Lacey—not officially. Odds were that he knew. Graham had probably called Jordy first when the rumor started floating around to see if he knew anything. Did he call her his girlfriend? Did he call her Lacey?
“My Lacey found her.” Smooth.
“Oooh. Your Lacey,” Jordy teased. “Why didn’t Lacey keep her?—Hmm?” Annie’s indistinct voice filtered through. “I don’t know, I’ll ask. Is this Lacey a tall blonde with great legs and no filter?”
“That is a very accurate description.” Especially the legs part.
Jordy confirmed Lacey’s identity, and this time Sam had no problem understanding the “Oh! I love her!”that followed.
“Annie says she loves Lacey,” Jordy relayed.
“Yeah, I heard.” It would be a more ringing endorsement if Annie didn’t have a big, generous heart. Then again, if Annie had said she didn’t like Lacey, that would’ve been a damning indictment. “So that’s a no to the dog?”
“That’s a no to the dog— Are you leaving?” The last part wasn’t directed at Sam. Jordy’s voice got slightly farther away. There was a pause, then, “Have a good day at work, sweetheart. I love you. No, Darnell volunteered to take me to PT. Yeah, no, we’re good. I love you.”
“Is Annie headed into work?”
“She is. Dr. Price going to shape young minds.” Jordy’s voice was borderline dreamy, and when he sighed he sounded like Daisy getting her belly rubbed.
“How’s that all going? Still happy you moved her in so quick?”
“I am over the moon, bud. It’s the best thing.” He could hear Jordy’s smile. “She’s amazing. I wake up every morning and wonder how I tricked her into this.”
“It’s not weird living with someone?”
Jordy had entered his late thirties without having ever been in a serious relationship. For a long time, not wanting serious romantic relationships was something they’d bonded over, and Sam hated that the adjustment had been harder for him than for Jordy.
“Not at all. But you’ve also got to remember that we lived together for a few weeks in the spring.”
“Yeah, but sharing space on vacation is a lot different from sharing your house.”
Jordy chuckled. “You’re right. My house has a lot more space than the lighthouse did.” There was the faint clink of silverware on ceramic. “So when were you going to tell me you got a girlfriend?”
“Why didn’t you ask when Graham told you?”
“Because I know you. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.” Jordy paused. “Did I just sell Graham out for telling me?”
“Tossed him directly under the bus.” Sam rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know. It’s all still new and we’re figuring it out. Telling you and Peter and Graham about someone feels like bringing them home when you’ve got kids. Remember when Graham brought Eloise home? It felt like a huge deal.”
“It was a huge deal. Speaking of bringing people home, are you going to Thanksgiving at Graham and Eloise’s? And are you bringing Lacey?”
Sam heard the faint sound of Daisy’s paw scratching the front door. Saved by the dog.
“Well, this has been fun, but I have to go let my dog out.”
“Chicken,” Jordy teased.
“I am absolutely running away from this conversation,” Sam confirmed with a soft smile. “Love you, man.”
“Love you too, bro. Stop being a stranger.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Nobody could say no to lunch and Daisy’s big brown eyes. At least that was what Sam hoped as he walked into the dance studio. Disco music blared, and he peeked inside the studio. Gavin was teaching a step aerobics class. The class was a mix of men and women, all from the retired regiment of Crane Cove.
“Pick up those knees!” he yelled into his microphone headset. “If you want that cute tush, you’ve got to push.”
Sam smiled and shook his head. Daisy pulled at her lead, and he turned to see where she wanted to go. Lacey emerged from the back office with a bagged salad in one hand and a fork in the other. Her eyes immediately went to the small cooler in his hand.
“Is that for me?” She mouthed and mimed because the music was so loud.
Sam nodded. Lacey dropped her salad in the trash and pointed to the office.
The disco music was muffled after Lacey closed the door behind them. Daisy’s tail wagged her entire body and her delicate paws pranced in place until Lacey crouched down to say hello. Then she unceremoniously flopped to the floor, playing dead from excitement and simultaneously requesting belly rubs.
“Silly girl,” Lacey cooed, acquiescing to the dog’s demands for affection. “What did your daddy bring me for lunch, hmm? Who’s a good girl? You’re a good girl.”
“Daddy brought chicken udon with a garlic peanut sauce, and Thai summer rolls, also with peanut sauce.”
It wasn’t until he saw Lacey’s devilish grin that his words filtered back to him. Heat radiated from his cheeks so hot he worried he’d cook his bones. He’d called himself daddy.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Lacey said. The combination of her on her knees and the silky sweet tone of her voice, like chocolate mousse, sent his circulatory system into panic mode. The blood couldn’t decide if it was supposed to be in his face or his cock.
“You’re not even curious about why I brought you food?” Sam asked, clearing his throat to try and loosen up his vocal chords because his voice had come out strained.
“You saved me from a clearance bagged salad. I wasn’t going to ruin this by being suspicious.” Lacey gave Daisy a few more pats on her side, then pushed herself up from the floor and into her chair. “Was I supposed to be suspicious?”
Sam handed her the small cooler. “I need a favor.”
“And you gave me the bribe first? Amateur.” Lacey unloaded her lunch and did a happy wiggle.
“You haven’t even tasted it yet,” Sam teased.
Lacey looked at him with a blank expression. “What?”
“You do that when you eat,” he said, and imitated her wiggle.
“I do n—” Lacey pursed her lips. “Okay. Maybe I do. But it’s good food and should be celebrated.” She swirled some noodles around her fork, then stabbed a piece of chicken. The first bite made her eyes roll back in her head. “Fuuuuck.”
“Shhh. People are going to think we’re having sex in here.”
“This is better than sex,” she said around a full mouth. Her eyes widened a fraction. “Oh, and it’s a little spicy. You’re fucking amazing.”
Since they’d had sex—great sex, too—Sam couldn’t decide if that was a compliment or a dig.
“So this favor,” Lacey prompted, loading up her second bite.
“I’m supposed to travel to New York on Thursday to record, and I was wondering if you could watch Daisy.”
Lacey raised her eyebrows. “You decided to keep her?”
“The shelter called this morning, and I couldn’t bring myself to give her up. I told them I’d think about it until the end of the day but…yeah, I’m keeping her.” Sam rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “So can you watch her for me?”
She frowned. “I can’t keep her at my house, remember?”
“You could stay at my house with her,” Sam suggested. “I’ll leave food and pay you.”
“How much?” she asked, taking another big bite .
“Five hundred?”
Lacey choked on her food, coughing for over a minute until she finally wheezed, “Five hundred dollars ?”
“Is that not enough? I’ve never had a pet before so I don’t really know what the rate is…”
“Nope. Five hundred would be great. Amazing. Are you sure, though? You don’t want to take her with you?”
Sam had considered that. He’d chartered a private plane to take him from the Florence Municipal Airport to New York City, so he could take Daisy with him. But he worried she’d be overwhelmed and stressed by air travel and the city. New York was a lot to take in as a human, so he couldn’t imagine how it would be for a dog who’d only lived in a small town. Besides, he was going to be incredibly busy during his trip, and he didn’t want to trust her to a dog walker.
“I thought about it, and I think we’d all be happier if she stayed at home with someone she knows.”
Daisy had her head on Lacey’s leg, wagging her tail every time Lacey even glanced at her, and licking her lips with her best starving puppy dog act.
“I’m not sharing,” Lacey told the dog. “Take up the people-food requests with your dad.”
”She might be a little confused because she, um, does get people food,” Sam admitted, a little embarrassed.
“Are you feeding her from the table? Because your food is really well seasoned and some of those seasonings might be bad for dogs.”
“No, I’m not feeding her from the table. I’ve been, um, making her food from scratch because she didn’t want the kibble Dr. McMahon gave us.”
Lacey looked down at Daisy with a serious expression. “Girl, you have hit the daddy jackpot. Do not screw this up. All your poops and pees go outside, and keep your mouth off his shoes, understand?”
Daisy pricked up her ears and tilted her head to the side.
“Can you be at my house at five on Thursday so we can do the hand off?”
Lacey gave him a sidelong look. “AM or PM?”
“PM. Obviously.”
She relaxed. “Oh, thank god.” She looked at the calendar posted on the wall. “Thursday…Yes, I can make that work.”
Outside the small office, the disco music stopped. Voices filtered through the door, and then the studio was quiet. The door burst open dramatically and Daisy jumped, scrambling to hide under the desk.
“Oh!” Gavin’s hand flew to his chest. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know you were here, Sam. Lacey didn’t say she was going to have a gentleman caller for lunch.”
“He surprised me,” Lacey said, holding up her container of noodles.
“Nice to see romance isn’t completely dead with this generation.” Gavin took a step inside, then stopped. “I’m sorry, did y’all want some privacy?”
Sam stood awkwardly. “I was, um, just leaving. Come on, Daisy.”
Daisy slunk out from under the desk, and Gavin gasped.
“Oh, what a pretty baby!” He crouched down. “Come here, sugar.” Daisy took timid steps toward him, sniffed his outstretched hand, then melted into Gavin’s touch as soon as he started scratching behind her ears. “I think I love you. I can’t have a dog because my hubby is allergic, but you can come visit Uncle Gavin anytime, okay?”
Sam exchanged a look with Lacey, who rolled her eyes and smiled.
“She’s kind of a snuggle slut, isn’t she?” Lacey joked .
“Never met a hand she didn’t want to have petting her,” Sam agreed, and gave a low, short whistle. “Come on, Daisy.”
Daisy’s ears pricked up again, and she abandoned Gavin for Sam, taking a few short steps to sit in front of him at attention.
“Good girl.” He picked up her lead, then gave an awkward little wave goodbye. As he reached the front door of the studio, he swore he heard Gavin say, “Next time, lock the door so you can lock that down.”