Chapter 21
chapter twenty-one
Charlotte
Exhaustion tugs at my eyelids. It’s three in the morning, and all I have to do is close my eyes and I’ll instantly fall asleep.
But as I lay on my couch, the TV playing old episodes of The Office, I can’t quite let myself sleep, even though I desperately want to.
Rex lays on a makeshift dog bed in the corner.
I dug out a couple old blankets and towels and made the softest bed I could manage using all the linens I don’t mind getting dirty.
He immediately walked over and got cozy on it, like he knew it was for him.
My phone has no signal, so I’ve had no connection with the outside world. This exhaustion has me feeling like Rex and I are in the apocalypse, managing as best as we can. I giggle to myself and Rex opens one eye in my direction.
My neighbor usually goes to work around five in the morning, so I’m seriously considering catching her in the parking lot and asking if she has phone signal so I could call Caleb.
Rex has a bowl of water, and I fed him some blueberries, baby carrots, and a hard-boiled egg. That’s all dog safe food, I’m pretty sure. I know he’d probably like some meat, but all I have is some frozen ground turkey.
I can’t bring myself to go to bed, because I feel like I should be watching him, making sure he’s okay. And that he doesn’t decide to eat me. Or my furniture.
My phone lights up. No, it rings!
Rex and I sit up at the same time. A flood of relief hits me almost painfully hard when I see Caleb’s name on the call screen.
“Hey!” I answer, breathless. Rex appears by my side, tail wagging.
“Charlotte? You have Rex?”
“Yes!”
“What? Why? How!” Caleb’s voice is ecstatic. He doesn’t sound like he’s gotten any sleep at all. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” I say, smiling at the giant dog. Seriously, I’m sitting on my couch and he’s standing in front of me, nearly eye level.
“The signal might cut out again soon, so I’m on my way.”
“Hurry.”
“Hurry?”
“Well, no,” I say, hearing the panic in his voice. “Everything is fine, but like… hurry?”
He chuckles nervously. “I’ll be right over.”
Twenty-three minutes later, he arrives. I open the door before he can knock.
Just the sight of him sends a hundred pound weight of relief through my body.
A yawn overtakes me, like my body is saying please take me to bed now.
Caleb stands in my apartment doorway, watching me yawn in what is probably the world’s longest yawn.
If only the Guinness Book of World Records people were here to capture it.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I say, stepping forward and into his arms. I flinch at the feel of his cold, wet cotton t-shirt, but hold onto him even tighter.
For one terrifying car ride and the hour or two after, I’ve been on the verge of a full blown panic attack.
But Caleb is here now, and he’ll fix this.
His skin is cold and damp, like he walked miles here instead of driving.
That cold, damp cheek presses to my forehead as I hold onto him for longer than I probably should.
But what can I say? The exhaustion and worry over Rex has taken everything out of me.
Finally, a small bit of sense comes back to me and I let him go.
“Sorry. It’s been a weird night.”
“Don’t apologize, I needed that hug.” Caleb’s lips curl up in a genuine smile. “Where’s Rex?”
I step aside. “Go see for yourself.”
Caleb gasps, rushing into the room toward the makeshift dog bed. “Is he hurt?”
“No,” I say, closing the door behind him.
“Sick?”
“No.”
He kneels down and puts a hand on Rex’s head. “Buddy, why are you so calm?”
“He’s comfy!” I say, sitting on the couch. Caleb’s head swivels around to me.
“He’s just laying here because he’s comfy?” he asks in disbelief.
“It’s the middle of the night,” I say with a shrug. “He’s also tired.”
“Steh.” It’s the command for stand, which Rex does, popping up on all four paws. He yawns and does a big stretch with a little butt wiggle at the end. Caleb pats him all over.
“He’s seriously fine,” I say. “He got a little blow dry and some snacks and water and he’s perfectly happy.”
Caleb stands, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t even begin to explain how relieved I am. We’ve been looking for him for hours. Let me text my brothers that I’m here with him.”
“Sit,” I say, patting the couch next to me as he types out a message on his phone.
He shakes his head. “I’m dirty and wet and gross. I’ll get Rex out of your hair so you can get some sleep, but first you have to tell me what happened. This is crazy. I thought he was gone forever, Charlotte.” He draws in a deep breath and exhales slowly. “I thought everything was over.”
I reach out and take his hand. “Just sit for a minute. The couch covers can be washed.”
He frowns, but doesn’t let go of my hand as he sits next to me. This is technically a loveseat, with only two cushions since my living room is small. His knee brushes against mine. His body is so much bigger than mine, and there’s just no way he could make do with a loveseat in his own home.
“I’m guessing Rex busted out of his kennel again?” I ask.
“Yeah. We looked everywhere for him. How did you find him?”
I tell him the story of my mom needing to go to urgent care, and how I happened to stumble across Rex on the side of the road. He watches intently, his thumb gently caressing my hand as he continues to hold it.
“I couldn’t get a hold of you because of the stupid phone outage. I called, like, two hundred times, and obviously I tried to drive to you, but there was a massive fallen tree blocking the road.”
“I know,” he says. “Ethan and I moved it.”
“I didn’t want Rex to get hurt, so I just opened my back door and he jumped in.”
Caleb’s brows lift. He looks over at the sleeping dog who is once again nice and comfy on his blanket-towel bed. “Did he get aggressive with you?”
“Nope. He was a good boy the whole drive back, and then he was so wet and smelly that after I took a shower, I used my hair dryer to blow him dry.”
Caleb’s jaw drops. “For real? He let you do that?”
“Yep. He’s been a very good boy.”
Caleb shakes his head. “This is absolutely insane. That stubborn dog has met with three potential adopters and he got aggressive with everyone.”
“Were they men?” I ask. “Maybe Rex doesn’t like the whole alpha male thing. Like, maybe he’s nicer to me because I’m a nice lady who doesn’t try to boss him around.”
“Maybe,” he says, staring thoughtfully at Rex. “He likes you.”
“I am still terrified of dogs,” I say, holding up the hand that isn’t clasped in his. “Don’t get me wrong about that—I am no fan of dogs. But, Rex is cool. I like him, too.”
“Maybe Rex has already found the person he wants to be his forever human…”
“What? No.” I shake my head, taking my hand back and nervously fixing my ponytail. “No way. I can’t adopt him.”
“I mean… you could…”
“No. No way.” A nervous laugh falls out of me.
He’s delusional. Maybe he got sick in the rain and isn’t thinking straight.
“Besides, I don’t fit the adoption criteria.
I don’t have dog experience, no big yard for him to play in, no routine schedule to take him on his walks because my job has me going all over the place all the time—”
“You know the adoption requirements?”
“Of course I do.” My shoulders straighten. “I’m your event planner. I’ve read your entire website and know everything about you.”
“You know everything about me, eh?” That sly, sexy, stupid flirty grin of his returns for the first time in a long time.
I roll my eyes. A sudden memory hits me—the last thing he said before the phone cut off. How do you tell a gorgeous man you don’t have a boyfriend when he thinks you do for some reason, but it’s been hours and a treacherous rainstorm and lost dog after the fact?
“You’re the best, Charlotte. I can’t thank you enough for rescuing him like this.” Caleb stands, taking a thin leash out of his pocket. He calls Rex, who sleepily walks over and lets Caleb clip the leash to his collar.
“I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time,” I say. The moment is over. There’s no use bringing it up now. It doesn’t really matter if he thinks I have a boyfriend.
“You’re my fixer,” he says. He reaches out and wraps both arms around me.
His chin rests on top of my head as he sways back and forth, capturing me in a bear hug.
Rex walks around us, wrapping his leash around my legs and pulling me even closer to the man in front of me.
He smells… like rainwater and mud. But it still finds a way to make my entire body all tingly.
“You fix all my problems. I don’t even know how you do it. ”
“It’s all in a day’s work.” I smile up at him as he slowly releases me, leaving every muscle in my body longing for more. “Maybe I should charge you an overtime rate for tonight…” I grin mischievously.
“I will pay any amount. Hell, can I hire you to fix the rest of my life?”
I walk him and Rex to the door. “I don’t think you can afford that.”
“Thanks again,” he says, and I swear his eyes linger on my lips. My breathing feels shallow. I wish he would just do it.
Just kiss me.
My cheeks flush at the thought. Okay, maybe I got sick in the rain and I’m delusional.
“Let’s go,” Caleb tells Rex. The dog lets out a whimper, looking back at me.
I scratch underneath his chin. His tail wags. “I’ll see you later,” I tell him.
Caleb leads him out the door and Rex just stares at me the whole time.
“Goodnight, Charlotte. Get some sleep.”
I barely register what Caleb says. I can’t take my eyes off the dog.