6. The Sheepdog
Chapter six
The Sheepdog
Sawyer
I arrived back at the shelter at five minutes to six. Shane was walking a couple out who held the leash of the fluffy golden dog Neil had tried to sell me the other day. I backed away to the side of the lobby, clenching my hands as the group walked past. Shane waved at me but didn’t stop, for which I was grateful.
The noise of dogs barking in the pod had almost become background noise after dealing with it this morning for hours. Maybe there was something to the therapist’s instructions.
Figuring I was basically an honorary employee as a volunteer, I went through the employee-only door and up the office stairs. Neil’s door was open, but he was head down at his computer and didn’t seem to notice me. I knocked on the open door, and he glanced up, widening his eyes.
“Heck, is it that late already?”
“Bro, what’s with the alternative swearing?” I leaned against his door frame and folded my arms.
Neil flushed. “Give me twenty more minutes to finish this—”
“No, we have reservations.” A total lie. Boardwalk Books and Bites was a walk-in place. But I got the feeling that without a hard deadline, I’d never be able to pry Neil out of here in a timely fashion.
“Ten—”
“Reservations.”
Neil huffed. “Fine. Let me save this, and we can go. And I want to make clear this is not a date. You’re taking me out as a friend.”
“That’s fine, bro,” I said, trying to sound upbeat, even though hearing him be so adamant about not going on a date with me plummeted my mood.
Neil flipped the laptop closed and then picked it up. “Hey, put that back!” I frowned at him.
“It’s my laptop,” he protested.
“You’ll be fine without it for one night.”
Neil rolled his eyes and set the laptop back on his desk.
A furry bundle near his feet that I’d thought was a rug heaved to its feet. The sheepdog that I’d seen Neil walking that morning.
My heart went into my throat, and I panicked, screaming and falling backward to my ass.
“I’m so sorry she startled you.” Neil flushed and grabbed the dog before it could reach me.
“No problem,” I stammered, getting to my feet and pretending to brush myself off so I could stop my hands from shaking as I stared at the dog Neil held at bay.
“She just wanted to say hi. She’s very friendly. See the wagging tail?” Neil said as if I was going to look.
“Um, I’m sure.” My voice broke. “I’ll just go wait in the car while you put her back in her kennel.”
“Wait, Sawyer, are you afraid of dogs?” Neil asked, his voice hesitant.
I groaned and put my face into my hands, sinking down to sit on the top step. “Is it that obvious?” I mumbled into my hands.
“Honestly, yes.” Neil paused. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Steps retreated away from me, a door shut, and slowly footsteps came back. I scooted to the side, and Neil plopped down next to me. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier. I’ve been a bit up my own ass.”
I bumped his shoulder with mine. “You’ve been busy, and I was trying to hide it.”
Neil huffed out a laugh. “Want to tell me why you wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter when you’re afraid of dogs?”
“I’m sorry about the dog thing,” I admitted, but I wasn’t about to tell him that I’d volunteered here solely to flirt with him.
“It’s no big deal.” Neil gave me a grin, and I appreciated that he didn’t call me on not answering his question. “And hey, if you still want to volunteer, I have an ‘in’ at the shelter and get you assigned to only the premium cat-based assignments.” He laughed at his own joke.
“You don’t have questions about why?”
“You can tell me when you’re ready.” Neil rapped his hands on his legs. “We all have secrets.”
“Thanks.” I let out a relieved sigh, and the muscles in my jaw relaxed, knowing that Neil was giving me space. “Does that mean you, straight-laced Neil, have a secret too?” I joked.
“Yes,” he said in a deadpan.
I waited, but more was not forthcoming. Maybe if I opened up more, Neil would too. “I was at the shelter because my therapist thought it would be good for me to have some contact in a controlled setting.”
Neil nodded, a smile tugging at his lips.
“You can hear the barking from the parking lot. Took me almost ten minutes to work up my courage to come inside that first time,” I said. “It was easier today, knowing I’d be getting to see you.”
“I’m glad you did,” Neil said in a low voice. I wasn’t sure if he knew I could hear him or not, so I didn’t respond. After a moment of silence between us, he said louder, “Sorry about steamrolling you into volunteering.”
“Don’t put this all on yourself. I could have said no.” I laughed, and it didn’t even feel forced.
“Why didn’t you?”
My face flushed, and I turned to look out the window. “You know… reasons.” Oh, god, smooth, Sawyer, smooth.
“So you want to keep volunteering?” His voice had a hopeful upward lilt at the end. Adorable.
Did I? Even working with the cats, I’d have to put up with the barking from the dog pods. On the other hand, it would be more of the exposure that my therapist was urging me to try. Plus, the bonus of getting to continue to work with Neil. “Yes, I do. My therapist wanted me to do exposure sessions at the shelter weekly anyway.”
The ten-thousand-watt smile Neil gave me would be worth every bark I’d have to endure. “Excellent.”
Speaking of my therapist, I hadn’t seen her yet since my first visit to the shelter. This was going to be quite the weekly session tomorrow. I hoped she’d be proud of how much progress I’d made in such a short time. Winning at therapy—something normal to want and possible to achieve.