Chapter Three #2
She didn’t know why she had agreed to come to the animal shelter. This is the one place she didn’t want to be. Not because she hated dogs or anything like that. No, this was because she loved dogs.
They hadn’t had a dog since Bernice had died, and she had been their father’s mixed dog that seemed to have a bit of poodle, labrador, and potentially some German shepherd.
Again, none of them knew for sure, just that the dog had been a mongrel, and so damn loving.
Bernice had passed a few months before her dad.
They had a burial, and she knew he intended to get another dog, but he never got the chance.
In the past ten years, neither had they.
He had loved dogs. From the time he was a little boy, he had a dog. That love had grown into adulthood.
Her dad only ever had one dog at a time. He loved to take his time, to show love and loyalty, and to train her. Yep, her dad only ever had female dogs. He always said they were more loyal and easier to train.
Climbing out of the car, she shoved her glasses up onto the top of her head. It was adoption day at the animal shelter.
Ava read in the paper about some kind of dogfighting ring. All the details had been vague, but it also circled around the Chaos and Carnage MC.
Closing the door, she stood next to Violet, because the main parking lot was full, and they were looking at an army of women.
Okay, the Chaos and Carnage MC might have won the approval rating of most single and married women.
What was it about men with killer muscles, holding tiny little dogs?
She was pretty sure her mother and sister were both drooling.
There were a lot of families as well.
“So, what do we do?” Ava asked.
“We go and see if there is a dog we all love,” Violet said.
Had her mother and sister squared their shoulders and put a pout to their lips?
Were they already flirting? She had not seen her mother do this before.
Of course, her mother was a beautiful woman, and there was nothing wrong with her wanting male company.
She was more than happy for her mother and sister.
Only, they better keep their eyes and hands off one particular biker.
Not that Pat was hers. Of course he wasn’t. For the rest of the week, she hadn’t seen him, not even around town, and it wasn’t like she could stalk the garage, or even pretend to allow her car to break down. That screamed desperation. She wasn’t desperate. Was she?
Crap, she had missed him. This was insane. She was not a schoolgirl anymore, and she didn’t do the whole teenage crush thing either. She was a grown woman—a grown woman who wanted a biker, a very sexy, mature, handsome biker. Damn it.
She was pretty sure her sister and mother were excited about the men and the dogs. Either way, she took the lead, because she was going to have to harden her heart. There was no way she was going to take a dog home.
The first kennel she stepped in front of had a dog wagging its tail, looking so damn happy. She crouched down and smiled. “Hey there,” she said.
Damn it. Look at those eyes. They were big pools of love. This is why she avoided coming to the animal shelter. She loved the dogs so damn much. They reminded her of her dad, which was another reason she attempted to avoid them. His memory hurt, still to this day. She loved him. Missed him.
And this was a big day, not just for her but for all of them. She expected to feel that sharp pain in her chest and the twist in her gut, but it didn’t happen.
Looking at the dogs, she couldn’t help but feel the love. Her father would have come to this opening. He would have made sure to give to the dogs. He loved them that much.
Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t allow them to fall. She had gone for minimal amount of makeup today, and there was no way she was going to ruin her mascara. Crying was not in the cards for her.
Several people wanted to get to the dog she was looking at. She moved away and looked around the kennels. There were so many people, and several of the kennels were open.
Her sister and mother were immersed with a couple of the staff. This allowed her to just wander and look.
She grabbed herself a mug of coffee and found herself in the corner, looking out across the kennels, and then she noticed one particular kennel was being overlooked.
Some kids would run to the kennel and then leave.
Adults glanced and walked straight on by.
This really irritated her. All the dogs were looking for a home.
She moved toward the kennel and knew instantly why people were not interested. The dog was curled behind its bed and showed no interest in anyone. Unlike the other dogs who seemed to know they were giving a show, this dog was not.
She couldn’t quite see the dog clearly. The ground was clear outside and the cage was visible. She sat down beside the cage and sipped her coffee, which was fucking awful. But she didn’t want to move and kept looking over at the dog.
She must have made the dog curious at one point, as it lifted its head, and she saw it was a lovely dark brown color. It looked mixed. Maybe a Staffordshire mixed with a pit bull, she wasn’t sure. She just knew she didn’t want to move.
“I didn’t know you were looking for a dog.”
Ava turned to see Pat less than a foot away from her.
“Hey,” she said. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
Damn it. She better not blush. That would be so embarrassing. The last thing she wanted was for him to think of her as a child.
“The club took over the general running of the shelter. We’re making sure the dogs go to good homes. Anyone who wants to take a dog has to agree to a home check by one of us.”
Ava could imagine a lot of women were more than happy with that option.
“You’re looking at Bernice,” Pat said.
This made Ava freeze. “What?”
“Bernice. That is what we called the dog. Well, Maddie, she called the dog Bernice, and it stuck.”
There was no way she had gravitated toward Bernice. That was the name of her dad’s dog. She looked toward the cage, and still the dog didn’t move.
“She’s not very friendly, is she?”
Pat sighed. “This is not the first opening day, and ... well, she is often overlooked as she does have a tiny bit of pit bull in her. If you would like, I can open the cage, and you can sit in.”
“Does she come to strangers?”
“No, she doesn’t, but you never know. Some dogs just find their forever person, you know?”
“Do you have a dog?”
“No, not yet. I help take care of a lot of dogs, but right now I don’t have a dog. I don’t even have a place to live. I live at the clubhouse.”
“Oh,” Ava said. She didn’t know what to say to that. “I have an apartment. They changed their pet policy. I think we’re now allowed to have dogs.” She shrugged. “I know my mom and sister are looking for a dog as well.”
“Would you like to sit in?” he asked, flicking the keys between his fingers.
“Yeah, I’d love to.”
She did want Bernice to have some love today.
Ava got to her feet as Pat opened the door, and she stepped inside. Was it her, or did he smell so good? Earthy and woodsy at the same time, with perhaps a hint of vanilla? She was going insane, curious about the way this man smelled.
Stepping into the cage, she didn’t get too close so as not to scare Bernice. The cages were all clean, and she sat down on the floor and waited. Bernice lifted her head and then lowered it.
“It will take her a little time,” Pat said.
The door remained open and she liked that Pat didn’t leave. She was sure he was busy elsewhere. She tried to scramble her brain for a way to keep him.
“I haven’t seen you for coffee,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too snoopy. She didn’t mind what he did, but she did miss him.
“I’m coming tonight,” he said.
That made her heart race.
He didn’t say anything else. Ava was drawing a blank. Should she talk about soccer, sports, what?
Just then, the sound of paws moving had her turning to see Bernice moving closer.
The dog was so damn cute, sad, and curious.
She was shocked as it came close to her and then snuggled in against her thigh.
Now this did freak her out a little. Growing up, Bernice, her dad’s dog, had done the exact same thing. She felt tears fill her eyes.
She didn’t know what to do. This was not her childhood dog, Bernice. This was a new dog. She put her hand on the dog and gently stroked her, feeling an instant love for her.
“I’ve never had a dog,” Ava said. “I—my dad—would train the dogs he brought home. They were loyal to him. I never watched what he did or how he worked with them.”
“No two dogs are the same, Ava. They’re different, and they react differently. Bernice just needs a lot of love. You’ve seen that she has been avoided because she is not interactive.”
Ava couldn’t help but think about Lauren.
Her boss didn’t like attention. Some of the staff had quit because Lauren refused to come out of the main kitchen.
She was happy to bake and wash dishes. She ran the coffee shop, but she wasn’t seen.
Ava didn’t mind. Lauren had her reasons, and she respected her for it.
“She’s beautiful,” Ava said.
Just then, Ava looked up to see her sister calling her. Bernice didn’t react, but Ava held her hand up.
“I wondered where you had wandered off to,” Violet said, approaching. “Well, hello, sugar.” This was directed at Pat.
“Good morning,” Pat said.
Ava tried not to laugh. “Pat, I’d like you to meet my sister, Violet. Violet, this is Pat.”
“So, you’re Pat?” Violet asked, and there was no way the ground could just open up and swallow her and Bernice as a whole.
Pat didn’t say a word, he just held his hand out to shake Violet’s.
“Ava has spoken highly of you,” Violet said.
“She has?”
“I just ... you know, about the fact you order coffee.”
Her cheeks were bright red. This was mortifying.
“Hey, honey,” Hazel said.
Great. She hadn’t thought about her family meeting Pat and what that would mean for her social life. Pat met her mother and her sister, and then they all turned toward her.
“You’ve got to get her,” Violet said. “Look how she is curled up against you. It’s just like...”
She didn’t need to finish. Ava looked down at Bernice, and then toward her mother, sister, and of course Pat.
“I don’t know how to take care of a dog. I don’t know how to train a dog. I’m not sure I can do this. I work late, and...”
“It’s something you can think about,” Pat said. “No one is going to adopt Bernice. There is never any interest in her.”
And that just broke her fucking heart. This was not fair.
And before the day was over, Hazel and Violet didn’t have a dog, and Ava had Bernice.