13. Griffin #2
Wren gives me a pointed look before turning back to Ashton. “Well, you come to me if this guy gets out of line. Okay? I’m just next door. Us girls got to stick together.”
Ashton releases a huff of a laugh. “Okay.”
Wren whistles for her dog and Churro comes racing around the corner to meet her. She bends down and he leaps into her arms. “I’ll see you guys later.” She stops in the kitchen, where Luke has already placed the blender on the counter.
I lean around the pergola pillar to catch their interaction. Luke tips a knife to his forehead before quickly returning his focus to chopping until her back is turned, and then he watches Wren exit.
Interesting. Very interesting.
I turn back toward Ashton. “Feel better?”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I just needed a minute.”
“No problem. And if the filming thing or social media idea bothers you…we can totally forget about it.”
Ashton bites her bottom lip—a frequent gesture of hers—compelling me to want to give her a hug. But I resist the urge.
“No, I think it’ll be okay. To film. I can use some clips for my blog. I’ll think about the social media idea.” She curls a loose wisp from her ponytail behind her ear. “Can we mostly focus on you and Roxy in the clips? You know, with camera angles and such? I don’t mind my voice being recorded.”
I nod, not wanting to prod her too much. As Luke said, I need to be slow and gentle with her. “That’s not a problem. I’ll make sure Luke knows, too. It’s whatever you’re comfortable with.”
I don’t think she’ll get nearly the traction she needs from merely her blog, but now isn’t the time to push.
Over an hour after Ashton’s arrival, she sits on the ground with Teddy patiently resting next to her.
Roxy sits across from Ashton, her paw on her leg.
Roxy lifts her paw at a signal from Ashton, encouraging her to shake it again.
Ashton giggles and rewards her. The transformation of the two of them from earlier today is incredible.
With each step of progress Roxy makes, Ashton grows more comfortable around me.
Looking at me, she says, “Now, you try.”
I do as instructed, and Roxy mimics the behavior with me. “Good girl, Roxy.” I reward her with the treat.
Ashton beams beside me, her hair glowing in the afternoon sunshine. “That’s so great, Griffin. You guys are doing so well.”
My heart balloons inside me. I never thought such little praise would mean so much to me.
I smile in return. “That’s because we have such a good teacher.”
Instead of shying away as she usually does, she holds my gaze, her face pleasantly pleased.
At the beginning of our training session, Ashton was tense and timid; but the more she focused on Roxy and forgot about Luke filming, the more relaxed she became and the more I saw the true her—calm and joyful.
She has a nurturing gentleness with Roxy that speaks of understanding.
She has such a gift with animals, and the world deserves to see it.
While Ashton may be working with Roxy, her calmness permeates all around her. I feel relaxed around her in a way I haven’t felt with anyone else. She couldn’t care less that I’m a celebrity. She treats me like anyone else, and I love it.
Mostly.
She’s a little too professional, treating me like every other client.
Though, her cheeks often pink before she quickly looks away.
Her eyes soften when I catch her watching me with Roxy.
Her touches tend to linger on my arm with her instructions.
She’s got to have feelings similar to my own.
Right? Then again, I could be forcing my own desires into the interactions.
It makes me hate my dating contract.
I’d love to be more open about my feelings toward her.
I may have willingly agreed to the contract, but the NDA feels like a noose around my throat.
I wish I could tell Ashton and explain my fake relationship.
If it weren’t for the contract, I’d like to ask her out.
But instead, my hands are tied and I’m forced to adhere to Ashton’s condition of professionalism.
I can’t help the way I gravitate toward her—something I’ve never felt with Scarlet. Both women may be beautiful, but Ashton has no need to flaunt her beauty. She’s striking with her hair pulled up, in a simple tee, jean shorts, and hardly an ounce of makeup. She doesn’t even need to try.
“For this last exercise, let’s try to get Roxy comfortable with sharing the same relative space as you.” Ashton stands, brushing off her shorts.
I stand too. “How do we do that?”
“We want to show her she’s safe with you. That you’ll respect each other’s space, while allowing you both to do different things. We’ll sit and chat, and she can decide where and how she wants to be.”
“Okay. So, we need to move inside?”
“Yes, but let’s leave the doors open to ease her into it and make her feel more comfortable.”
We walk into the living room. Ashton perches at the end of my couch as though she’s about to take tea, not just have a casual conversation with a friend.
“Teddy, come.” Teddy sits on the floor next to her feet. “Now you give the same command to Roxy. Allow her to pick her placement and reward her, regardless of where she decides to sit.”
Roxy’s still basking in the sun on the opposite side of the pool in the grass. “Roxy, come.” I keep my voice firm but not harsh. Her ears perk at the sound of her name, and she heeds the command.
Ashton nods and smiles. “Perfect.”
Roxy enters the living room cautiously, sniffing the air. I approach her and reward her with a treat.
Ashton watches Roxy, but speaks quietly to me. “Now, sit and wait for her to follow.”
I sit in the armchair next to Ashton and watch Roxy from the corner of my eye. She approaches slowly. Instead of sitting close to me, she chooses her dog bed in the corner.
“That’s perfectly fine. Go ahead and reward her with another treat.”
“Good girl, Roxy.” I stand and give her a treat.
“Now, we chat.”
Luke made himself scarce earlier, making some excuse about needing to catch up on some PA paperwork—which he absolutely doesn’t have. However, I appreciate him allowing us some privacy.
I sit in the armchair again, watching Roxy settle into her bed. “You know, you’re really good at this. You’re a natural with dogs.”
“Thank you.”
“How many have you trained?”
“At the shelter? About thirty. You’re my first paid client outside work.” She wedges her hands between her legs.
“Well, I’m impressed. You’ve done a great job. I can’t wait to see what you do with your own rescue center.”
She pets Teddy who is sitting at her feet. “Thank you for being an easy client.”
“I’ve learned to take direction really well over the years. Besides, you make learning fun.” Hoping she’ll stay a little longer, I ask, “Would you like something to drink?”
“Um, sure. I’ll take a water. Thanks.” She brushes her hands up and down the front of her denim shorts and then clasps them together in her lap.
Before she clams up again, I ask about the one thing I know she likes to talk about. “Tell me more about your rescue.” I grab some water bottles from the fridge and twist open the caps.
“I don’t know how much you know about the animal community, but it’s becoming extremely overpopulated at an alarming rate.
As you saw at the shelter, we’re at max capacity.
We need more shelters, which requires more federal and state funding.
The rescue I want to start will be for dogs that may not be good candidates for the shelter.
” She looks over at Roxy. “Some animals come from traumatic situations. If they have even a hint of violent behavior, they’re usually the first to be euthanized.
” She swallows hard. “It’s not fair to the dogs to be punished for their owners’ poor care. ”
I walk into the open living room and sit next to her on the couch. Close, but not too close. I don’t want to spook her, and yet, selfishly, I’m not ready to give up the easy closeness we’ve had the past couple of hours.
I hand her a water bottle. “I’m sure that’s really hard.”
“The hardest.” She takes the bottle but doesn’t open it, placing it on her lap—only to fidget with it.
I take a sip of my water. “So, you recruit volunteers to foster to help alleviate the overcrowding?”
“Yes. We have a list in our system, but just like shelters, our foster volunteers are overworked too, often taking multiple animals at once and for long periods of time until the animals can become adopted. It’s difficult finding new people.”
“Do you like recruiting volunteers?”
She cracks a small smile. “Not particularly.” She takes a sip of water. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to help…it’s just…me and people, well, we don’t always work out well. I’m more of an animal person, in case you couldn’t tell.” She pets Teddy’s head.
I admire her pushing past such discomforts to do something she’s so passionate about. I may not love Hollywood politics, but I love my work. I guess we all have aspects we don’t enjoy about our jobs.
“Why would you think you’re not a people person? You’ve done great with both of us today.”
She bites her lip. “Animals are just easier.”
I laugh. “I beg to differ.”
She turns to me and smiles. “Animals are kind, loyal, forgiving, affectionate, and easy to get along with. They love you for just being you.”
The softness and vulnerability of her statement tells me there’s a deeper story there, but she’s barely opened up. I’m not about to force her to go deeper. Not yet at least. “I guess that’s true. But it’s sure hard to understand how they’re feeling.”
She gestures toward Roxy. “Not really. They want all the same things we do. Love, affection, friendship, acceptance.”
Her face has that soft, dreamy look again—peaceful, happy.
“You and Teddy seem to have a pretty special relationship. How long has he been with you? How’d you come across him?”
Her smile falls. She clings to her water bottle, crackling it. “I got him when I was nearly eighteen, so five years now. He found me at pretty much the perfect time, actually. He’s been with me ever since. My one constant in life.”
The sadness in her expression has me aching to sit near her, to comfort her. I open my mouth, unsure of what to say, but she stands abruptly.
“Today was a great session. You and Roxy made tremendous progress. I can’t imagine we’ll need many more lessons.”
Her statement weighs on me in such a way that it makes it difficult for me to stand. I’m not ready for our connection to be severed so soon.
I look at Roxy. “Yeah. She did. What can I say? She’s a rockstar.”
She laughs. “I like that.” Ashton picks up her toy basket from the barstool, Teddy following in her wake. She faces me and smiles. “Today was fun.”
A zing of pleasure courses through me. “I agree.” I jump up to follow her as she walks to the door. “When can you do another lesson?”
“Maybe next weekend?”
“Great! I’d love to see you again.” I pause, giving emphasis to my words, hoping she catches my underlying meaning. I walk a couple more steps, unable to resist the need to be closer. “You should bring your fosters with you next time.”
She laughs. “I don’t think you’re ready to unleash that amount of chaos.”
“I think I’m up to the challenge.”
“We’ll see.” She smiles.
I’m so relieved to see her leaving happy this time. I’ve made loads of fans laugh and smile over the years, but her smile alone feels like an even greater victory. More than ever, I hope to earn it every time she’s with me.
She swings the front door open. “I’ll be in touch soon.” She steps outside, walks off the porch, and waves over her shoulder but pauses in the middle of the drive and swivels around. “Oh, and thank you…for, you know…hiring me.”
“Of course. Happy to have you here. You know, helping Roxy and me.”
She nods and stumbles a couple of steps, walking backward, before turning around and hustling into her ancient Toyota. The screech of the door makes me cringe. The thing could use a healthy dose of WD-40.
Teddy jumps into the front seat, settling in as if he’s done it a thousand times. He probably has. He sits like an obedient soldier next to his charge. And he is—her protector.
And dang it all if I don’t envy that dog.