Puppy Love for Christmas

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Sabrina walked into the Animal Sanctuary for her shift with bags under her eyes. To say she didn’t sleep well the night before was an understatement. Chris held her hand out of the blue. Troy suddenly showed up wanting to talk. What was a small-town girl to do?

“You look like an unmade bed,” Sharleen said from behind her desk, her long nails clicking on its surface.

“Hey, Shar,” Sabrina greeted with a small wave. “I totally feel like it. Do I look that bad?”

“Just tired. But aren’t we all? With our Christmas Eve events just around the corner we’re swamped.”

“But we’re good to go on all the planning, right?” Sabrina checked the schedule posted at the top of Sharleen’s desk. No walk ins. No emergencies. Which meant she could walk the dogs. She always loved walking the dogs.

“To a tee. It’s the execution that’s a see-as-we-go.”

“We have contingency plans on top of contingency plans. Everything will be okay.”

“Well, forgive me for being a worrier.”

That Sharleen was. She worried about everything. Sabrina gave her a reassuring smile as she walked to the Bundy clock and punched in.

“Speaking of being busy with prep, there’s a pup that needs picking up tomorrow,” Sharleen said when Sabrina returned to her desk.

“From where?” Sabrina asked.

“The Devon Animal Shelter.”

Her heart sank. “That’s a high-kill shelter.”

“That’s why the pup needs picking up. Tomorrow is his last day.”

“Do we even have room?” Sabrina made a mental calculation. Then she said before Sharleen could answer, “Does not matter. We can move things around.”

“I would do it, but I have to be here making sure all the deliveries arrive in time for the Adopt-a-Thon and the auction.”

“You can count on me.” Sabrina’s chest puffed up. “I’ll borrow my mom’s car. Don’t worry. I’ll have that pup here in the afternoon. Maybe he can be a part of the Adopt-a-Thon. Just make sure to call me or Marcy if anyone comes in needing medical assistance.”

“Way ahead of you on that. Apparently, the pup’s been bouncing from shelter to shelter with no one adopting him. We’re his last chance.”

Sharleen’s words solidified Sabrina’s determination. She hadn’t even met him and already she was invested. She would find that dog a forever home no matter what.

“I’ll pick up all his info from you before I leave tomorrow,” Sabrina said before she made her way to the back of the shelter where the dogs were located. The cats were all to the right. The kittens had their own playroom with a glass wall so prospective forever parents could pick out the one they wanted. Or two. Kittens were always adopted in pairs so they didn’t get lonely. Plus, they taught each other cat things. How to groom. How to hunt.

The second she pushed through the swing door, Sabrina ran into Chris, who was carrying a large bag of cat food in his arms. “Hey!” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Chris paused and smiled, bag still in his hands. “You said the shelter needed help, so I’m here to help. According to the schedule you’re supposed to take the dogs for a walk. Do you want me to tag along? I just need to finish feeding the cats and I’ll be ready to come with.”

Sabrina stood frozen in place for a few seconds. She watched Chris work like he had been volunteering for the shelter for years. He knew where the food went, where the bowls were, and how much food to give each animal.

“How are you so good at this?” Sabrina blurted out, blinking several times.

“Sharleen explained everything and she also showed me the volunteer handbook.” Chris measured out a small cup of food for each of the bowls. “When I wasn’t sure about something I referred to that. Whoever wrote it was really good at explaining what needs to be done. Simple and easy to follow.”

“Thank you.” Sabrina felt her cheeks flush.

Chris paused in his measurements. “It’s nothing. I’m happy to help.”

“Not only that. I’m thanking you for finding the handbook helpful.”

“You wrote it?” Chris studied her.

She nodded, dropping her gaze to her boots as a bout of shyness hit out of nowhere.

“Wow!”

“I figured with all the volunteers that will come in, it will help to have a guide so they don’t bug the staff about every little thing. Everyone here is pretty busy and can’t answer every question at any time, especially when new animals come in.”

“You’re really something. Sabrina, Patron Saint of Animals.” Chris smiled and returned to preparing the food for their feline friends.

“I think that’s St. Francis of Assisi but I’m happy to share the sainthood? Saintdom?”

“Don’t ask me. I’m not religious.”

Sabrina came to stand beside Chris. She picked up another measuring cup and began filling the stainless bowls with kitty kibble. They worked in companionable silence for a minute. There was something so calming about having him by her side. It reminded her of their rambunctious days.

Then Sabrina said, “Thanks for leaving me with Troy last night. Jerk move, by the way.”

“Whaaat?” Chris barely held on to the measuring cup in his hand. “I thought it was the right thing to do.”

“It wasn’t. I was in shock. Then you left.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I knew he was coming home,” Sabrina grumbled. “I barely saw him when he came home last year, so I thought it’s a lot more of the same this year, but he actually wanted to talk. What’s that about?”

“So, did you?” Chris cleared his throat. “Get to talk, I mean.”

“Of course not!” Sabrina set down the measuring cup and rubbed her forehead. “What exactly do we have to talk about? He broke my heart. Case closed.”

“So, you didn’t talk?”

“When I came to my senses, I stormed out of there.”

“Oh.”

Was that a note of hope in that single syllable word she heard? Or was Sabrina’s mind playing tricks on her? She had to find out.

“Before Troy showed up, what was with holding my hand?”

This time, Chris did drop the measuring cup. Thankfully, it landed inside the open bag of cat food so it didn’t break.

“I . . . ah, I . . .” Sweat beaded along his brow. In a rush, he picked up several bowls of the cat food and said, “Let’s feed the cats and take the dogs for a walk. It’s such a nice afternoon to play in the park.”

Sabrina did the best she could to suppress the smile that begged to stretch the corners of her mouth. She balanced four bowls on her arms and followed Chris toward where the cat cages lined the walls. Chris wasn’t the type to get flustered easily. Seeing him being unable to answer her question gave her confusion a sense of peace. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think that Chris liked her. But, like Chris who didn’t fluster easy, she wasn’t the type who trusted her assumptions. Unless he told her that he liked her, she wouldn’t allow herself to be a hundred percent sure. Then she reminded herself that Chris was only in town for the holidays. He didn’t live in Trevor anymore. Holding hands notwithstanding, he was off limits.

When they reached the cages, pairs and pairs of hungry felines rubbed against the bars. On each door hung a note with the names of the cats and descriptions of their personalities. Like the kittens, as much as possible, cats were homed in pairs because they needed companionship even if they seemed like solitary animals. As soon as they were accepted into the Animal Sanctuary, they were already paired together. They ate together. Slept together. Siblings, especially, where kept together because of the familial bond they already shared.

Sabrina worked on the left side of the wall of cages while Chris took the right side. They returned to the feeding station a couple more times until they met in the middle of the wall. The entire time she gave him sidelong glances, noticing things about him that she hadn’t seen before. Like how long his eyelashes were behind his thick-framed glasses. Like how his nose curved upward at the tip slightly. And how much fuller his bottom lip was than his upper lip. Things that when combined made up the cuteness that was Chris’s face.

“Why does this say that Abby is an anxious cat and needs extra attention?” Chris asked after placing a bowl in front of a tabby that remained at the back of her cage.

Sabrina blinked, pulled away from ogling Chris, which shouldn’t have been doing in the first place. Bad Sabrina, she thought before she answered his question, “Abby is generally scared of everything. We believe she came from an abusive household. I’ve been trying to work with her, using alternative medicine to calm her nerves, but she’s not responding, which makes her difficult to find a home for.”

Chris stared thoughtfully at the cat. Abby wouldn’t come near the food until he and Sabrina were out of the room. It saddened Sabrina because she knew deep inside Abby was a sweet cat.

“You know,” he finally said, “My company just developed this new tech that relieves anxiety in humans without the need for meds.”

“Really?” Sabrina came closer, genuinely interested. “How does it work.”

“It’s a small cuff, more like a bracelet really. You wear it on your wrist and it sends signals to your brain that helps you keep calm. I wonder if it can be used for animals too. The application is pretty much the same.” He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

“That would be amazing. I wonder if it can work for Rosco.”

“Rosco?” Chris asked. He turned to look at her.

“He’s a rottweiler that has abandonment issues. If he’s left alone, he tends to be destructive. It stems from anxiety too.”

“There’s no harm in trying.” He reached out a hand to her. “Do you have a cellphone I can borrow?”

“Don’t you have one?” she asked even as she unlocked the screen of her phone and handed it over.

“It’s with my mother. Long story.”

“I’d like to hear that.”

A smirk played on his lips as he dialed a number and placed the receiver over his ear. He waited. Then spoke. “Hey, Andrew, it’s me.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “It’s your boss. You’re fired, by the way.”

Sabrina watched in amazement. Being unable to hear the other side of the conversation, she could only guess at what was going on. Chris asked for her phone to fire someone named Andrew? But he had a warm smile on his face and they kept talking, so it didn’t seem like Chris was seriously firing someone days before Christmas.

“Yes, send over a couple of the prototypes. I want to see the applications for animals. Dogs and cats, specifically.” Chris paused. “No, this is not about work. This is about helping out a friend who runs the local shelter here.”

She was struck by the work “friend.” Why should she be bothered? She and Christopher were friends. Old friends, in fact. But something about the label didn’t sit well with her. The sternness of his voice brought her back from her thoughts.

“Just get them here, no matter the cost.” He smiled. “Thank you.” Then he ended the call and handed the phone back to Sabrina.

“Who’s Andrew?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

“My assistant. He actually conspired with my parents to get me here.”

“What were you asking him to send over?”

“The prototypes of the antianxiety tech I was telling you about. We can test them on Abby and Rosco. If they work then it will make it easier for them to find forever homes. Plus, the application will triple its potential in the market.”

“I don’t think I’m comfortable with testing something like this on my animals,” she said, taking a step back. “What if something goes wrong?”

Chris reached out and took her hand. The gesture gave her flashbacks from the night before.

“You know I wouldn’t do anything that would put animals in danger.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “The tech is solid. You can trust me.”

Could she trust him? “Let me think about it?”

“Sure. When the tech gets here, I’ll show you how it works and you can decide from there.”

She nodded. If it could help, who was she to deny relief to animals who were suffering.

“Come on.” Chris tilted his head toward the cages. “We’re not done yet.”

“Right.” Sabrina made her way back to the preparation area.

Once the cats were all fed, they moved on to the dogs’ section of the shelter. Unlike high-kill shelters, there was very little barking. The environment was calm so the animals were calm. That was what Sabrina loved best about the Animal Sanctuary. The animals were taken great care of.

“By the way, my parents have asked me to ask you over for dinner,” Chris said when they were leashing the dogs. There were ten in all, so they will be in charge of five each. Sabrina usually walked all ten dogs on her own, but it was always nice to have some help.

“Oh?” she asked casually, patting the golden retriever sitting patiently at her side on the head.

“Apparently, it’s been a while since they’ve seen you,” he said, simple and matter-of-fact.

“Are you sure?”

“You’re family. Of course, I’m sure.”

The sweetness of his words touched her. “Only if you come with me tomorrow morning.”

Hope shined in his eyes. “For what?”

“I have to drive to the shelter in Devon to pick up a puppy.”

“Count me in.”

He didn’t even have to think about it when he responded. His answer came without any hesitation at all. Friends, she reminded herself. He said so himself. He sees them as friends.

“First, we walk the dogs,” she said.

“Ay, ay, Captain.”

They shared a smile then they guided the behaved group toward the front of the shelter. There was a mix of big and small dogs. She had the toys and treats while Chris carried the plastic bags for their poop.

“Sharleen,” Sabrina called out. “We’ll be taking . . .”

The words died in her mouth as she noticed who was standing at the other side of the reception desk casually having a conversation with Sharleen. He wore his old letterman jacket. The image woke confusing flutters in Sabrina’s stomach. There were many days when she practically lived in that jacket. Her nose even remembered the smell. Leather and clean boy.

“Troy, what are you doing here?” She couldn’t keep the flash of annoyance out of her voice.

“Sabrina, we need to talk,” he said, finality in his voice.

“I don’t have time to talk. I have dogs to walk,” she said, ready to stride out of the door.

“Troy, why don’t you help Sabrina walk the dogs?” Chris asked.

Sabrina sent a surprised glare Chris’s way. “What are you doing?”

Chris put the bag of doggie supplies down and pulled Sabrina aside. Then he said in a whisper, “I think you should really hear what Troy has to say.”

“Where is this coming from?” Sabrina whispered back, a hiss in her tone.

“Look.” Chris squeezed her hand. And damn if that didn’t calm her mounting anger. “He’s clearly not going to stop. Hear him out then . . .”

“Then what?” She looked into his eyes.

His hazel gaze never wavered when he said, “I think I made it clear by holding your hand that I like you, but I’m not willing to mess up anything between you and Troy if you still have feelings for him.”

“But I don’t,” she said. And did he just say what she thought he said?

Unfortunately for her, he clearly heard the doubt in her voice because he said, “Then it doesn’t matter if you talk to him or not.”

Yet, in her head, all she could think about was: Chris liked her?

***

Sabrina kept a discreet eye on Troy the entire way to the park. Not because he wasn’t good with dogs. He had three at home. She toyed with the idea of convincing him to adopt one more at the thon. She kept an eye on him because she wasn’t sure what she was doing, allowing Chris to convince her to walk with her ex. The guy she despised.

Or did she really?

Sure, Troy broke her heart, but if she really got down to it, their ending was for practical reasons. The break up saved them future agony. What made her mad was the thought that being together for a majority of her young life might have been a complete waste. But that was so cynical of her. She should be happy that they had been together, not mourn the fact that they ended. Troy had been a good boyfriend. That was why she was so confused.

Troy opened the gate to the dog park and guided the five dogs with him inside. Then he held the gate open for Sabrina and her dogs to go through. Troy had always been a complete gentleman, respecting her boundaries and only going as fast as she was willing. Her heart clenched at the reminder of what they had been together. At one point in their relationship, she had been entertaining thoughts of a wedding and babies. That was how much she thought she loved Troy. She thought he felt the same way until . . .

“Do you let them go off leash?” Troy asked.

Sabrina gasped at the sound of his voice. It was the first time he’d spoken since they left the Animal Sanctuary. Needing to catch her breath, she merely nodded.

She unleashed her dogs and they ran off with the rest of the pack. All the rescues at the shelter had their own stories. Some were abandoned. Some were abused. Others were born strays. Each and everyone of them full of love to give someone willing to take them in. Forever homes, they called it. She sent a silent prayer that all of them would be adopted during the thon.

“Wanna sit?” Troy tilted his head toward the benches at the side of the park. The other dog owners were at tables further into the park, watching over their fur babies.

On stiff legs, Sabrina marched her way to the bench. When she reached it, she paused, forgetting how to sit for a second. Then her brain rebooted and she folded herself onto the bench. She crossed her legs out of habit. One of the pits that was missing half an ear wandered over to her.

“Looking for your treat?” Sabrina asked, rubbing the grey dog’s chin. His tail wagged enthusiastically. A smile on his face.

It was a common misconception that pit bulls were vicious because they were often used for dog fighting. What most people didn’t know was pits were often the sweetest dogs. Even the ones who have been in dog fights.

She finished out a milk bone and handed it over when the pit sat down. He wasn’t much of a run and play kind of dog. He was more content to chew on a toy or a treat at the feet of someone he trusted, which was exactly what he did as Troy sat down beside Sabrina.

“Why now?” she asked, pretending to look at the dogs running around and sniffing each other when, really, she was focusing on a point farther away.

“Straight to the point, huh?” Troy stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and leaned back as he stretched his long legs out, crossing them at the ankles.

“I don’t see why we should waste time. You wanted to talk, so let’s talk.” Surprisingly, there was very little annoyance in her tone now. She had accepted the inevitable. When that happened, she became calmer.

“I realized I was being stupid,” he said. No sighs. No mumbling. Just straight forward, normal speaking. “I thought breaking up with you was for the best. That we were just prolonging the end. But I started missing you. Started wanting to call you every time something good happened. I didn’t look at anyone else while I was away.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. It was biological for a guy to look at a beautiful woman. They couldn’t help it.

“All I kept thinking about was you.”

How could she believe him?

As Sabrina stared into the distance, she began to feel moisture well in her eyes. She blamed it on not blinking. So, she did. Bringing down her eyelids. Giving her eyes a break. But that didn’t stop the misting over of her vision. She didn’t say anything. Not that she could since her throat had grown too tight.

“So, the second I got a chance to come home, I knew that I had to talk to you,” Troy continued. “I needed to see if there was still a chance for us. For you to forgive me for being stupid. I regret what I did.” He twisted around and took her hand in both of his. This in turn forced Sabrina to look in his direction as he said, “I want you back, Sabrina.”

“I . . .” She swallowed.

“Give me another chance.”

It felt as if a bullmastiff sat on her chest. She could hardly breathe. Each inhale a herculean effort. Without even him saying the words, she knew what he had been about to say. She desperately wanted to stop him. There was no taking it back once he said the words.

“Please,” he began, “if you’re willing . . . I want us to get back together.”