A name for the dog hadn’t even crossed Deirdre’s mind. After all, giving a name to an animal meant you viewed them as a pet, which also meant you planned to keep them around for a while. Then again, why shouldn’t she keep the dog here? It would be lonely once Amaal left, and the thought of having to slide back into that kind of solitude wasn’t appealing at all. A dog would help to make the loneliness a bit more bearable.
“I’m not sure,” Deirdre said. She poured some of the antiseptic onto a cotton pad and carefully wiped down the abraded area on the dog’s leg. The animal jerked in reaction, but she didn’t try to jump down from the table. “Why don’t you help me name her?”
Amaal seemed pleased by this request — his eyes lit up, and he nodded. “What about ‘Sasha’?” he asked, after pausing f
