“The one Levi bailed on me for.”
“Levi and I aren’t in all of the same departments. We answer to a handful of different people and are working on a few different projects. I don’t know his schedule, but I do know mine. I can guarantee that I don’t have an early morning meeting, although it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Levi to.”
“So, you’re not here to corner me?” I press, feeling like a crazy person.
With a low chuckle, he shakes his head. “Definitely not here to corner you. But I do enjoy running partners. Would you wanna run together?”
“The dogs love running with each other,” Suzette interjects, a mischievous smirk plastered on her face.
So help me, Suzette!
“I’m sure they do,” I huff.
“It’s just a run, Charlie.” The way my name rolls off Conner’s tongue causes my heart to jump. Anxiously, I wait for the venom to seep in, but there was only sincerity in his delivery. Levi’s comment from the night before rises to the surface.
He’s not the same guy you knew.
Digging my teeth into my lower lip, I turn to Suzette. “Any chance Bonnie’s available? She and I have found a good rhythm lately.”
“Sure thing. I’ll grab Benny too. He’s new, but they seem to get along really well. I’ll be right back.”
Ooo, Benny’s new. Maybe I can convince Bonnie to use her dog communication skills to pull Conner into oncoming traffic.
Suzette disappears into the back of the shelter, leaving me alone with Conner as he fills out the paperwork. The sound of his pen scratching against the waiver grates on my nerves.
“Did you know I’d be here?” I accuse.
Finishing with the questions, he sets the pen on a counter that separates the back room from the front then turns to me.
“I knew you came here regularly, and I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed if I ran into you. So tell me, why Bonnie? And who’s Benny? Should I be worried?”
The desperation painted across his face is enough to get me to crack a smile. A big part of me wants to make up some horror story about how Benny has a penchant for ripping off testicles or something, but I restrain myself.
“I haven’t met Benny yet, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine.”
His relief is palpable. “Phew. You had me worried there. Especially when those pouty lips turned into a devious smirk for a split second.”
“Devious smirk
?”
“Yeah. Don’t think I didn’t notice the wheels turning in your pretty little head. I bet you were trying to come up with a way to scare me off.”
I almost laugh at his apt assessment but bite my lip at the last second to contain it. “Maybe.”
“And you didn’t play your hand? I’m surprised,” he teases.
Rolling my eyes, I quip, “The morning’s still young. Anything can happen.”
“Touche,” he laughs. “But you never know, maybe I’ll be able to keep the luck on my side.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
The door squeaks as Suzette opens it with two anxious greyhounds in tow.
Bonnie’s brindle-colored head whips around in search of a friend, and I fall on my knees to greet her as soon as she’s within arm’s reach.
“Hey, Bonnie girl!” Rubbing my hands along her face, my joy is overwhelming. “How are you, pooch? Ready for another run?”