“If you keep up this vigorous exercise, she’s going to start getting bored when other volunteers offer to take her for a walk,” Suzette comments.
Grimacing, I stand up and reach for the leash. “Good point. Would it be better if I took out a different dog?”
“Not after a greeting like that. Bonnie would be depressed for a week if she didn’t get to go! And besides, I’m totally teasing you. Don’t stress at all. We’re grateful for any and all volunteers who are willing to donate their time. These dogs need it more than you’ll ever know.”
I look down at Bonnie girl, her chocolate brown eyes staring back up at me.
“And here’s Benny,” Suzette introduces, offering the leash to Conner. Benny is a dark grey instead of the striped brindle like Bonnie, but he’s still super adorable.
“Hey, Benny!” I raise my hand and let him smell my palm. Satisfied I’m a good person, Benny licks it from wrist to fingertips, and I smile in return.
“He’s cute,” I gush at Suzette, choosing to ignore Conner as he introduces himself to his dog for the morning.
“He’s got the sweetest personality too! I’m sure he’ll find a home before we know it.”
“I hope so. It breaks my heart that so many come through here.”
“Girl, you have no idea. Thankfully, we’ve found a pretty foolproof procedure for finding them homes. And if we can’t, then we have connections with a few farms upstate who are willing to foster them long-term.”
“That’s good to hear. If I could do more, I totally would.”
“We all would. But trust me, Charlie. You’re doing plenty. You’ve even gotten me two more volunteers.” With a wink, her gaze darts over to Conner sitting on the ground with Benny, who’s attempting to lay in his lap. Except Benny is an eighty-pound ball of muscle instead of a five-pound lap dog. My hand itches to snap a quick picture with my phone, but I restrain myself. It’s not like I’d know what to do with it, anyway.
Bonnie gives a gentle tug on the leash, distracting me from the adorable duo a few feet away.
“I’m uh…I’m happy to help,” I tell Suzette. “See you in an hour or so.” Then I guide Bonnie to the exit only to hear Conner scrambling to follow.
“Hey! Wait up!”
Normally, I don’t run with headphones because I prefer getting lost in the world around me. Plus, my conversations with Levi are usually pretty entertaining when we aren’t racing each other. Today, however, I’m seriously regretting the fact that I didn’t bring something to drown out a guy who I’m pretty sure is stalking me.
The sound of quickening footsteps behind me is almost enough to make Bonnie and me full-on sprint down the street, but I restrain myself. Barely.
“Hey,” he repeats when he reaches my side.
“Hi.”
“So do you usually warm up or….”
“I warmed up on the way here.”
“Good. So did I.”
Cocky grin in place, Conner takes our leisurely walk to a decent-paced run, tapping into my competitiveness like a pro. My legs decide to take control of the situation, and I rush to keep up, impressed with his long stride and flexing calf muscles.
Not too bad, Conner. Not too bad at all.
We stay like this, running side by side for a solid three miles before Bonnie slows down, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.
“Good girl,” I praise, matching my pace to hers.
My voice is enough to get Conner’s attention, and he slows down too. After catching his breath, he says, “Levi told me you were a runner, but I didn’t know you were gonna give me a run for my money.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh. “And I didn’t know you ran at all.”
“That’s ‘cause you don’t know me,” he counters.
“No. I guess I don’t.”