Page 5 of Interference

He rose again, watching me, and his expression turned somewhat sheepish. Maybe even shy. A cold pang of panic jabbed into my chest, because I was absolutely sure he’d change his mind now. Yeah, it was cute to watch our animals interact, but the reality had to be sinking in that he was inviting some random, dirty stranger in off the street to sleep in his house.

But that pang only had about two seconds to grab on.

“We, um… We should probably introduce ourselves, too.” He extended his hand over our animals. “I’m Anthony.”

I hesitated, then took off my glove since my hand was at least somewhat cleaner. As we shook hands, he didn’t recoil or wrinkle his nose in the slightest.

“Wyatt,” I said, dizzy with everything from the reality we’d be safe tonight to someone looking me in the eye, shaking my hand, and treating me like a human being. “Are, uh… You’re sure about this, right?”

Jesus, Wyatt. Stop trying to talk him out of it!

“Of course.” He tipped his head toward the windows facing out to the parking lot. “No one should be sleeping out there.”

I didn’t know what to say. I was still shocked he was doing this at all, and I was afraid anything else that came out of my mouth might make him think twice. I did manage to whisper, “Thank you.”

He flashed a smile, then gestured at Lily, who was now on her side and pawing gently at Bear and trying to get him to play. “Does she need food?”

“Uh.” Shame pulled at me from the inside. “Her food was in our tent. It’s…” My face heated as I gazed down at my dog. She’d finally encouraged Bear to join in, and he was batting at her upraised paw. My voice threatened to break as I said, “I’ve been finding what I can for her, but…”

“Do you guys have something here that she can eat?” Anthony asked. “I don’t know much about dog food.”

It took me a second to realize he was talking to the clinic staff.

“Uh, well…” the tech stammered. “We do, but it’s pricey.”

Before I could insist we could just grab some grocery store dog food—I could probably even pay for it—Anthony put his wallet on the counter.

“I still need to settle up my bill for the boys’ appointment.” He pulled out a card and handed it over. “Just add a bag for her.” He paused. “Or a can?” He looked at me, expression earnest. “Dry or wet food?”

I could barely speak but somehow managed to croak, “Dry. Dry is good.” Somehow I found my breath. “I do have a little cash. I can probably grab a small bag at the supermarket and—”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Anthony waved his hand. “It’s not that much.”

Not that much, my ass. I saw the price come up when the receptionist scanned it, and so did Anthony. Forty bucks for a small bag of dog food? Holy shit.

But it meant food for Lily. The really good food that came from a vet’s office. I could swallow my pride and deal with my guilt in exchange for letting my dog have some high-quality food for a night.

While the receptionist was ringing up Anthony, the veterinarian looked at me. “If you’d like, we can give your dog a quick exam. Just make sure she’s healthy after…” She trailed off, but I could fill in the blanks: make sure she was healthy after living out there.

Again, pride and guilt wanted to protest, but Lily’s health came first.

Ignoring the heat in my face, I nodded. “That would be amazing. Thank you.”

She smiled and gestured for us to come back with her.

I glanced at Anthony. “Is, uh… Is this okay? It might take a few minutes.”

“Of course.” He flashed me a disarmingly sweet smile. “Anything to make sure she’s in good shape.” He paused. “And I would imagine you haven’t eaten much recently either, have you?”

My stomach growled, and I quietly admitted, “Not… Not much, no.”

That smile returned. “We’ll take care of that.” He nodded after the doctor. “When you guys are done.”

“Thank you,” I said, the words coming out thick.

Then I shouldered my rucksack and gently persuaded Lily to get up, even though she was clearly having fun with Bear. Once she was on her feet, we started down the hall with the doctor.

I really was going to break down sobbing before this night was over. I’d come in here out of desperation because I’d simply been out of ideas. None of the homeless shelters would take her; they weren’t supposed to turn away service animals, but they always magically had no room whenever I tried them. The animal shelters required me to surrender her and then pay to get her back. The few motels and hotels I could’ve dreamed of affording were either full or they said they were full.

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