Page 28 of Classroom Confessions

If Cole noticed, he didn’t say anything. Or maybe he didn’t care.

Part of me pushed to ask, but after my confrontation with Ethan, I had no desire to further embarrass myself.

I still stopped and asked every person we came across if they’d seen Fitz. David scoured every inch of space, even knocking on a few front doors to ask about my dog. I loved him and Cole for helping me. In spite of everything that happened and the risks they’d already taken, they didn’t hesitate to spend their afternoon walking the streets to help me.

As the sun slipped over the horizon and street lights popped on, my hopes spiraled into despair. If we’d not found him in the daytime, we had almost no hope in the dark. Shadows lengthened, darkening yards and sending everyone inside to prepare for the following day.

Cole and David stuck with me, even when we reached the coffee shop, confirmed with Lily that Fitz wasn’t there, and kept going. Cole called every dog shelter and vet in his contacts, and even some he’d found in an internet search, all with the same results. No one had turned in a Pomeranian.

“Come on. Let’s get you home.” David steered me back the way we’d come.

Cole flagged down a taxi and held the door open.

“I can’t go home. Not without Fitz.” I stood my ground, peering up into David’s face.

“Rebecca, you can’t search all night. Let’s go to your apartment and figure out what to do next. You can put posts up in the local pet groups online. Make flyers. We’ll do whatever we have to, but you need to rest too.”

“But… Fitz.” I pleaded even as the soles of my feet ached and my head throbbed from holding back tears.

David nudged me into the cab and followed me in. Cole rounded to the other side, and they sandwiched me in the middle.

“He might have gone home.” David sounded uncertain and looked past me to check with Cole.

Cole patted my knee. “David’s right. Fitz might have gone back. Dogs have an uncanny knack for stuff like that. I had a dog once that took off while I was walking him. He was gone for three weeks. Then one day, he walked right up to the house and sat on the porch. No idea where he went, but he came home.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better so I’ll go home. If Fitz isn’t there, I’m going back out.” With or without them. My chin stuck out in a stubborn tilt Dad used to say I got from my mom.

They must have read the decision in my face because they moved at the same time to hug me. “We’ll go with you.” David spoke, but I felt Cole’s acceptance in his warm embrace.

Cole’s breath whispered over my ear, and I swore I heard him whisper, “We go where you go.” I must be mistaken.

The taxi pulled up in front of my apartment, and David slid out while Cole paid. He held out his hand. I hesitated, but the desperate need to touch and be comforted forced my palm against his as he guided me to my feet.

“It will be okay.” David’s soothing cadence worked through me like some kind of magic.

The tightness in my chest eased and I took in a short, sharp breath. The light over my front stoop clicked on, the motion sensor picking up our movement on the sidewalk.

A bundle of brown fur lay on the rug. Fitz. He raised his head when I squealed and ran forward, then hopped to his paws and raced toward me, barking every time he touched the pavement. I crashed to my knees and scooped him up. “Where have you been?” Kissing the space between his ears, I cradled him to my chest and sobbed into his fur. “You silly dog. Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

David and Cole stood on either side of me. With a hand beneath each of my arms, they helped me to my feet.

“My keys are in my pocket. Would you open the door?” I wasn’t about to let Fitz go until we were inside with the door shut and locked. I might not go out ever again until I figured out how he kept sneaking out of the house like a rebellious teen.

Cole retrieved my keys, his hand delving deep into my jeans. The touch was completely non-sexual, but still. Having his hands on me at all ignited that spark of want. He unlocked the door and led the way inside, flipping on the living room light as he passed the table.

David closed the door and leaned against it.

Fitz yipped and squirmed until I gave in and lowered him to the floor. He ran for the kitchen, then zoomed back and circled around my feet. Tears clouded my vision, and a series of heaving gulps forced me down onto the couch.

My head hit my knees, and my entire body shook.

The couch dipped on either side and four strong arms locked around me. Cole and David rested their chins on my shoulders, whispering into my ears. David tipped my chin up with his knuckle and brushed away the tears. “It’s okay, Princess. He’s okay now.”

Their quiet concern tore through me, and I flung myself into David’s arms, my lips landing on his in a hard, feverish kiss.

Cole smoothed a hand down my spine, pulling my hair over my shoulder and kissing the curve of my neck. He muttered into my ear again, his voice too low and my heart too loud for me to make out the words. They didn’t matter. David and Carrie having a thing years ago? Didn’t matter. This mattered. Having them here, comforting me, holding me. That mattered.

And I needed more. “I need you. Both of you. Please.” I hated the thought of giving up on Ethan, but with both Cole and David here and seemingly willing, I wanted to try something new. Something I’d only dreamed about.

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