Page 25 of Taming His Rockstar

Chapter 11

There are very few things that can melt my heart like staring into the eyes of a cute puppy looking up at me. One of those things is six puppies staring at me.

“Can I take all of them?” I ask as I reach into the cage and pick one of them up. It immediately begins to lick my face, and I laugh as I nuzzle it. “Can I?”

Jane sighs. “No. You’re picking just one, remember? Do you like that one?”

“Yes,” I reply. I drop the puppy in my hand back into the pen and reach for another one. “And this one too. I can get two, right?”

Jane gives me a stern glare. “No. Pick one. Let me get an attendant.” She looks up and motions one of the attendants over.

“Have you made up your mind?” she asks when she comes closer.

“I don’t know.” I look up from the pen at her. “It’s so hard to choose.”

She blinks twice and I realize the exact moment she recognizes me. Seems the baseball hat and big sunglasses have failed. She begins to tremble excitedly.

“It’s . . . I know . . .” She jumps up and down a few times, pointing at me and struggling to get the words out of her mouth.

“Take a deep breath,” I say with a big smile.

She does just that and begins to breathe fast. “I’m sorry. I know I should be cool and all. It’s just—”

“I know.” I give her a big grin. “What’s your name?”

“Rebecca,” she replies, giving me the same look I’ve seen on the faces of a million other fans.

There are times when meeting impromptu like this can be inconvenient for me. When that happens, I try to be as polite as I can be. But there are also times when meeting a fan feels nice.

“So, Rebecca, I want to adopt a dog, and I need you to help me pick one.”

“All right.” She nods. “All right. I can do that. It’s my job, after all.”

Jane rolls her eyes behind Rebecca and wanders off.

“So, do you have any questions for me?” Rebecca asks. “Some people want to know if the dogs are rescue or strays. That sort of thing.”

As Rebecca talks about the puppies, she relaxes. It’s clear she knows what she’s talking about, and even clearer still that she loves the dogs and loves her work. I end up picking a cute little Golden Retriever.

“Do you have a name for it yet?” Rebecca asks me as we both watch the puppy play in a small play pen.

“No. I didn’t know if I would be adopting a male or female, and I didn’t want to get ahead of myself.”

“Great idea,” Rebecca says with a smile. “Now, do you have a leash for the dog? Food and water bowl? Food? Do you know about dog training?” I must look as confused as I feel because she immediately looks mortified. “I’m sorry for dumping everything on you like that. It’s not that complex, I promise.”

“You’re not the one who is supposed to be sorry,” I say to Rebecca. “I’m the one who should be sorry for not preparing adequately for this. To be honest, I just saw the ad for the shelter on my feed last night.”

“You saw the ad?” She sounds excited. “That’s was my idea. We’ve been trying to find ways to make people think of adopting a dog.”

“How hard is it to convince people to come and adopt these puppies? They’re cute as hell.”

“Everyone thinks that at first,” Rebecca explains. “But they learn quickly that dogs are like babies. Everyone tells the mother how cute they are. The mother knows the sleepless nights and stress that comes with the cute baby. Most people return their dogs after a few weeks. Those are the better ones. Some people neglect their pets or maltreat them. It’s why I need to ask if you’re really serious about adopting a pet. Because if you’re not, it would be better you turn around right now and not go through with this.” She suddenly slaps her hand against her mouth. “Oh God, I can’t believe I just said that. I am so sorry. Don’t be mad at me.”

I laugh out loud. “Why would I be mad? You’re just doing your job. Excellently, if I might add. And I am serious about adopting a dog. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Your ad reminded me.” I smile at her. “You love your job, don’t you?”

She nods. “I’m studying to be a veterinary doctor in college. I’ll graduate soon and maybe someday have my own clinic. But I like to volunteer here.” She shakes my hand. “I can’t wait to ram it in the face of all those people who were asking why I would like to be a vet. I wonder how many of them got to meet KD at their jobs.”

I chuckle. She sees me laughing, and her eyes crinkle at the corner. Then she leads me to the store section of the shelter where she helps me pick out everything I need. When I’m done, she helps me move everything to the car, and I carry my new puppy in my hand. At the car, I notice her hand inching toward her pocket for her phone before she loses courage and moves it away.

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