Page 69 of Housebroke

He shrugged. “And you’re surprised? You’ve seen my charm, my magnetism. I’m fucking captivating.”

She snorted out a laugh and pushed off of him to stand. “Okay, Mr. Magnetism. I’m going to go unload the car.”

He hopped up. “I’ll go with you and help. You can admire my floor work again.”

“Yes, I’ll be sure to do that, Sir Charm.”

He couldn’t help but grin.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

You don’t have to be here for this.”

Linc shot her a look. “Yeah, you’ve mentioned that at least twenty times—this morning alone. I want to help. Besides, I’ve never been to a dog adoption event. I’d like to see how they work.”

“Don’t you have work to do at the house?”

“I’m allowed to take a day off. Besides, I’m on schedule.”

“Fine.” Hazel pulled into the parking lot of the pizza place where the event would be held.

It was a lovely, cloudy Saturday morning, and the tree-lined parking lot was an ideal location. Which meant they’d likely draw a large crowd.

She should be happy about that. She wasn’t, because that meant that someone might want to adopt one of her babies.

You have got to get over it, Hazel. These aren’t your babies.

Fortunately, she’d left Mitzi and Gordon at the house today because not a lot of people wanted to adopt seniors, so they kept those to a minimum. Sandy was already bringing two of her seniors to show off today, which suited Hazel just fine.

Linc helped her unload the crates. Penny, Lilith, and Freddiewere hooked up in the back seat, so she and Linc got them out and took them for a stroll around the grassy area surrounding the restaurant so they could stretch their legs and do their business.

“Looks like people are showing up,” Linc said.

Hazel tracked where Linc motioned with his head, and sure enough, the parking lot was starting to fill up with cars. They made their way to the staging area, and she put the dogs in their assigned crates, which listed their names, ages, and breeds along with temperament and likes and dislikes.

“Okay, kids,” she said. “Be on your best behavior and maybe you’ll find a new home today.”

She hadn’t meant to end her sentence with her voice hitching like that. Hopefully, Linc hadn’t heard. Instead, she smiled and greeted people as they walked by and bent down to greet the dogs.

Penelope, of course, liked everyone, her tail wagging profusely as she put on her brightest smile. Freddie barked loudly at every human, though he wagged his tail as he barked. Lilith, on the other hand, growled as each person passed by, causing Linc’s lips to curve upward, though he did his best to hide his smirk from the gathering crowd.

“You shouldn’t encourage her growling.”

Linc shrugged. “I’m neither discouraging nor encouraging it. I’m just standing here.”

“You haven’t told her not to do that.”

“She’s not my dog.”

Hazel rolled her eyes. “Oh, right. Like you don’t scoop her up and cradle her against you every time you pass by her.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Can we see Penelope?”

Hazel turned to see a young couple who looked to be in their mid- to late twenties. The guy was already down on the floor having a conversation with Penny, who wagged her tail enthusiastically.

“Of course.” She grabbed the leash, opened the crate, and took Penny out, walking her and the couple over to a fenced area where they could interact with the dog.

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