Page 45 of Since the Day We Kissed

“Pretty good. The senior pups are all chilling in the shade. Tried to start a game of fetch, but no takers.” She glanced around the kennels. “You guys making progress in here?”

“Almost done.” Kara glanced over at Ethan, smiling. “Ethan is gonna mop the rest of the cages, and we’ve got all the bedding changed. This has gotta be some kind of record. Made a world of difference with y’all here, that’s for sure.”

Charlotte flashed a grin and tossed her hair with exaggerated flair. “Oh Mom, what can I say? I’m simply irreplaceable.”

Ethan’s lips quirked into a smile. “Anytime. Actually enjoyed myself.”

Once they had everything cleaned and the dogs were back in their kennels, Charlotte, Ethan, and Kara walked back out into the lobby. Kara stole glances at Ethan, noting how easily he had fit into their routine. The day had flown by, and she realized she wasn’t ready for it to end.

Ethan seemed to sense her gaze and turned, catching her eye. For a moment, they stood there, the air between them charged with unspoken words and shared memories. Kara opened her mouth, unsure of what she was about to say, when Charlotte’s voice cut through the moment.

“So, any plans for later?” Charlotte said, turning to Ethan.

“Got some work to do at Dad’s place. Then I was thinking about hitting up Phil’s for dinner.” He glanced between Kara and Charlotte. “What about you two? Any plans?”

Kara looked over at Charlotte. “Well, we were—”

Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Mom is completely free tonight!” She nudged Kara with her elbow. “You should totally go with him, Mom.”

“Charlotte, I—”

“I would go too, but I have a date with Netflix and a pack of Oreos,” Charlotte continued, winking at Ethan.

Ethan chuckled. “Hard to compete with that.”

Charlotte snapped her fingers. “Oh! That reminds me. I heard what Ada said at the adoption event.” She looked between Kara and Ethan, her eyebrows raised. “Were you two really a thing back in the day?”

Kara’s heart dropped, and she hesitated. “Uh, we—”

Ethan jumped in, “We were friends. Worked at the pharmacy together one summer.”

Kara’s smile wavered for a moment, the word ‘friends’ echoing in her mind.

Is that really all it was?

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Maybe it was better this way—keeping things simple. But the secret she was keeping felt like a tightening knot in her chest, winding more with each moment.

“Ahh, I see,” Charlotte nodded. “Well, I guess yourfrienddate should be fun.” She emphasized ‘friend’ with exaggerated air quotes.

“Charlotte!” Kara swatted her daughter’s arm.

Charlotte turned to Ethan, stage-whispering, “Mom needs to get out more, you know.”

“I get out plenty, thank you very much,” Kara said, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks.

“Sure, Mom. Whatever you say.” Charlotte grinned, heading toward the door. “Love you, Mom! Have fun on yournot-date!” she called over her shoulder, disappearing before Kara could respond.

Ethan laughed. “She’s quite the character.”

Kara sighed, shaking her head. “That she is.”

“So,” Ethan said, “what do you say? Want to join me at Phil’s tonight? For old times’ sake?”

Kara’s heart pounded as she found her head bobbling. “Yeah? Yeah. Sure. Of course. Why not? That sounds nice. What time?”

Ethan chuckled. “How about I pick you up at seven?”

“Works for me,” Kara replied, her voice slightly higher than usual. “See you then.”

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