Page 20 of Since the Day We Kissed

The deed. That’s what he needed to focus on.

But not tonight.

As he stood, drinking the last of his water, he realized the house had gone eerily quiet.

“Hero.” His voice echoed through the empty house. “Where’d you go, boy?”

He scanned the kitchen, then went into the hall.

Ethan searched the living room and den, but Hero was nowhere in sight. His pulse quickened as he checked the bedrooms and bathroom.

“Hero? Hero!”

He rushed down the hall and back to the kitchen.

Catching his breath, Ethan’s gaze landed on the back door.

He blinked, rubbing his eyes as a small flap swayed at the base of the door. He crouched down, tracing its worn rubber edges—a doggy door. That hadn’t been there when he lived here.

Standing, he turned the back door’s rusty lock and pushed it open. Near it, he flipped the switch, and the porch light flickered on, casting a pale yellow glow over the yard. He let out a sigh as he saw Hero standing in the middle, sniffing at a patch of grass.

As he stepped out onto the small porch and climbed down the back steps, his eyes darted to the chain-link fence encircling the yard. That hadn’t been there either.

A doggy door and a fenced yard ...

Since when did he have a dog?

Ethan’s mind drifted to when he was ten, standing in front of his dad, holding the stray he’d found wandering the baseball field. “Please, Dad. He needs a home. I named him Wrigley.”

His dad’s bloodshot eyes had narrowed, hand gripping a half-empty bottle. “We can’t take care of no stupid dog. Ain’t got no means of feeding it,” he’d slurred, forcing Ethan to turn the animal away.

The memory dissolved.

Ethan whistled. “Hero!”

He clapped his hands, and Hero came bounding toward him.

“Good boy,” Ethan said, guiding Hero back inside. He knelt beside Hero, threading his fingers through the soft fur.

Hero licked his face, and for the first time all day, Ethan let himself smile. Hero didn’t care about lost deeds or complicated pasts—he just wanted to be there, to offer comfort in his own quiet way.

“I know this isn’t home, boy,” he whispered. “But we won’t be here long.”

7

Kara

Saturday

Beadsofsweattrickleddown Kara’s temples, leaving salty streaks on her flushed cheeks as she finished taking the animals outside at the rescue. A short walk across the lush, dew-kissed lawn brought her to her tiny house.

When Kara opened the door, a soft voice floated from the kitchen. “Morning.”

She hung her bag on a hook by the door and turned to find Charlotte rubbing her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

Charlotte winced as she rolled her shoulders. “Sore. A little groggy. But I think I’ll survive.”

Kara joined her at the table. “Need another aspirin?”

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