Page 2 of An Engagement Pact

“Sure. Just plain black dark roast.”

“Are you sure? I can get you something fancier if you prefer.”

“I only drink black coffee. Oscar and I will be fine out here.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll just be a minute.”

Relieved that his order should be quick and not absurdly expensive, I hurry inside, wait behind the one person at the counter, and then order Dan’s coffee.

In less than three minutes, I’m on my way back out to discover Dan squatting next to Oscar while having a sober conversation and an extended ear-scratch session.

I can’t help smiling since Oscar is having the time of his life being taken seriously like that.

“Despite his earlier performance,” I say as I approach, “he’s really a very good fella. Aren’t you, Oscar?”

Oscar pants and does one tight spin.

Dan straightens up so he can accept the coffee. “Thank you for this. And I can tell he’s a good fella. Are you walking him for Lock-N-Leash?”

“Yeah. Every morning.”

“I’ve seen you walking about five dogs at once before.”

“Yeah, those are all good walkers who don’t misbehave, and I only take them about a mile. Oscar needs a lot more exercise than that, so I take him on his own in the mornings.”

Dan has fallen into step with me as I walk back to Oscar’s home. I assume maybe he’s parked in the same direction. “How many dogs do you take care of every day?”

“It depends. Some of the owners have different schedules and needs for each day. But I usually walk at least ten dogs and then stop by to feed and let out about ten more.”

I started working for Lock-N-Leash—the primary dog-walking and pet-sitting company in town—a year ago when I moved to Green Valley. At the time, it was the only available job I was qualified for that didn’t make me want to run away screaming. It’s not at all how I ever saw my life going, but it hasn’t made me miserable.

So that’s something.

“Sounds like it takes you all day.”

“It usually does. Occasionally I have lighter days, but other times I’m going from six to six.”

“Do they pay you for overtime?”

“Yeah. It’s a full-time job with benefits, which is why I took it. It’s not exactly lucrative, but they treat me pretty well. It’s not a bad job for right now.”

Dan sips his coffee, giving me a sidelong look that’s not as casual as he wants me to think. He’s peering at me. Trying to figure me out.

I’ve never much liked when people do that.

“How long do you think you’ll keep working there?” he asks after a minute.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to save up money to go to grad school, so I’ll probably keep doing it until I’ve got enough saved.”

I’m a little uncomfortable with the topic because Dan’s proposal in December was a financial transaction. He inherited a nice-sized trust fund from his grandparents, but there’s a weird stipulation on it. He can’t get access to the money until he’s married or thirty-five years old.

He’s only twenty-eight right now, so marrying is the quickest method of gaining his inheritance. He thought I might be amenable to the idea. If I married him, he would give me some of the money from his trust.

The idea of my trying to save money is probably laughable to him. I had a way to get money easily and quickly, and I said no to his offer.

But it was weird. And off-putting. A man I barely know coming up and asking me to marry him for money.

I assumed he was some kind of creep.

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