Page 105 of Borrow My Heart

“Would it bother you?” Asher asked.

“I don’t think so.” I opened my door and stepped out.

“Me neither,” he said, throwing me a smile over the top of thecar.

“You’re late,” Kamala said when we arrived at the blanket.

“Sorry, we had to pick up Bean.”

“Hey, Beano,” Kamala said.

Bean took one look at Kamala and immediately started walking back toward the car.

She shook her head. “So it wasn’t lack of sleep like you claimed. I’m offended.”

I shrugged. “I mean, sleep can only do so much for a personality.”

“A universal truth,” Asher said.

I sat and patted the blanket next to me for Bean to sit down. He gave a good hard look at the others sitting there before deciding that he could lie down between me and Asher.

“See, he’s still a punk,” I said to Asher.

“What does it mean that he likes us?” Asher asked.

“It means you’re both punks,” Kamala said. “Big ones.”

“So true,” Brett said. “Who brought the food to this thing?”

“We brought the dog,” I said. “I thought someone else was bringing the food.”

“Ugh,” Brett groaned. “So lame. In fifteen minutes, someone is going on a food run.”

“I’ll go,” Kamala said.

“Me too,” Dale said.

Asher and I exchanged a look.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.” I patted Bean’s back. “I think we should reinstate the Bean Games.”

“He’s been adopted,” Dale said.

“Did they return him?” Kamala asked, wide-eyed.

“No, no.I mean for some of the other animals in the shelter. The ones who are having a harder time being placed.”

“But the games didn’t really work for Bean,” Kamala said.

“That’s because he didn’t have the right personality for them. But I think some of the other dogs do.”

“I like this idea,” Asher said.

“I like you,” I said.

“I like you back.”