Page 19 of Everlasting Promises

She waves her arm around. “Not sure. You seem … agitated.”

I wander over to the counter. “I have a new boy starting with the program today. I’m hopeful he’ll show up. His father died in Syria, and he got into some trouble last week.”

Her smile drops, and her shoulders sag. “Oh, no. Poor kid.”

The front door opens, and Francine and Donnelly walk in. “Morning, Ben,” they call as they walk toward us, dropping to their knees to say hello to Rex. “Morning, Tori.”

“Morning, guys. Glad you could make it. We have some puppies today!” I tell them, and their eyes light up.

The other kids arrive soon after. Once we’re all gathered and the clock strikes ten, my stomach drops.

They’re not coming.

I really thought Hope would bring Evan today. She seemed genuine about following through. Maybe something came up.

As we’re filing through the doorway to the back area where the dogs and cats are housed, the front door opens in a rush and in steps Evan. Before I can actively think to go to him, my feet change direction on instinct, and I head back the way I came. My cheeks are stretched as far as they can go when Hope bustles through the door behind her son.

“You made it.” My lungs finally fill with a full breath, and Rex heads straight for Evan, his tail moving so fast, his rump shakes from side to side. He loves to make new friends. Evan’s hands immediately slide into Rex’s fur, making his tail go ballistic.

“I’m so sorry we’re late. I had to wait for the load of laundry to finish, and then we caught every red light on the way,” Hope apologizes in a rush, her pale cheeks flushed pink. Rex immediately transfers his welcome from Evan to her, and she chuckles. “Who do we have here?” she asks as she rubs the top of his head.

“I’d like you to meet Officer Rex. He’s my partner.”

Her brows shoot up, and her eyes shine when she looks back up at me. “Oh, I didn’t realize.” Her eyes narrow slightly, and I can tell she’s thinking about something. “Was he in the back of your cruiser when you brought Evan home? He could have come inside with you.” I appreciate her concern for Rex, not thatleaving him in the cruiser is a problem since his space is climate-controlled for his comfort.

“I didn’t have him with me. He was recovering from a sprain at the station while I was out on patrol. He was out of action for a couple of days, but he’s fully recovered now.”

“He’s a beautiful dog,” Hope says as she rubs between Rex’s ears.

“Rex is a boy, Mom. You should probably call him handsome,” Evan suggests with a grin.

We all chuckle. “He’d probably prefer deadly, intelligent, or powerful. Wouldn’t you, Rex?” He looks up at me and barks. I hitch my thumb over my shoulder. “You ready to head through and meet the others?”

“Will I get to hang out with a dog?”

“You sure will. I’ll introduce you to the others, and then you can choose who you’d like to spend your time with. We even have some puppies here today,” I say as I open the door. The noisy barks ring out, and Evan beams when he sees the stalls full of dogs. “We also have cats if you’d prefer to sit and play with them.”

“No way. I love dogs. I want a dog, but Mom won’t let me have one.” He slides his brown eyes to Hope.

My eyes drift over to her. “A dog will get lonely with me at work and you at school all day, Ev.”

“You’re always welcome to come hang out with Rex on his days off.” My mouth runs away before my brain catches up, but it’s a terrific idea, so I’m not mad about the offer.

Evan’s eyes are almost glowing with excitement. “That’d be awesome.”

Hope looks shell-shocked, opening and closing her mouth several times. “Oh, we wouldn’t want to impose.”

I wave off her concern. “Rex loves company. No imposition at all. In fact, you’d be doing me a favor.”

The other kids stop what they’re doing when they spot Evan and Hope. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet our newest member, Evan, and his mom, Mrs. Sullivan.”

Hope titters and slides her curly hair behind her ear. “You can call me Hope. Mrs. Sullivan is my mother-in-law.”

Tori and the kids call out their hellos, and I introduce them one by one. “Okay, so we usually spend a few minutes saying hello to each of the dogs. Evan, you can choose any dog to spend time with while you’re here. Just let me or Tori know, and we’ll bring them out of the kennel for you and take them outside.”

Tori and I get the kids settled with their cats and dogs, and while the kids are busy loving on their chosen pet for the day, I make my usual rounds to talk with each of the kids.

Normally, I have no issue being in the moment and focused solely on the child I’m speaking with, but today, my gaze keeps being drawn back to Hope. She chose a puppy, and I’ve been watching her play and laugh. Her blue-green eyes sparkle in the morning sunlight, along with the natural golden highlights in her hair.

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