Page 8 of Cash

“Move your ass, Snots! I’m not carrying you home again,” I order my incredibly lazy dog.

Looking up at me with his sad, brown eyes, I watch Snots slowly tips sideways until he’s lying on his side, eyes already closing. That would be fine if we weren’t out for a jog, and I wasn’t three blocks from home. He’s over sixty-five pounds of doggie fat and wrinkles. I’m going to end up carrying him again. Damn it.

I have no one to blame but myself. I should’ve gotten a border collie or a blue heeler. A breed with some get-up-and-go. Snots’ idea of get-up-and-go is to walk as far as his food bowl before lying next to it to eat. Because I couldn’t resist his little face, I’m now stuck with a dog that hates exercise as much as James does.

It’s a good thing I love the lazy little shit. I just wish my vet wasn’t always on my ass about his weight. He needs more exercise she says. Yeah, good luck with that. I end up being the one who gets the workout lugging him home all the damn time.

I crouch down on the grass next to Snots and begin the begging process.

“It’s only three blocks. We’ll go straight home, and I’ll go running by myself. You can do it! I have faith in you. Come on, Snots. Get up and we’ll walk instead of jog. Okay? We can even stop for hydrant sniffing. Promise!”

Not even an eye twitch.

“Extra treat if you walk home with me. Two extra treats, in fact. Please, Snots, don’t make me carry you again!”

All I get from him is a doggie snore.

I stand back up and give a little tug on the leash that’s attached to his harness. It has zero effect. There’s no way he’s this exhausted already. I slowly pull on the leash and watch Snots continue sleeping while his body slides a little on the grass. Yep, I’m going to have to carry his ass again.

“Is your dog hurt?” I hear a man’s concerned voice from the deck of the house whose lawn Snots is currently napping on.

“No. Just lazy,” I reply.

“Bring him up here and let him take a break in the shade. You look like you could use a cold drink anyway. After he rests, he might be willing to move again,” the man kindly offers, but I can hear the snicker in his tone.

Glancing toward the guy, I see him sitting in the shade of the covered deck and it does look like a nice place to hang out for a while. The guy looks friendly and harmless. He’s somewhere in his fifties, and he’s definitely what I would call a silver fox. I think every woman would.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose,” I ask while wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my arm.

“Absolutely! What guy wouldn’t want the company of a beautiful woman? Bring that chubby bastard up here, and let him rest in the shade. Do you need help lifting him?”

“No, I can get him there. I’m kind of used to lugging him around,” I answer as I bend to lift my useless dog.

I get a grip and carry Snots up the steps to the deck. Laying him on the floor in a shady spot, I realize he didn’t even wake up. I take the chair the gentlemen indicates and relax into it.

“What’s his name?”

“Snots,” I answer with a grin.

I smile bigger when I hear the guy give a bark of laughter.

“I’m Lars. And you are?” the guy asks.

“Livi. Mother of Snots, though now’s probably not the best time to admit that,” I answer while shaking Lars’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Livi. Why are you trying to force that poor dog to exercise?”

“So he keeps his weight down. Vet’s orders,” I answer while accepting a glass of iced tea that Lars poured.

“I see. It appears that you’re working much harder than he is though.”

“Yes, I am. But that way I can eat what I want and not end up looking like Snots,” I reply with a laugh.

Lars has a beautiful laugh and I love how his whole face smiles. He’s a large-framed man with a little blonde still mixed in with his gray hair. Super light blue eyes that show laugh lines next to them. He clearly smiles a lot, and I already like him.

“I’ve seen you running past here before but never with Snots. Are you just starting his new exercise regime?” Lars questions.

“No. I’ve been trying for a while, but this is the furthest he’s ever made it before. A full three blocks.”

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