Page 68 of Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell

He parked the car and sat for a minute, staring out the windshield. He held on to the steering wheel with the other hand and seemed to have a hard time letting go.

“You sure you want to do this?” she asked.

He gave her a sad smile that broke her heart coming from such a big man. “It doesn’t hurt to walk in and see who they have, right?”

Gracie knew that Eric had put his dog down and that it had been rough on him, but he’d never talked about it. Of course, they hadn’t really been on the best of terms anyway, but still, everyone knew it had hit him hard.

Gracie was starting to realize that beneath all his macho crap, there was a big old squishy heart. And it scared her a bit. Pervert Eric was one thing, but sweet, sensitive Eric? She had no idea what to think of him.

They got out of the car, and when Eric reached out to take her hand once more, she let him. Her body warmed against the cold as she sensed he needed her, and they walked inside hand in hand. The place was hopping with people and animals in the lobby, and as they waited for the receptionist to acknowledge them, Gracie looked around. A fat gray cat lay on the counter, tolerating the occasional stroke from whoever was standing there. There was a room with the door open and several people sitting in the lobby chairs, holding on to leashes or pet carriers.

“Can I help you?”

They stepped forward, and Eric said, “We just wanted to look at your available dogs.”

The dark-haired receptionist smiled widely and pointed. “Sure, straight down that hallway, make a right and then a left through the door. How did you hear about our Whiskers in Wonderland event?”

“The Rock Canyon Shelter,” he said.

“Great, just let someone know if you need any help.”

Eric and Gracie wound through the people, toward a wall of windows with adult cats. Some of them were sleeping, others were sitting there, watching them pass.

“What’s Whiskers in Wonderland?” Gracie asked as they walked through the door.

“I guess someone paid all the animal’s adoption fees so they could get homes by Christmas.”

Gracie’s heart melted at the generosity. “That’s amazing!”

“Yeah.” They reached the end of the hall, where the walls were lined with chain link kennels. Several people were milling down the aisles, looking into the cages, and Gracie pulled Eric forward.

The first kennel was empty, but the second had a small dog with big ears. His ID papers had an adoption sticker on top, so they kept walking. There weren’t very many dogs left, which made Gracie very happy.

“I guess they’ve had a good turnout, huh?” she said.

They got to the end of the row, and Gracie stopped, making a little squeaking noise. “Oh, look!”

Several puppies climbed the gate of the kennel, and Gracie squatted down, releasing Eric’s hand. “Aren’t you adorable? Are you all adopted?”

She turned to ask Eric to check, but he was gone. She stood up and spotted him on the other side, bent down with his hands in a cage. She couldn’t see what kind of dog had grabbed his attention, so she followed him over.

She stopped behind him, a little surprised. She’d pictured Eric getting taken in by a bully breed or a big shepherd. This dog was pure black and looked young, probably less than a year. His fur was thick and soft looking, and his head looked like a Q-tip. He had eyes the color of a copper penny, and the only indication that he knew they were there was the way he leaned into Eric’s scratching fingers.

Gracie fingered his paperwork.Black lab mix, approximately eight months. Found running along Highway 93.

“Looks like he’s not ready for adoption yet. They’re waiting to see if his owner will claim him.”

Eric stood, pulling his hand out, and the dog leaned against the gate, looking up at him sadly.

“Hi, can I help you?” one of the kennel techs asked. She had long brown hair and a splash of freckles over her nose and cheeks.

“This guy. How long is he on hold for?” Eric asked.

“Let’s see.” She pulled his paperwork down and scanned it. “Looks like he’ll be available on Monday.”

“Are there any applications on him?”

Gracie watched the intensity on Eric’s face and glanced down at the dog, whose tail had started to wag, almost like he knew what Eric was doing.

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