Page 39 of A Very Grumpy Neighbor

“Big day today,” I say, glancing at Meyer as I sip my coffee.

He nods, slow and thoughtful. “Three new handlers. One pup off to graduation. And the police chief from Granite Hollow is driving in to meet with me.”

My heart swells a little.

It all started our first Christmas together five years ago when he gave me a puppy—Odin—who we trained together. Something about the process clicked for Meyer: the discipline, the bonding, the challenge. Before I knew it, he was ordering training manuals and emailing police departments.

Now? He runs a training facility out back and consults for towns all across the region.

Watching him build something again, with that same quiet intensity he once gave the military, has been amazing. Healing, too.

“Your dad’s going to change the world, kids,” I say, smiling at them.

“Nuh-uh,” Rowan replies around a bite of waffle. “He trains doggos.”

“Exactly.” I wink at Meyer. “Best job ever.”

Meyer leans against the counter, his eyes warm as he watches me juggle the kids, coffee, and chaos. He comes over, rests a hand on my lower back, and kisses my temple.

“I never would’ve imagined this back when you moved in and I was still hiding behind my curtains, hoping you’d go away,” he murmurs, his voice low so the kids won’t overhear.

“I never wanted to go away,” I whisper, resting my head against his chest for a beat.

“Thank God for that.”

Hazel shrieks with joy as Odin licks a smear of banana off her fingers. Meyer laughs, that rare, deep, beautiful sound thatwas so hard-won and now echoes through our house every single day.

“I should check the new training pens before the crew gets here,” he says, squeezing my waist.

I nod. “Want me to bring you lunch later?”

“Only if you and the worms come, too.”

“Deal.”

He heads out, Odin padding after him, tail wagging. Hazel babbles as I clean up breakfast, and Rowan climbs down to retrieve Potato the worm from the porch.

And me? I breathe in this moment.

The kitchen full of crumbs, the yard full of barking, my heart full of love.

I used to think my dream house came with a nightmare neighbor next door.

Turns out, it came with my forever.

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