Page 53 of Forever & Always You
Austin’s fingers trace their way down my arm until his hand settles into mine. “I’m sorry for talking to your mom like that.”
“Are you kidding? She totally deserved it,” I say, giving his hand a squeeze. “I never listened to her when I was eight and wanted to be your friend. What makes you think I’ll listen now that I’m an adult? Besides, I think that was actually a step forward with her. She’ll grow to like you, but those little remarks of hers are probably something you’ll just have to get used to. God knows I get them too. She can’t help herself.”
Austin looks at me out of the corner of his eye as we walk, smirking in amusement. “We have some work to do when it comes to winning over the parents.”
“Hey, at least my mom only judges you. Your parentsdespiseme, so I have a hell of a lot more work to do than you do.”
“Can’t say I blame them too much. You’re easy to despise, Gabby,” he says, “but equally easy to forgive.”
We grab ourselves some cheeseburgers and find a shaded spot beneath a tree. We sprawl out together on the grass, perfectly content with enjoying the atmosphere and looking out at the crowd. I can’t help but pay attention to every single person that leaves the gazebo, wondering if they’ve filled out an application form. Just as Austin and I are debating which dogs are the most likely to get adopted, my brother strides across the park toward us.
“You,” Zach hisses, pointing an accusatory finger at me. “Oh, the way I’m going to kill you, Gabby.”
I look up at him from the ground, sunglasses shielding my eyes from the bright sun. “Excuse me?”
“I’m now going to have a scruffy little dog living in my house!” Zach groans. He places his hands on his hips and rants, “And its teeth are fucked up so it’ll probably end up with none at all by the time it’s elderly, so I’ll be left looking after some gummy little blind poodle one day.”
Austin and I exchange a look, as we both realize it at the exact same time.
“You’re adopting Lily? The miniature golden poodle?” I ask, because out of all of the dogs,of courseZach just has to be talking about the one I thought was my soul dog. Lily, the curly-haired, chicken-wing-loving, antisocial poodle. “Did her sign say she was found eating chicken wings out of the trash?”
Zach grows even more exasperated. “Why are the pair of you laughing? Is there something wrong with that dog? Tell me now, Gabby, because if I take this thing home and it’s demonic, I swear to God .?.?.”
“No! She’s perfect,” I reassure him. “I just didn’t know you were considering a dog.”
“Because I wasn’t!” Zach snaps. “I told you—I came for the free food, but now Claire is in love with that lump of fur and I’ve been bullied into filling out an application form.”
“Maybe having a dog will make you less grouchy.”
Zach graces me with his middle finger before storming back over to the gazebo, and I giggle under my breath as I picture him walking a tiny poodle around his neighborhood. He’ll deny it, of course, but he’ll love it. It’s always the men who don’t want the dog who fall in love with them the most. And Claire is incredibly sweet, so I know Lily will be taken great care of.
“That’s one dog adopted for sure,” Austin says, leaning back on his hands. “And if Lily and her underbite can find a home, then I have high hopes for the rest.”
We only have the park for a couple hours, and eventually the crowd begins to thin, the grills get shut off, and the bounce houses begin to deflate. Mom has disappeared without saying goodbye, but I don’t blame her for being too caught off guard by Austin’s confidence to want to find us again.
“Shall we help get the dogs back to the shelter?” I suggest to Austin, because that’s exactly what I need to do, anyway, so I’m relieved when he agrees.
Inside the gazebo, the photographer is popping party hats on the dogs and taking some final snaps for their new headshots on the Saving Paws Animal Rescue’s website, because how can anyonenotwant to adopt a dog wearing a party hat and bandana?
“Gabby!” Fiona calls over with a beaming grin spread across her face. She thrusts her clipboard at me, a thick stack of completed application forms piled up high. “Look at all of these! We’ve hadsomuch interest in most of the dogs!”
With bated breath, I ask, “And Teddy?”
“Unfortunately, no applications for Teddy yet.”
The pang of disappointment is straight-up gut-wrenching.It’s so heartbreaking to me, thinking of the innocent dogs without a couch to nap on, just because they’re too old or not cute enough or a little bit nervous. I may be pretty damn good at organizing an adoption event, but I’m clearly too sensitive to deal with the aftermath.
Fiona immediately notices the glaze of tears in my eyes, and she rubs her hand soothingly up and down my arm. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. You did good! I reckon at least twenty dogs will be in new homes next week and that’s because of you!” One of the volunteers calls across the gazebo for her and she dashes away before she realizes she’s just ruined my little secret. Thanks, Fiona.
Austin immediately turns to me with narrowed, intrigued eyes. “Gabby.”
And of course, I completely ignore him. “Let’s go see Teddy and give him some belly rubs.”
“Gabby.”
“His pen is up there somewhere.”
“Gabby,” he says once more, and I give in and meet his eyes, remaining sheepishly silent. “You did this?”
