Page 30 of Love in Training
He gives me a tolerant, bloodshot nod as I approach. Darius is an ER nurse over at Denver Health, and judging by the look on his face, he just got off a very long night shift.
Another shrieking, banshee-yell issues from my apartment as I fumble to get my key in the lock.
“You got a dog?” he asks, folding his arms.
“Um... it’s complicated,” I say, finally shoving the door open.
I’m terrified to look inside, and unnerved when I find my apartment whole. Unmarred. Well, except for the already half-eaten couch. And the giant dog crate, which is now halfway across the room from where it had been sitting beside my bed. Inside, I see flashes of tan and black as the dog spins, barks, andcries to be let out. I set my purse on the counter and dash over to open the door so he’ll shut the hell up.
Which is a mistake.
The dog shoots out past me, snarling and charging straight for Darius, who is still standing in my open door.
“Rufus,no!Sit! Oh fu?—”
But before he can spring from the floor to rip out my neighbor’s jugular, Darius kneels and holds out his palm. “Hey, boy.” Rufus stops in his tracks, posture stiff. He gives him a cautious sniff, still emitting a low growl. “Oh my, you’re vicious, aren’t you?” Darius says in a playful tone.
Rufus eyes him a moment longer, then sneezes and licks his hand, wagging his tail.
Very gently, Darius reaches under Rufus’s chin and strokes his neck.
“H-how did you . . . ?” I rasp.
My neighbor sits back on his heels and gives me a relieved look, like he hadn’t been sure how that would pan out either. “Todd’s sister is a K-9 officer up in Longmont. First time her shepherd ran at me like that, I nearly peed my pants.” He gives a tired laugh. “She told me it’s my size they don’t like.”
He rises back up to his full height, but apparently has passed the Rufus test, because the dog comes to stand by my side, nudging me with his cold nose.
I pull my hand away.
“Um, wow. I’m glad you knew that,” I say, reaching for Rufus’s leash. Darius does look intimidating at first glance, but he and his boyfriend, Todd, are literally the sweetest couple in my building.
Darius glances around my apartment and whistles. “Ouch.He do that to your couch?”
“Yeah,” I say, dragging my hand over my face.
“What’s his name? Where’d you get him from?”
“His name is Rufus.” I wince when I think of Kyle’s will, trying to come up with a condensed story for my neighbor. “Um, I sort of inherited him. He’s an ex-military dog.”
His eyes widen. “Well, I hate to be a bitch, but I just finished a twelve-hour shift and I couldn’t sleep with all that noise.”
“I’msosorry.” My shoulders tighten. “I didn’t know he was going to do that. I’ll make sure he’s quiet the rest of the day.”
“Thanks, Caprice.” He stoops to pet Rufus again, who hops up to lick his face. Darius laughs. “Oh man, you’re some scary bomb dog.”
I follow him into the hall with Rufus on his leash since I’m not taking chances with poop anymore. “My friend says he probably has some issues since he was military.”
“Ya think?” Darius chuckles, returning to his own door. “Apparently he doesn’t like that crate. Hey, you want me to ask Todd’s sister for advice? Police dogs might be similar.”
“Would you?” I raise my brows, hitting the button for the elevator. “That’s a great idea, thank you.”
“Sure.” He rubs the dog’s head one last time. “Nice to meet you, Rufus. Hope not to hear you in my dreams.”
I dial Lydia as soon as we’re on the street. “Hey, what do I need to do if I want to bring Rufus to The Pooch Park tomorrow?”
“Um...” She hesitates. “You could time travel and get on our waitlist two months ago?”
I start to laugh, but quickly sober when she doesn’t join in. “That’s not some woo-woo manifesting talk, is it? You’re really booked?”
