Page 33 of Baby For The Billionaire Silver Fox

I waited, but she didn’t add to it.

“Anything else?” I prompted.

She thought a minute, looking like she was trying to make a decision. “Who did you see this movie with previously?

My lips twitched up. “I saw it by myself.”

She scrunched up her face and looked at me doubtfully. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Bennett’s daughter, Chloe, begged me to take her to see it. She has a big crush on the lead actress. Rom-coms aren’t really in her dad’s wheelhouse, so she asked me to take her. She’s only eight, so instead of giving into peer pressure—her best friend has seen it, and the girl she walks to school with has seen it—I thought I should check it out first and make sure it was age appropriate.”

“Whoa, it’s not,” Nicole commented. “That was very responsible and thoughtful of you. Did you steer her toward the latest Disney movie instead?”

“Yep, we saw that one a couple of days ago. Bennett was mad at me because I got her hopped up on sugar, and she was bouncing off the walls at bedtime.”

Nicole nodded. “The concession stand must not be ignored.”

We had walked down the block, and I directed her into an alley as a shortcut to the car.

“I liked the part in the movie where she…” Nicole stopped in her tracks, and her eyes went wide. “What’s that?” she hissed at me.

“What? Where?”

She pointed at a stack of cardboard up ahead. “See those eyes?”

“Where?”

“Those scary glowing two eyes? The only two eyes by the cardboard? Those eyes are staring at us.”

I pulled out my phone and shined the flashlight at where she pointed.

The eyes blinked but otherwise didn’t move, and we cautiously stepped forward.

“Is it a raccoon? Over-sized rat?” Nicole asked, slowing down to let me take the lead.

As we got closer, we could finally make out what it was—a medium-sized dog. He leaned against the cardboard stack, and his tail wagged hopefully. He looked skinny, and his fur was matted.

“Oh darling, you look so pathetic. Are you hurt?” Nicole cooed as she crouched down near him and tentatively put out a hand for him to sniff. Briefly, his wagging stopped as he judged her, then started up again more vigorously.

“Here’s some water. Do you want a drink?” Nicole asked as she poured her water bottle into her cupped hand. He gulped at it sloppily, and she refilled her hand. He let her pet him. He wasn’t at all afraid.

“I don’t think he’s injured,” she said as her fingers roamed over him gingerly, looking for anything amiss. But it’s hard to know until he’s had a bath and been cleaned up a bit.”

“No collar, huh? Any chip?” I asked.

“I’m not finding any identification.”

Nicole sat down next to him cross-legged and talked reassuringly to the dog. He leaned on her, enjoying her touch, and before long, he climbed into her lap. Nicole had a satisfied smile on her lovely face.

“Let’s take him to my house and give him a good scrubbing in the bath. We can get some dog food at the market on the way.”

“Are you sure? We could take him to Nana’s.”

“We don’t need to throw all this at Nana. She’s probably already asleep. I’ve got a perfectly good tub. A nice one, actually.”

Nicole shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. Can you carry him?”

I sat down beside her, and the dog allowed me to pet him. When he was sure of me, I gently picked him up and held him securely in my arms.

---