“Hey there, handsome.” I kissed his nose and gave him a rub behind the ears. He quickly settled in on the elevated bed we kept behind the desk. We tried to bring each of the dogs out for a couple hours a day—at least the older ones that were low energy and were content to lie around and look cute.
“Alright,” I started. “I’ve just printed off the applications that came in. You start on those while I start nailing down adoption events.”
I loved the adoption events. They were always a huge success. We did our best to select the animals with the highest probability of being adopted. We took a couple of the more difficult animals, but it was just sad we had to cart them back to the shelter when they were rejected again.
The front door opened, and I got excited. I looked up to greet the person. It took about a second for the man’s identity to register. I involuntarily sucked in a breath. Ally’s head popped up. “What’s wrong?”
I said nothing. I was truly speechless. What in the hell was Reese Bancroft doing in my shelter? Better yet, why in the hell did he look so good?
It wasn’t fair. He should look like the beast he was underneath that suave suit and rugged good looks. His hair was a little longer than I remembered. He looked like a model. One of those men splashed over a massive billboard with the chiseled jaw covered with dark stubble and those piercing hazel eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped.
Ally looked at me, then him. Then she sprang into action. “Uh uh, no way, go!” She rounded the desk and put her slender body between him and me.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.
“No,” Ally answered. “Unless you’re here to adopt a dog, which Thea would have to be crazy to let you have, you need to leave.”
“Thea, please,” he said while looking right over the top of her head. I supposed that was the benefit of being the tallest person in the room.
“Ally, it’s fine,” I said. “What do you want?” I asked him.
He looked to Ally to make a point. I rolled my eyes. “Ally, I’ll be back in a minute. If I’m not, call the police and tell them there is a man threatening to kill me.”
“Happily,” Ally growled.
I led Reese right back out the front door. “What?” I snapped while folding my arms across my chest. It was hard to look at him. He was too hot for my own good. The man was a bastard. I wanted nothing to do with him after he broke my heart.
“I was talking to Rich the other day,” he started. “He mentioned you were in a bit of a bind here. I was hoping to offer you a deal that would benefit us both.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what you’re saying, but I don’t think I like where this is going.”
“I need a date for Friday,” he said.
I burst into laughter, my head back and mouth open as I laughed. “I hope you’re not suggesting I be that date.”
“Actually, I am.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Do you know there are about three million things I would prefer to do than date you? Some of those things include having sex on a bed of nails. Then there’s the spooning my eyeballs out. Sleeping in a bed with a thousand tarantulas beats going on a date with you. I would rather—”
“I get it,” he said and held up a hand. “Hear me out. I know we didn’t part on the best terms, but this could be beneficial for you as well.”
I rolled my eyes. “This should be good.”
“I have a grand opening for a new building. It’s a residential building. It’s huge. There is a lot of buzz around it. We’re hoping to sell the rest of our units. The building is pet friendly. In fact, we have a dog grooming area in the building with one of our offered services being a dog walker. We have an indoor pet area with fake grass and trees. We’ve made it easy for them to own a dog. Our target market is older retirees and the kind of people who work from home and want everything in one spot. That’s what we’ve provided. Now you just need to provide the pets. Your animals would be going to people who have the means to provide them with excellent care. They’d be pampered. Rescue animals are hip and trendy.”
“Are you suggesting I give away my pets?” I asked.
“No, I’m suggesting we set up a small kiosk in the lobby promoting your shelter,” he replied. “They buy an apartment and a dog. Cat. Whatever.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. I needed the exposure. “And when you say I would be your date, that’s in name only?”
“Yes,” he said. “I just need you to be at my side as my date. Nothing more.”
I couldn’t say no. His social reach was a hundred times what I had. He could get us on the map. But then there was my dignity. “I don’t know,” I said with a grimace.
“I’ll make a personal donation to the shelter,” he quickly added.