REESE
Ididn’t want to be in the office. My heart wasn’t in it. I wanted to be with Thea. I needed to make sure she was okay. There was nothing going on at work that required my attention. After having Josh clear my schedule, I left early for the day and went to the shelter.
I caught a glimpse of Thea inside one of the rooms with a young couple. Ally was sitting behind the desk with Lucas. She shot me a dirty look. “I know you’re not here to adopt a dog,” she said with disgust.
“I’m here to see Thea,” I said.
“She’s doing an adoption,” she replied. “We’ll tell her you stopped by.”
“I’ll wait,” I said. “How are you, Lucas?”
“Good,” he said.
“Staying out of trouble?” I asked.
Ally looked confused. “How do you know him?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or Lucas. “We met when I stopped by,” I clarified.
Thea came out of the room with a dog on a leash. “Reese,” she said. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”
“I wanted to check on things,” I said.
“Ally, can you help get them set up?” Thea said. “They will be taking Rocco home today.”
Ally didn’t look happy about it, but she did it anyway. Thea grabbed my arm and led me away. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I wanted to check on you,” I said. “See how you were doing.”
“See if I’m hungover,” she teased.
“Maybe. Did your neighbor give you any more trouble?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“Are you still thinking about moving?”
“I’m not just thinking about it. I’m going to do it. I have to. The order isn’t something I can ignore, and I won’t lose my babies. How could I go home every night to an empty house with that asshole next door and my dogs locked in some cold kennel with a cement floor?”
“I understand,” I said. “I happen to know a few people in the real estate business. I’d be happy to reach out.”
“Actually, we’ve been skimming the listings today,” she said. “It’s not going well.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s just like what you guys warned me about,” she said. “Houses are stupid expensive. I can’t afford the interest rate on any of the houses that would be suitable for me and the dogs. I refuse to get into another situation like I’m in now. I need a yard, fence, and preferably no neighbors. Unfortunately, there are no houses that suit those needs that I can afford.”
“What about renting for now?” I suggested.
“I don’t think that’s an option either,” she said. “No one is going to rent to me with three dogs.”
“Let me put in some calls and ask around,” I said. “Maybe there’s something not on the market yet.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m not sure I can afford anything your friends are selling.”
“Thea,” Lucas called out.
The couple with the dog were just walking out. The dog was actually smiling. It was pretty clear he knew he was going home. I followed Thea to the front desk. Lucas handed Thea his tablet. “Check this one out.”