“But that’s the problem. I don’t have anywhere to take him.”
“I’d think taking him home would be an ideal solution.”
“But he’s not mine.”
Before she could speak, she felt something cold and wet against her leg. She glanced down to find the dog sniffing her. Her instinct was to kneel down and make friends, but she didn’t want Trey to think that whatever he was trying to pull here was acceptable. This was one of those moments when she didn’t like being management.
Sage turned her attention back to Trey. “Do you normally bring other people’s animals to work with you?”
“I must admit that it’s a first.”
“And your last.”
“If you would let me finish. I can explain this. It’s really kind of a funny story.” He hesitated. “Actually, it’s not funny ha-ha. It’s funny as in strange and a bit sad.”
She should be upset, but when the puppy looked at her with those big innocent eyes, her irritation melted away. The little white dog with long fur was so cute. No wonder Trey had taken it in.
Unable to resist any longer, she asked, “Can I pet him?”
“Um, sure.” Trey’s face filled with confusion soon followed with relief. “He’s a very friendly little guy.”
“Hi.” She knelt down and pet him. His white fur was soft, but it was long and gnarled. “You are such a sweet thing. That’s great that you adopted a dog—”
“I didn’t adopt him. It’s more like he adopted me.”
Sage straightened. “Say again.”
The dog moved and sat at Trey’s feet. Its little tail swished back and forth. “I found him hiding in a bush when I was out running last night. He was shaking with fear.”
“Aw...poor baby?”
Trey nodded. “He didn’t have a collar or any way to identify him. And from the looks of him, no one has cared for him in quite a while. I took him home, fed him and cleaned him up the best I could.”
“There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why did you bring him to work?”
“I didn’t mean to. I thought the animal shelter would be open early, but it opens late today. If I could just keep him here until they open—”
“You aren’t keeping him?” She glanced down at the little dog that was now leaning up against Trey’s leg as though they belonged together. “He seems to have really bonded with you.”
“I... I’m not a dog person.”
She arched a brow. “Really? Because you certainly seem like it to me and...what do you call him?”
“I didn’t name him because I’m not keeping him.”
“You can’t keep calling him puppy or dog.” She turned her attention back to the white puppy. “Come here.”
Surprisingly, the dog came right to her. It’s little tail swished back and forth. “You certainly are a friendly little guy.”
“He’s certainly that. Even when he woke me up at 4:00 a.m. to take him outside. He was as happy as could be. Me not so much. I was half-asleep and almost walked into the wall.”
She scooped the dog up in her arms. “Is that true? Are you a happy little guy?”
Arf!
Sage couldn’t help but smile at the dog’s cheery personality.
“Maybe you should keep him,” Trey suggested.