Page 21 of One Bossy Date

“Why are you terrified of dogs, Zoe, if I may ask?” he inquired.

I let out a sigh. “It’s just a childhood fear I’ve never quite shaken. I was bitten by this little dachshund at the park. Ripped my thigh open. And shredded my favorite red pants. And only because I tried to pet him.” That was the biggest irony of all. Tentatively, I touched the scar on my upper leg. Maybe he’d been afraid of my hand? Maybe he’d thought I wanted to harm him? I’d just tried to pet his little body. I would never know why he had attacked. “There were a few other ‘situations’ with other dogs,” I added. No way was I going to tell him about my dog-dance partner or frisbee-dog or cheesecake-dog. My short-legged dachshund story was embarrassing enough. “But ever since then, I’ve been too scared to even try again. Except for the small dog of my friend. Sausage.”

He didn’t even flinch when I told him the name of Jim’s dog. Probably used to odd pet names.

“Well, you’ll be glad to know that big dogs aren’t any more dangerous than small ones just because they’re bigger. As so often in life, the upbringing of a dog stands and falls with its owner.”

“That’s a relief,” I said, watching the dogs, who were more docile than I’d have ever imagined.

He looked at me suspiciously, as if my comment was meant to be sarcastic. It wasn’t.

“I’ll show you a few tricks with Ares and Hades. Let me just move some meetings around.”

“You mean now?”

“Yes.” He stood and disappeared into his bedroom with his phone.

I moved to the couch and sat down, a little less stiff than I’d been during the jacuzzi ordeal. Ares and Hades perched in front of my knees, curiously studying me. I began doing breathing exercises to remain calm, but quickly stopped when I noticed Anders, now more properly dressed, appearing in my peripheral vision.

“I see you’re getting to know one another.” Sarcasm framed his statement, and he sat down next to me.

Immediately, a strong wave of his cologne hit me. Bergamot. Citrus, maybe grapefruit. Definitely a hearty lavender note. I couldn’t help but subtly sniff the air and sigh in pleasure. It was the fresh, clean type of scent that appealed to me—it was not the man who wore it. At least, I tried to convince myself of that.

Showing strength, I blew out my anxiety and sat up straighter. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

“Why don’t you start by offering them the back of your hand to smell. That way they don’t suspect you’ll hit them.”

“All right…” Slowly, I did as he said, and both dogs sniffed excitedly, one of them licking my fingers. I resisted the impulse to pull my hand away. Hmm.

“Now that they’ve shown they know you, go ahead and scratch their chests.”

“Umm…okay…”

“Don’t be scared,” he reassured me. “I’m here.”

All right, but would he be quick enough to step in if either of them decided they didn’t like me after all? He’d said it himself: it depended on the owner. Did I trust Mr. Windham—Anders—enough to put my fingers within reach of those huge mouths?

Anders didn’t take my hand or offer any other sappy cliché move, and I appreciated that. He kept his respectful distance, but still, somehow, I felt safe. Safe enough to trust his judgment. I reached out and ran my hands simultaneously up the dogs’ chests. Their fur was surprisingly soft, unlike Jim’s dog’s wiry hair. Neither made any sudden moves, both merely sat and enjoyed it—at least I thought they did. Perhaps they sensed the vibe—that I needed them to stay calm for me so I could get used to them. Were they that intelligent? It sure seemed so. I continued running my hands up and down, lightly tickling them with my long nails.

“I think they like that a lot.” Anders had his elbows on his knees, supervising the situation. “See? They’re reaching forward for more whenever you stop.”

I stopped again, just for fun, and they did. It was so cute. My heart!

Dipping my head to peek at their collars, I learned that the one on my right was Hades, and Ares was on my left. I tried to take a mental note of the slight differences in the golden colors around their mouths and eyebrows.

“Ares is a little larger,” I said.

“Yeah, and Hades is slightly more muscular.”

Hades leaned forward and bopped my knee with his nose, the cold sensation making me giggle.

“Great job,” Anders said, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was talking to the dogs or me.

“Well, this isn’t so bad.” I couldn’t believe the words had come out of my mouth. “Is there anything I need to be aware of? A rule I absolutely mustn’t break?”

Anders didn’t think twice. “It’s important you give them clear commands. Come, sit, here, stop, and stay. Otherwise…” His eyes sparkled. “If you’re here and you can hear the dogs in the background, you’re probably fine. You should only look when it’s quiet. Then the two of them are probably up to no good.”

“No good like... mauling the parcel boy?”