Home Is Where Your Bark Is

Chapter 25

Jake glanced at the time displayed on his dashboard and tapped his thumb against the steering wheel, Alice’s words the last time he’d seen her in the shelter parking lot coming into mind. “In a couple weeks, if you’re still interested in fostering him out for adoption—and you’re still willing to walk that mile with him—give me a call and I’ll go to bat for you with Bethany. But not before.”

Alice had known this was going to get hard. She worked at a shelter, of all things. Seven wasn’t the only high-energy dog who’d moved through there, and he wouldn’t be the last.

In the rear of the rental, the metal-on-metal sound of the boxed-up kennel bouncing as he drove over bumps and made turns had been grating on Jake’s nerves on the way to and from work. Belted into the back seat, Seven didn’t seem to notice the sound as he stared out the window, anxious for something besides being closed inside Jake’s office with him all day at work where the only window had been too high for him to see out of and where the “oohs” and “aahs” every time Jake took him outside for a quick break had had Seven tucking his tail tightly against his hind end.

Yesterday, while working from home, Jake had attempted to get Seven kenneled for a short trial run. When it came to everything else, the dog was making strides, and Jake had been hopeful to have earned enough trust with him that they could build up Seven’s tolerance to the kennel ten or twenty minutes at a time.

Jake had walked him over to it after coming inside from a long afternoon walk while Seven was still leashed. As soon as he realized the direction they were headed, he’d tugged and pulled hard enough that he nearly slipped his collar. Jake had kept trying, projecting as much calm as possible, but when he noticed the way Seven had started to tremble uncontrollably and had even urinated on the floor a touch, he’d stopped immediately. Later, he’d packed up the kennel to take it back to the store.

That was all there was to it. Jake was never going to kennel this dog.

Now, Jake would focus on short stints of alone time in the condo instead—starting tonight, Jake’s first dinner out with Jenna.

Attentive as ever, as Jake turned into the strip-mall parking lot off Diversey Parkway, Seven immediately sensed the change in routine and stared at the row of stores straight in the direction of the pet store where they’d come the morning after Seven’s first night with Jake.

“Remember this place? Can you believe it’s been two weeks since we were here? How it can feel both so much longer and shorter at the same time, I don’t know, but it does.”

After he parked, Jake transferred the big rectangular box from the trunk to a cart, then got Seven out of the back, wrapping the leash handle securely around his wrist. “Considering you’ve never placed so much as one paw in this kennel, I’m swapping it out for a camera.” After a short pause, he added, “Let’s be real here—so that I can watch you chew up my place while I’m gone.”

Leaving the kennel at the front register while he shopped, Jake hurried Seven along the aisles, making quick work in his choice of a few new chews, a treat puzzle that promised to keep dogs busy for hours, and a pet camera. If there was any way to make a success of Seven’s first time alone in Jake’s condo tonight, it had to start with making time for a long jog around the neighborhood first, and Jake had left work later than intended.

When they made it back to the register, no one was in line, and Seven immediately sank to his haunches like a perfectly behaved dog, leaving Jake in zero doubt he remembered being given a couple treats by the checkout guy last time.

“What a good dog!” the girl behind the counter exclaimed when she looked over and spotted Seven sitting at attention. “Mind if I gave him a treat?”

Jake said that he didn’t, and from the opposite side of the counter, she ogled over Seven, claiming he was the most striking dog she’d ever seen. When he caught the bite-sized treats in midair that she tossed his way, she even clapped.

As she scanned Jake’s items, he pointed to the kennel in the cart at the end of her register to remind her that he had a return. It turned out that she hadn’t yet learned how to do returns and they needed to wait for the manager, who took her time walking up from the back, and Jake could feel the tension at the lost time mounting inside him.

As he waited for the manager to process the return, Jake spied a display of colorful pet tags on the other side of the counter. “Help your pet return home” promised the ad at the top.

Lifting a bone-shaped one off the hook, Jake fiddled with it. Maybe in a couple weeks he’d think about it. Who got a pet tag for a foster dog?

Looking down, he caught Seven’s gaze, and Seven wagged his tail, no doubt trying to communicate his desire for another treat.

“Oh, look, I think he wants one!” The girl cheered like Seven had just jumped through a hoop. She was standing behind her manager, her attention on anything but the return. Clearly, she’d have to learn the return process another time. “They’re on special this week too. At twenty-five percent off.”

The manager glanced over and spotted the tag in Jake’s hand. “We have a machine that does them right here.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe next time.” For some reason, guilt tugged at him as he slipped the tag back onto the hook. “Wait, how long does it take?”

The manager shrugged. “Well, nobody’s in line ahead of you, so just about as long as it takes you to type in your information.”

Next to him, Seven yipped loudly, and the girl clapped again. Really? She couldn’t have worked here that long to be this excited about a few tail wags and a bark.

Jake rubbed his lips together. “I guess we’ve got time for that.” He reached for the bone-shaped tag again and started to lift it off the hook but spotted one in the shape of a four-leaf clover on the opposite end of the row. “Actually, this one is more his style.”

***

As they waited for their food, Jake took a swig of his beer, an IPA, before entwining his fingers in Jenna’s once again. Even though they’d held hands enough these last two weeks that the act had a natural feel to it now, Jenna had a sense that Jake was holding her hand right now at least in part to lock himself down from pulling out his phone to check on Seven. When he’d asked her to dinner tonight earlier this week, he’d planned to have Seven crated for an hour or two. Instead, the dog was roaming loose in Jake’s condo.

They’d both walked to get here, meeting about halfway between their places on Milwaukee at the Chicago Diner. It was one of Jenna’s favorite restaurants and, given how a large slogan on the back wall read “Meat Free Since ’83,” she was happy to find out he liked eating here too. She only knew a few nonvegetarian guys who ate here without being forced to by their partners.

“So,” he said, “one more day, and you’ll have been back at work a full week. How are you feeling?” Despite the tension visible in his shoulders and the set of his jaw, Jake slid his thumb back and forth across her palm, and Jenna got the sense that, right now, he was a man at war with himself, wanting to be here, yet not fully unplugged from what he’d left behind at his condo.

“Pretty much back to normal,” she said as the steady sensation of his thumb moving along her palm proved almost hypnotic. Underneath the table, their ankles touched, and that was nice too. “Monday was long, but every day since has been easier.” She squeezed his hand gently. “You know, it’s perfectly fine with me if you need to check on him again.”

A crease formed between his brows. “I appreciate that, but if I do pull up that camera again and he’s eating my couch, it’ll just ruin our date. Better to wait and let whatever happens happen.”

He’d pushed their date back a half hour to ensure that Seven got a long dinnertime jog, a bit of playtime, and a full dinner before he headed out, but Jenna hadn’t minded. It gave her some time to unwind after getting home.

Their server dropped off Jenna’s chocolate peanut butter shake, promising their food would be up soon. Jake’s eyebrows lifted at the sight of the drizzled chocolate and peanut butter inside the tall clear glass mounded with vegan whipped cream. “I can’t say I’ve ever tried one of their shakes—some things just feel like they wouldn’t be the same without dairy—but that looks amazing.”

Jenna offered it his way. “Want to try it? I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, though I usually wait till after the meal before I start, so it’s not so frozen.”

Using the long metal spoon, Jake took a spoonful and nodded. “Really good. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I can’t remember being disappointed in anything I’ve ordered here.”

“Have as much as you’d like. I usually never order the shakes here unless I split them with my sister, but as I’m back to walking just about everywhere without my truck, I’m hoping my hips and thighs will give me a little bit of grace this time.” Jake made an obvious point of leaning to the side to glance underneath their small table for two at the side of the restaurant and raising an eyebrow. Jenna’s jaw dropped an inch before a surprised laugh bubbled out. “Should I be feeling judged right now,” she added, “because I kinda am.”

“No, not judged. Admired. Appreciated. Not judged.” When Jenna dropped his gaze, he leaned in and lowered his voice. “You have great hips, and even nicer thighs.” He added, “And beautiful eyes and a fantastic mouth,” into the silence hanging between them, which made all Jenna’s blood pool south. “If you want me to stop there, I will, but there’s some really nice real estate in between I could talk about too.”

Heart racing, Jenna’s mouth pulled a little o . Yeah, there’d been a whole lot of kissing this last week and a half, but this was new territory, and she could see the hunger in his gaze. Good thing the tables on either side of them were currently empty. The table spacing in here allowed for anything but private conversations.

To Jenna’s relief—and disappointment—the server was walking up again, this time with their dinners. “Here you go,” he said, sliding the Reuben and hand-cut fries in front of Jake and the sweet-potato tofu burger and side salad in front of her. “Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll check in again in a bit.”

After thanking him, Jenna met Jake’s gaze. This intensity was something she’d glimpsed in him before, but it was the first time it had been fully directed at her.

“What is it?”

Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know; maybe I don’t know how to receive compliments, because I’m working really hard not to deflect everything you just said by reminding you that we aren’t supposed to be doing this yet.”

Letting go of her hand, Jake sat back in his chair and took a long drink of his IPA before nodding slowly. “When I’m less than settled, I can be direct. Sometimes too direct. It doesn’t really change anything though. Even if I don’t say it aloud, I like you. I like sex, too, and eventually I’m looking forward to liking sex with you.”

Uh, yes, please. Jenna folded her napkin on her lap. “Maybe it would help us both to talk about a time frame for ‘eventually.’”

Neither of them had touched their food yet, but Jake picked up a fry and raised an eyebrow, a half smile bringing out his dimple. “You first, Jenna Dunning. What kind of time frame is your eventually?”

Her full name sounded nice on his lips, sending her blood south again. Jenna wondered what he’d say if she asked how fast they could get back to his place, but even as the thought crossed her mind, she shoved it away, fighting to answer with something other than her hormones. “We met two weeks ago tonight—we collided, technically—and you were still in the process of breaking up with someone. Sticking with public places another few weeks could be helpful. I loved going with you last night to the training center for Seven. Having him with us in the car was probably helpful in that regard too.”

Jenna meant it about last night; she’d had a great time watching Seven’s first session with a trainer. Afterward, he’d gotten to sniff the Astroturf and various agility props throughout the ring before chasing down Frisbees and even running up and down a few pyramid-shaped platforms and bridges at the promise of the treat waiting for him on the other end.

“This is the first time we’re without him, isn’t it?” Jake popped the fry into his mouth, nodding as he chewed. “Maybe that’s why all I could think about a few minutes ago was all the things we could do with that dairy-free whipped cream.”

Jenna laughed heartily, and the tension that had arisen between them fled. “That’s an eventually that’s much further down the road, just FYI.”

Jake grinned. “Especially while there’s a potentially destructive dog hanging loose at my place. He’d have time to eat through the walls if I let myself get started with that.”

Jenna held up a hand. “Don’t tell me if you’re serious. I won’t be able to eat a bite. Besides, it’s your turn. What’s your eventually?”

“Well, a couple minutes ago, my answer was however long it took us to get back to my place. But you’re right. We need to take our time getting there. I like you. A lot. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.”

They locked hands again in the center of the table. “Thank you,” Jenna said. “And I like you too. So…public places for a while longer yet, sounds like. Or my backyard; that’s pretty public.”

Jake narrowed his gaze playfully. “How about your potting shed? Is that public enough?”

Laughing, Jenna shook her head. “You can call me out for changing the subject if you’d like, but before I forget it about it, would you like to bring Seven by the parade Sunday? If you don’t think it’ll be too much for him.”

“The South Side parade?”

“Yeah, my mom’s side of the family is Irish. We have a float in it every year. My great-aunt organizes it.”

“That’s awesome. I love that parade, and hell yeah, if you’re in it, I’m there. Do you need a ride?”

“We have to get there super early to line up, so I’ll ride with my aunt. Maybe you could give me a ride home though?”

“Yeah, sure. And since Seven will be in the car with us, we’re safe there. Not that I have any real experience with it, but I swear it’s a bit like parenting, fostering him.”

“I can imagine that.” Jenna wondered if Jake realized it yet, how deep he was in with Seven. Looking from the outside in, it was so easy to see—his hearty laughs last night at some of Seven’s antics, the way his eyes lit up when talked about him, the way he made time to meet the dog’s needs even if that meant putting off his own.

Jake Stiles was falling in love with that dog.

More than Jake’s sex appeal, more than his bedroom talk or his incredible cooking, it was his capacity to love that misunderstood dog that had Jenna falling so deeply herself.