Page 43 of Tricking an Introvert

Tessa

After a visit to the vet, confirming Beau wasn't registered, chipped, and likely hadn't been taken care of well since the moment of his birth, she was told that legally she had to put a notice up for a year, in case someone came forward with proof of ownership, but that the dog was, for all intents and purposes, Tessa's.

Beau seamlessly meshed into Tessa's schedule, as if he'd always belonged there. Now she walked him every morning, and ate street food on the way, before returning home for her sketch sessions.

Beau demanded scratches between the ears quite frequently, and they had to go out every couple of hours or so, but as far as furry assistants went, he was pretty low maintenance.

Tessa decided to take him with her to the shelter, where he revealed a natural talent for soothing nervous dogs, tiptoeing to them shyly and remaining low until they were ready for company.

Cole had finally started to call or text her daily, because she wasn't always home when he turned up out of the blue—she'd taken to exploring the nearby parks, absorbing more fresh air in a week than she used to in an entire month.

It wasn't a bad thing, all things considered.

"What the hell! Since when do you have a dog?"

Lewis grimaced at Beau's adorable face, his disdain clear in his expression. He didn't just dislike dogs; he had a thing against all pets, hating having to be responsible for them and the cleanup after.

Beau whimpered—he was used to being unwanted, and could recognize the signs, presumably.

"Oh no, you don't come into my house and make my dog uncomfortable. Someone dumped him out of a car," Tessa snapped. "You'll play nice or you'll go steal someone else's games.”

Lewis gaped, his eyes returning to the pretty little doggie.

"Dumped him? What sort of a monster would do that? Come here, you doggie. No one's dumping you on Uncle Lewis's watch, you hear?"

Beau wagged his tail, and bumped his head on her brother's leg, eagerly leaning in for cuddles. A week of being showered with attention had done wonders for his confidence, even with strangers.

"Is that a baby voice? I didn't know you had it in you, Lewis."

Her brother shrugged. "Hey, I don't mind dogs. I just don't want hair in my living space. If you do, it's fine with me."

"Great. You can pet-sit on my girls' night out Thursday, then?"

Lewis snorted. "Yeah, right. Pass. He's a dog, not a baby. Just leave him at home. It's not like you'll stay out for more than a couple of hours."

She would have agreed, if she'd been like most professionals and gotten Beau used to being left alone for an extended amount of time on a daily basis—but she worked from home and hadn't actually done anything without him since Cole had brought him to her the Sunday before last, so she didn't think Beau would do well left to his own devices for long. Or maybe she was just that protective.

"Please, Lewis? How often do I ask anything?"

Never. The answer was never, and Lewis knew it. He sighed. "Fine. What date?"

"The first of August."

Lewis's eyes brightened. "Well, I genuinely can't do that date, I'm out of town with the team—look it up, I'm not making it up. You'll have to find another sucker to help you."

"Help with what?"

They'd been having the entire conversation on her doorstep for some reason. Cole appeared, uncharacteristically wearing a T-shirt and jog pants.

"Hey. You were running?"

"Yeah, I've been pretty lax with my training during the week. I figured I'd try to take it up between Michael's place and mine. There's about six miles."

"How's that going?"

"Well, you're my halfway point and I was already desperate for a break, so not great. What do you need help with?"

Tessa bit her lip. She wasn't in the habit of asking anyone for favors. Begging Lewis for a hand was one thing—her brother owed her a billion little favors on a weekly basis. Turnabout was just collecting. And she already was in Cole's debt.

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