Page 132 of Make Me Trust Again
“Not at the moment. No.” Her cheerful tone has him muttering a curse, which only makes her laugh harder. “Just ignore him. He’s more bark than bite, like most of the dogs. And since he also left his manners in the doghouse apparently—” She extends her hand to me. “I’m Maisie.”
Her smile is bright and seems genuine. I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear as I slip my hand in hers for a handshake. “Rose. I’m Kyle’s mom.”
Her brows shoot up, her gaze darting to Chase as her lips curl in a smirk. “Soyou’reChase’s new neighbor. It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“You have?” My brows furrow in confusion as I try to wrap my mind around that little tidbit.
Chase growls softly, which only makes Maisie’s smile grow bigger. “Sure did. I?—”
“Didn’t you just say that you have work to do?” Chase asks before she can finish, his eyes narrowed on her.
“It can wait.” She waves him off and loops her hand with mine, pulling me away. “What brings you guys here? Wanted to visit this grump?”
“Umm…” I glance over my shoulder to find Chase still glaring at Maisie’s back before I shift my attention to the woman next to me, who’s acting more like a little sister than anything else. “Not really. Kyle’s been talking about having a pet for a while, so I figured I should just go for it.”
If possible, Maisie’s smile grows even bigger. “Then you’ve come to the right place! Do you know what you’re looking for?”
“Not really,” I admit. “The only dog we’ve been around is Shadow.”
Kyle looks up from where he’s playing with the dogs.“Mom, can we take Duke home?”
I eye the dog wearily, those two-colored eyes fixing on me. It almost feels like I’m gazing into a human’s eyes, that’s how much intelligence is hidden in their depths, and yet…
“I’m not really sure that’s a good idea, buddy.”
Kyle pouts.“But I really like Duke.”
Chase places his arm on Kyle’s shoulder, drawing his attention. “Duke is very young and very energetic. He needs a lot of training and work to keep him busy.”
“I can keep him busy,” Kyle protests, crossing his arms over his chest. “And you can teach me how to train him.”
Chase crouches down, so they’re at the same level. “I’m sure you can, but he’ll feel much happier if he can help other people. You want him to be happy, right?”
That frown is still in place, and I expect Kyle to protest some more, but after a few moments, he lets out a sigh, his head dropping slightly.
“I guess so.” Kyle kicks his leg a little before looking up, that familiar uncertainty written all over his face. “Do you want to go look at the other dogs with me?”
Chase’s face softens slightly, and he nods. “Sure thing.”
Kyle blinks, as if he needs a moment to process his words, but then a smile flashes on his face. “Really?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Chase pushes to his feet, the muscle in his jaw twitching slightly like he’s in pain. Kyle takes his left hand as if it’s the most natural thing in the world and drags him toward the building, chatting his ear off about different kinds of dogs he likes.
I follow after them, Maisie falling in step with me. I glance at the other woman. Now that it’s just the two of us, that familiar feeling of unease makes my palms sweaty.
Unable to stand the silence, I clear my throat. “You’ve known Chase for long?”
She tilts her head, a strand of dark hair slipping from her braid. “A handful of years. He was my brother’s best friend. When I opened this shelter two years ago, I knew I’d need all the help I could get.” She chuckles softly. “I begged Chase to help me out. He has a way with animals, unlike anybody else I know. Besides, I think he needed the distraction.”
Her smile falls, gaze growing distant for a second, and my heart does a little flip inside my chest. There’s something there, something I can’t quite pinpoint, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.
“What about you? When did you move in with him?”
Her question makes me splutter in surprise. “Umm… It’s not— We don’t live together. He’s just renting me his cottage. That’s all.”
I turn around and almost face-plant into Chase. His hand lands on my shoulder to steady me as he glances between the two of us, that frown back in place. “Are you two coming or what?”
