Page 76 of Hopeless Romantic
Still, after a quick check in the rearview mirror for stray feathers, she grabbed her bag and hopped out. Her breath crystallized on contact, and the blast of frigid air stung her nose. She clapped her hands together to get the blood flowing, then fished through her bag for her rainy-day gear.
Locating two sets of rain booties and matching red ESA vests, she reached into the cab to slip them on both passengers. When they looked cozy and cute as could be, Beckett stood aside to make room for them to exit. Diesel moved from the passenger’s seat to the driver’s seat, but was intercepted by Gregory, whose flapping feathers gave him just enough lift to land on Diesel’s back before he popped to the ground and shook himself to reposition his ruffled feathers.
Diesel followed, as tranquil as Gregory was melodramatic.
Beckett bent into the cab of the truck to grab the pink pastry box she’d picked up on her way over. It had slid all the way forward. Beckett lay on the bench, using all sixty-and-change inches to tap the corner of the box with her fingers. She’d just wedged the tip of her pointer under the flap when a deeply amused chuckle came from behind her.
“Is that your way of asking if those pants look good? Of if you have feathers stuck to your ass?” Levi said. “Either way, I’m going to need a closer inspection.”
She straightened and dusted off her butt; three feathers drifted to the ground. Not bothering to hide her grin, she turned to face Levi and nearly dropped the pastry box.
He stood in the open doorway of the bar, gray Henley stretched across his shoulders, ball cap turned backward, wiping his hands on a rag. And smiling. One of those “Hey babe, remember that kiss” smiles, which clenched her stomach and tightened her throat even from thirty feet away.
Without waiting for her, Diesel wandered straight to the door, passing Levi on his way in, closely followed by Gregory, trotting behind.
“Sure,” Levi said, watching them as they went by. “Come on in, guys.”
As she approached, his warm gaze traveled over her. “You’re lucky I’m too distracted by the way those leggings fit to notice not one, but two health-code violations in my bar.”
“You can always kick us out,” she teased.
His gaze moved over her again. “I’d rather face the health department shutting me down. Plus, Girl Wonder needs her trusty sidekicks.”
“I do. I’m headed to the hospital. One of their long-term patients is turning thirteen, and her birthday wish is for Dog Wonder to pay a visit.”
It wasn’t the first holiday Samantha had celebrated at the children’s hospital, but hopefully, it would be the last. After being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, Samantha had undergone a series of painful treatments, which required an extended stay in the long-term-care unit, spanning the holiday season. Her letter to Santa had but one thing listed: to see her pet, Wonder Dog.
Rome General’s policy was clear: Only service animals were permitted on the premises. Frustrated that the hospital board wouldn’t make an exception, Samantha’s mom did the next best thing and reached out to Fur-Ever Friends—who put her in touch with Beckett.
Diesel might have flunked out of service-dog school, but he’d completed the right training and certification to be acknowledged by the hospital as a therapy dog. So while Beckett couldn’t train Samantha’s Wonder Dog in a day, she could bring a newly renamed Dog Wonder in his place.
Some glitter glue, a handmade cape, and a couple of dollar-store Santa hats later, Beckett took Dog Wonder on their first tour through the pediatric ward. With bat ears, tree-stump legs, and the overall shape of Mr. Potato Head, Diesel was born to make people laugh. What she hadn’t anticipated—hell, what no one had anticipated—was how easily Samantha’s treatment had gone while Diesel stayed by her side.
The difference was so astounding, the nursing staff asked if Dog Wonder could come back for Samantha’s next treatment. Moved by Samantha’s story and her courage, Beckett brought Dog Wonder to every treatment until Samantha was given a clean bill of health and able to go home to her own dog.
This past Christmas marked Samantha’s six-year anniversary of being cancer-free. It also marked the Dynamic Dog Duo’s decision to visit the pediatric ward regularly. Because for every child sent home, another one was waiting to fill that empty hospital bed. And if there were even a chance, no matter how small, that a visit from a funny-looking dog could make a difference in a child’s hospital experience, then Beckett would be there.
Samantha’s treatments hadn’t been so reliable. The cancer was back. And Beckett would be there with Dog Wonder to help her get through the new therapy.
Levi reentered the bar and looked down at the only occupants. “Dog Wonder. Girl Wonder.” Levi’s gaze turned to Gregory. “Peck and Beck. Or does Pecker have a superhero name, too?”
She laughed. “He isn’t allowed in the hospital.”
“He isn’t allowed in here, but that hasn’t stopped him.”
She set the pink pastry box on the bar top. Then heaved Diesel onto one barstool, settled the chicken on another, and sat in the middle. “Annie’s going to watch him.”
“So, Annie plans to meet you here, then cock-sit while you’re making the rounds at the hospital?”
“Don’t worry, I’m meeting her at the hospital when she gets off. I’m going to get a list of guests so I can start on the seating chart, and she’s going to take Gregory to the outpatient clinic for some socializing.”
“Or you can leave him here with me. It doesn’t get more social than a bar at happy hour,” he said. “You can pick him up after you’re done.”
Surprise stalled her breath and made her refocus on the hunk in front of her. “You hate him—why would you offer to keep him?”
“Hate? This guy and I are old mates. Aren’t we?” He picked up Gregory and scratched him under the wattle, and the traitor started cooing. “Plus, when you come back, we can go over the seating charts on the deck and watch the sun set.”
She looked up at him through her lashes. “That sounds more like a date than making a seating chart.”
