Page 66 of The Bodyguard Affair
My heart clenches seeing Andi kneeling in the muddy grass, giving each dog much-needed love. A mix of dogs surround her: a couple of Lab mixes, a fluffy husky, a doodle mix. Off to the side, a midsize dog catches my eye. It’s standing alone at the edge of the group, sniffing the perimeter of the fence. Its fur is sparse, with patches of sad-looking white fuzz clinging to raw, red skin. Its legs are thin and shaky, like they could give out any second.
“What happened to that one?” I ask Deidra.
“That’s Cody. He’s been here a couple months. He’s an Airedale terrier, not that you can tell. He was surrendered by his owner because he kept chewing off all his hair. The vet thinks he has food and environmental allergies that led to a severe skin infection. We’re trying to work out a proper diet for him. He also needs daily medicated baths.”
“Poor guy,” Andi says, holding her hand out to coax him over. He eyes her but doesn’t approach.
“He doesn’t have a lot of confidence. I think it’s because of his fur,” Deidra whispers, as though he can understand us.
I extend a hand toward him. He eyes me warily before backing away into his corner. He looks like he needs a bit of space, so I back off and join Andi to run around with the more outgoing dogs. Over the next hour, I notice Cody’s sad brown eyes longingly following our movements from his corner. While Andi helps Deidra dole out some special snacks, I decide to try again. I approach slowly, stopping when he cowers again in the corner.
Instead of going closer, I sit in the grass nearby with a treat on my knee. I avoid eye contact, waiting for him to come on hisown terms. After a couple minutes, he eventually does. He takes a tentative step forward, barely close enough to sniff my hand and take the treat before darting back again, his little nub of a tail tucked tightly between his legs. I wait a little longer for him to gather the courage to return. This time, he sits a couple feet away. His skin looks raw and a little shiny, probably too raw to pet, so I give him a soft pat on the head where some thicker tufts of fur remain. He flinches at first but relaxes slightly. He seems to like it, because his breathing grows heavier.
For the next fifteen minutes, we sit together quietly, him inching closer and closer until he finally plunks next to me, his back resting against my hip. He watches Andi frolicking around the pen with the others. Finally gaining his trust feels rewarding. More so than any job, any mission.
When I go to stand, he follows me. In fact, he follows me around the pen for the rest of our time.
“Wow, Cody took a liking to you,” Deidra remarks, genuinely surprised when she returns. “He’s been so timid since he got here. I’ve been worried he wouldn’t get adopted if he couldn’t build trust with someone.”
“He’s got so much potential,” I say, stroking Cody’s greasy head. “A little TLC and he’ll be an amazing dog.”
Deidra swings me a hopeful look. “We just need to find the right owner for him. Are you in the market for a dog?”
“I wish,” I reply honestly. “I travel a lot for work and I’m not staying in Ottawa long-term.”
As Andi and I prepare to leave, the thought of saying goodbye to Cody makes me feel like shit. He follows me as far as he can, his small frame lingering at the gate as Deidra gently closesit. Through the narrow crack, he watches us pull away, his eyes filled with a desperate longing that just about kills me.
Andi glances at me from the passenger seat. “We’ll come back,” she says, voice soft.
I swallow hard. “Tomorrow?”
Chapter 28
Andi
For the rest of July, we settle into as much of a routine as we can with our schedules. We do lunch together so we can keep up appearances. We attend a coworker’s going-away party. Our relationship is so believable, even Ann, the head chef for the Nichols family, corners me in the staff kitchen one day to ask whether I can introduce her to Nolan’s CPO coworkers.
In our off-time, we’ll take walks, grab takeout, watch TV together. Nolan is also keen on going to the rescue farm to see Cody, so we make sure to go at least once a week.
It’s wildly adorable, seeing Nolan with Cody, with his peach fuzz and scrawny little body. But the two of them have developed a close bond. In fact, Nolan even bought him a soft blanket to sleep with at night, a sweater (in case he gets cold), and some chew toys.
Nolan also keeps offering to let me come to Costco with him. I never thought I’d ever look forward to grocery shopping.Maybe because it was a stark reminder I was alone, shopping for one. Sure, Nolan and I aren’t actually together, but it’s nice to have someone to share your cart with, someone to help you find random ingredients, someone to convince you to get the extra tub of ice cream you’ve been eyeing.
Today is Eric and Gretchen’s staff appreciation barbecue, which is being held at the NCC River House, a heritage building with a public dock for swimming on the Ottawa River. It’s a gorgeous wooded location, though neither of us actually swims or fully enjoys the day, because he’s doing security while I’m caught up with logistics—coordinating food, overseeing entertainment, and making sure everything runs smoothly.
It’s become a more arduous task than normal, because today, Eric and Gretchen aren’t speaking. Gretchen didn’t tell me much, aside from calling him “that man.” They spend most of the afternoon on opposite sides of the docks, asking me and Eric’s assistant to play telephone all day over trivial things, like condiments for the barbecue food.
I’m exhausted by the time everyone filters out at the end of the day, so I’m extra grateful when Nolan offers to stay and help with the cleanup.
“Want to take a dip before we go?” he asks, tilting his head back to the water with a playful grin. The sun has just set and the lake is still, almost glass-like.
It’s tempting, though there’s one huge problem. “I don’t have my bathing suit.”
He arrows me an impish look. “You don’t need a bathing suit to swim. Come on.”
I count the seconds, saying a silent prayer as he drops his tie, jacket, dress shirt, trousers, socks, and shoes on the dock. I gapeat his perfectly honed pectorals, layered with dense muscle over muscle. A lump forms in my throat when he gets to his briefs.
Only, I barely catch a glimpse before he’s in the water with a massive splash that breaks the stillness.
