Fool for Love (Believe #2) by Karen Ferry

“I don’t mind. I just need to know.”
    “Well, then yes. That would be great. The leash is on the peg there,” he points to the door, my eyes following and I nod in understanding. “And,” Garrett continues, “he’s very obedient; eager to please. He knows the most basic commands, like ‘heel’, ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ , so you shouldn’t have any trouble controlling him.”
    I take another sip of my coffee and smile quickly. “Sounds good to me. I’ll take good care of him,” I reassure him.
    “I don’t doubt that for a minute. It’s clear he’s already got you entirely smitten with him.” Garrett smiles briefly at me, eyes dancing, and I bite my tongue before saying something incredibly stupid like, ‘So have you. ’.
    “I don’t expect to get home late tonight, but you never know. It’s the first time I’ll be there after I’ve been…away.”
    Garrett stands up and picks up his leather jacket from his seat. The minute he walks away, Rufus wakes up and lifts his head, eyes eager and hopeful. I almost feel sorry for him.
    Garrett pats Rufus quickly on the head and gazes into his eyes.
    “Remember, no jumping on the furniture, buddy. Got it?”
    Heart. In. A. Puddle.
    Rufus gives a soft woof, and I giggle loudly. Garret stands straighter and gives me one long look before he walks away.
    “Have a good night,” I call out just as the door closes behind him; I’m not sure he heard me, though.
    I look back down at Rufus, who seems so lost somehow. When I give a low whistle, his ears perk up, and I clap my thigh, hoping he’ll come closer. As he bounds up and trots to me, I bend down on my knees.
    Rubbing his ears, I murmur, “So, big guy, what’s it to be? ‘You’ve Got Mail’ or ‘ French Kiss’ ?”
    He lifts his paw for me to shake, tongue lolling, and I nod while trying to keep a straight face.
    “I think we’ll become great friends, Rufus. ‘ French Kiss’ it is, then.” I straighten up, pick up my cup of coffee, and, dog in tow, walk to the couch.
     

     
    Something, or someone, shaking my shoulder lightly wakes me from my deep sleep.
    “Garrett?” I mumble, my voice groggy. I rub my eyes before opening them and stare directly into the brown, intelligent eyes of Rufus. Waking up fully, I try to take a deep breath, but his heavy weight on my chest prevents me. Only a small wheeze leaves my lips.
    “Down, Rufus,” Garrett mumbles. He does as his master says, albeit grumbling.
    Wait, he’s a dog. He can’t grumble.
    Inhaling deeply, I carefully sit up. Garrett is sitting on the coffee table in front of me, and I quickly look down to check that my nightie is covering all my important bits. I changed my clothes not long after I came home after taking Rufus for his walk, trying to get more comfortable. When I got out of the walk-in closet, I found Rufus hogging almost the entire couch. He had a sheepish expression in his eyes, and I swear he looked guilty; he knew he wasn’t allowed on the furniture. I didn’t have the heart to scold him, though, so I just sat down next to him and finished watching the movie.
    “I guess I dosed off,” I mumble and stretch my arms above my head.
    “I guess so. You must have had a rough day.” Garrett sighs and I take in the exhaustion on his face. He looks a bit pale, the lines on his face more prominent than earlier, and a small pang of worry hits me in the chest.
    “Are you alright?” I ask him, resting my head back.
    He nods. “Yeah. Just tired, I guess.”
    “What time is it?” I ask him, and he glances at his wristwatch.
    “Only eleven pm.”
    I nod and just stare unseeingly out the windows behind the TV. My mind is addled by sleep, and I can’t focus on anything.
    I raise my hand and point half-heartedly in the direction of the bed behind us.
    “I’m just going to go to bed,” I mumble and stand up.
    “Sure. Before you do…” Garrett’s voice trails off and I look at him, my brows raised in question.
    “Yes?”
    “I