Happy birthday Kathleen! AJ and I had fun writing this gift for you, and including Jack and Ozzy in it too!
With some trepidation, Regina opened the door of the animal shelter and walked inside, the door swinging shut behind her. Was she really ready for this? It had only been a few weeks since her beloved dog had passed, after all. No one would judge her if she didn't want to adopt another animal just yet.
You know walking out is a bad idea, she scolded herself. Don't you remember what's happened every night since Ozzy passed? She had been unable to evade the memories of her beloved pup, missed when he would always leap on the bed (which definitely hadn't been allowed when he first came home with her) and snuggle up to her, his heated body helping warm Regina on the coldest Maine nights. She hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep in weeks without Ozzy by her side.
It was more than that, though. It had been so nice coming home and having someone waiting for her, even if that someone couldn't talk to her. She had talked to Ozzy every day. Nine times out of ten, she had been positive that Ozzy had understood every word, and he had always comforted her when she needed it. Some people might think she was crazy, but she knew better. After all, it was always said that dogs were a woman's best friend, right?
That was why she was here now. She desperately needed a new furry friend, a companion who would be with her through every single one of life's ups and downs. She just had to have the courage to find a new animal to love.
It was immediately apparent to her that she had come to the right place. She saw pictures of the animals currently in residence at the shelter and could hear purring and barking from the depths of the building, and she stood still for a moment, taking it all in.
She heard a man clear his throat and she turned, only for her eyes to be met by the deepest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. "Can I help you?" he asked, his rich British accent something she hadn't expected. They were in the middle of Maine, after all. It wasn't exactly on Frommer's list of top destinations in the States. Regardless, it was a pleasant surprise.
She stepped forward so she was standing right in front of him, nervously tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes. I'm looking to adopt a dog."
He smiled, dimples she had seen a hint of before now on full display. "Well, you've come to the right place. Do you have any idea what breed you're looking for? It would also help me to know whether you have any other pets at home, or if you have any children. That'll help me determine which dog is best for you."
She shook her head. While having more than one animal at home would certainly make her life more lively, she had always been a one pet at a time type of girl. She supposed it maybe would've been nice for Lola to have a friend, but she felt bad enough about leaving one dog at home all day while she went to work, let alone two. As for his other inquiry? While the thought of having children was wonderful, she had never found someone she wanted to share a life with, let alone procreate with them. "Neither. It's just me." Only in that moment did she realize that she had been shamelessly checking this man out without taking note of whether he had a wedding ring or not. She quickly glanced at his left ring finger. Nothing there. Good.
"All right, perfect. Do you know what breed you're looking for? We don't have a large variety, but I'll see what I can do,"
Regina shook her head. "I just want to give a dog a home. It doesn't matter what breed they are. All dogs are loving, unlike some animals… or people, for that matter." She suddenly had a thought. She wanted to get to know him better, and this was the perfect way to do it. "If you were an animal, which one do you think you'd be?"
"Hm…" Robin pondered. "I'd have to think about that one. I've always wanted a pet lizard, but I certainly hope I'm not like them."
His comment surprised Regina so much her mouth dropped open in shock. "A pet lizard? Why?" She loved dogs and cats and would tolerate any mess that came with them, but she wouldn't be able to stand having a lizard in the house. Lizards needed to be outside where they belonged and nowhere near her furniture or, heaven forbid, her bed. The thought alone made her shudder.
"What?" Robin asked, clearly prepared to defend his choice. "It'd be really cool. He could clean up all of the crumbs that end up on the floor, I could teach him all kinds of tricks…"
"Oh, I see, he's basically your vacuum," Regina muttered. "I shudder to think what your house looks like."
"Actually, it's pretty clean," a burly man with long hair and a scruffy beard said as they entered the room where some of the dogs were kept. At Regina's look of surprise, he added, "Shocking, I know. I'm John."
"Nice to meet you," Regina said, shaking the other man's outstretched hand.
"I thought we could let Regina meet some of the dogs and see if any of them seem to like her," Robin told John. Turning to Regina, he added, "If that's all right with you?"
She smiled. "That sounds perfect."
As John went to get some of the toys they kept at the shelter, Robin let some of the dogs out. Many of the pups rushed toward Regina, wagging their tails and panting, all of them seeming to beg for her attention.
She laughed and petted as many of them as she could. When they heard the sound of Robin opening the door, their attention was diverted and they all rushed over and out onto the lawn. She followed them and Robin handed her a frisbee.
They all ran over to her, eagerly wagging their tails, but one in particular was bolder than the rest. He pushed his way through the crowd and jumped up, his black paws landing on Regina's shoulders. For a dog of his size, he was surprisingly gentle and didn't knock her off her feet.
"Do you want to go first?" she laughed, petting the top of the mastiff's head. She threw the frisbee, and he ran after it. As he did, she jogged over to where the other balls and toys were. When she turned around, all the others had followed, none of them paying attention to anything by the frisbee that was actively in motion.
Robin and John came up to her, each of them taking toys in their hands, thoughtful expressions on their faces.
"What?" she asked as they each threw something for the dogs to catch.
"Jack is okay with people, but he usually sticks to the back of the pack," Robin informed her. "I've never seen him like this before."
The mastiff in question ran back over to Regina, the frisbee she had originally thrown in his mouth. Once again, he pushed his way through the others, his intent clear: none of his friends were allowed to play with her.
"All right, I'll play," she laughed. "You have to let the others have a turn too!"
Once she had thrown the frisbee, she looked back to see that Robin and John each had an eyebrow raised. "See what we mean?" Robin asked.
"I think you found your dog- or, rather, he found you," John declared, smiling.
"Yeah," Regina softly agreed. There was no need for hesitation or deliberation. Jack had made the choice for her, and she was more than okay with that.
They went back inside, and while they were pulling out the paperwork she would need to fill out, John asked, "It seems like you've had dogs before, am I right?"
Meeting Jack had (by some miracle) made her forget all about Ozzy, but at John's words, a pang of longing and loss shot through her chest. "Yeah. My golden Ozzy just passed away a couple weeks ago." She tried to keep the trembling from her voice, but she didn't think she had been very successful.
"Robin here has a golden," John said, nudging his friend. "Don't you, Robin?"
"Yeah," Robin replied, smiling. "I'm sorry for your loss, they're great dogs. Comet is my best friend."
Regina smiled. "That's exactly how I feel about Ozzy."
"I'm sure she was wonderful, and I know Jack will be too," Robin said.
At last, the papers were filled out, and as she and Jack rode home, for the first time in far too long, Regina was smiling.
(********)
Two days later, as Regina and Jack were coming home from a walk, she saw an unfamiliar Jeep parked in front of her house. Tightening her grip on Jack's leash, she took a deep breath and moved forward slowly. "Stay alert, Jack, my boy. Keep us safe."
As they moved closer, suddenly Jack got more animated and started pulling Regina as he tried to get to that Jeep. It wasn't until they were nearly upon it that Regina realized someone was inside. Once they were close enough, Jack started to bark, which made the person step out. That was when she realized it was Robin from the shelter.
"Hey, Jack," he said, turning to face them with a bright smile. "Look at you being a good boy to protect your owner." He turned his gaze on Regina, and she felt her insides turn to jelly. "I trust he actually is being a good boy, yeah?"
"He's been fantastic actually. Well, except for the whole needing to keep my bed from floating up to the ceiling at night." She let out a soft laugh, petting Jack's head fondly, but her eyes strayed to him. "Ozzy did it, too, but he was never quite the presence in bed that Jack here is."
Robin laughed at that, crouching down to get eye level with the big dog. "You're being a good boy to protect your mum, aren't you, Jack? Who knows how many spiders could be lurking on that ceiling to get her, yeah?"
Regina shuddered at the thought. "I hate spiders. You know, just for that, I should make you keep guard over me while I sleep." The words were barely out of her mouth when their implications registered. Her cheeks flushed hotly and she found she couldn't say anything else when his gaze turned on her, his eyes twinkling with amused curiosity and something else that enticed her. "I, uh-"
"Keep guard over you while you sleep? It would be my honor, milady."
His words were wreaking havoc on her heart and her libido, but when he bit his bottom lip as he grinned and those dimples popped out, she knew she was a lost cause. It took a couple swallows she was sure were audible to him before her mouth and brain connected again to allow her to speak. "You know, Robin, Jack probably could use a little canine companionship. How about you bring Comet over tonight for a doggie playdate and I'll make you dinner? Consider it a thank you for introducing me to my handsome fella here."
If I'm lucky, I'll get another handsome fella in the bargain.
He studied her for a moment, and she feared she may have overstepped. When his dimples deepened, she felt weaker in the knees and surreptitiously leaned against Jack for support.
"It's a date, milady. What can I bring?"
"Just your dog and your handsome self."
This also includes prompt 141: Robin wanting a pet lizard and OQ talking about which animal each of them are most like from OQ Prompt Party 2021.
