“Oh my God,” Calvin said, a huge smile spreading across his lips as he crouched down on the floor of Scottie’s office in the back of Steamin’ Beans, Scottie’s coffee shop. “She’s so cute, Scottie.”
The adorable golden lab puppy scampered across the tile floor to jump up and lick Calvin’s face as he gave her an affectionate scratch behind the ears.
Scottie Chambers couldn’t help but smile as he saw the way his best friend handled the new puppy. Calvin had an affinity for animals that warmed Scottie’s heart, but it was the way Scottie’s new puppy reacted that made his smile grow even wider.
“Isn’t she?” Scottie asked, doing his best to corral the little ball of energy as she careened around the small confines of his office. “I knew from the moment I saw her that she was mine.”
“I didn’t even know you were considering getting a dog,” Calvin’s fiancé, Jack, said. “But Calvin is right—she’s absolutely adorable. Have you picked a name yet?”
“Sasha,” Scottie answered without hesitating. “She’s my little fierce fur-baby.”
“Not so little,” Calvin laughed, steadying himself against the wall as the hyper-active puppy nearly took his legs out from under him. “But super fierce. I love the name. I love everything about her, Scottie. I think she’s going to be a good little buddy for you.”
“I think so, too,” Scottie said, sitting down on the floor to gather the puppy into his arms once she ran back to him. “She’ll definitely keep me busy.”
It wasn’t like he needed anything more to occupy his time, though. Between running the coffee shop and his endless failed attempts at dating, Scottie always had something going on. But maybe he could channel some of that time toward something that actually mattered—like making sure this puppy had a good life.
And making sure she learned a few simple commands, like sit. And stay.
Those were clearly things she’d have to learn another time, though. She was simply too hyped up to do much more than bounce around exploring her new environment today.
“We should probably go soon,” Calvin said, nibbling at his bottom lip as he looked over at Jack. “Before I try to talk Jack into getting a playmate for our cat.”
“Oh, man.” Jack looked like a deer in headlights as his eyes went wide. “I somehow knew that was going to happen once you told me Scottie adopted a puppy.” He turned his attention from Calvin back to Scottie. “See what you’ve done? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to talk this man out of something he has his heart set on?”
“I think there’s a pretty easy solution to that…” Scottie said, grinning. “Don’t try to talk him out of it.” Scottie threw his hands up in a mock surrender as Calvin was about to speak up to agree. “But I won’t keep you guys—and I certainly won’t get in the middle of that conversation. I’ll walk you out and take Sasha around to do her business.”
Scottie attached the bright pink, rhinestone-encrusted leash to Sasha’s matching collar and kept her close by as they walked through the front of the store. Scottie beamed as half a dozen people took time out to fawn over his new puppy, loving that she seemed to brighten the day of each person she came into contact with.
Scottie hadn’t really considered letting her interact much with the customers when he’d picked her up that morning—he hadn’t really considered much of anything except the fact that he needed that dog, if he was being honest. But seeing Sasha in action made him realize that she was the perfect addition to the positive, relaxed atmosphere he had done his best to cultivate at Steamin’ Beans since the day he opened the doors for the first time.
The moment they stepped outside, Sasha nearly dragged Scottie over to the strip of grass to the side of the building. Away from the traffic and street noise, it was fun to watch her sniff and bark and roll around.
“She’s going to be a handful,” Calvin said, hand in hand with Jack as he followed behind Scottie and Sasha. “Are you sure you’re ready for all of this?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Scottie called back over his shoulder, holding tightly to the leash as Sasha led him away. “She just wants to have fun. And after the last couple of months, I just wanna have a little fun, too.”
Neither Calvin nor Jack objected to that, and Scottie knew why they wouldn’t. He had spent enough afternoons talking to them about all the possible reasons why his love life never seemed to be heading in the right direction. Time after time, they had told him to be patient, to relax, that he’d just somehow know when the right guy happened to come along.
But Scottie wasn’t patient.
He didn’t do a lot of relaxing.
He owned a coffee shop, for God’s sake, and spent most of his life over-caffeinated, running from one project to the next—a trait he seemed to share with his new puppy.
“You deserve to have some fun,” Jack called after him. “Just don’t get in trouble with the fun police over there…”
Scottie stopped and looked back across the street. He didn’t even have to ask who Jack was talking about. There was only one person it could be.
Trenton, the owner of the other coffee shop in town, Topped Up.
When Scottie had moved to Silver Lake and opened his shop, he’d had dreams of working together with Trenton on fun projects and promotions that would benefit both of their businesses.
To say that Trenton hadn’t shared Scottie’s vision would have been a pretty big understatement.
Scottie was pretty sure the man viewed him as a rival, if not his mortal enemy. And though their competition was mostly one-sided, Scottie couldn’t help but notice that his business had definitely picked up over the past several months, while Trenton’s seemed to be dwindling.
“He won’t mind seeing a puppy around here,” Scottie said, finally approaching Jack and Calvin again as Sasha made her way back up the strip of grass. “A person would have to be completely heartless not to love this sweet girl.”
Calvin grimaced. “I’m sure you’ll be able to put your theory to the test soon enough. He’s been watching us like a hawk since we stepped out here.”
Scottie squinted against the sun, then shook his head when he saw what Calvin meant. Sure enough, Trenton was standing in the big front window of his shop, arms folded across his chest as he looked their direction. He was too far away for Scottie to be sure, but it didn’t take much imagination to picture the scowl on Trenton’s face as he stood there staring.
Fun police, indeed.
“Trenton doesn’t scare me,” Scottie said, shrugging. “Well… not much, anyway. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He reached down and scratched under Sasha’s chin. “Just look at this face. You saw the way everyone in the shop loved her. I might even take Sasha over to see Trenton—maybe see if she can melt his heart a little.”
Jack snorted. “Good luck with that.”
“Be sure to let us know when that day comes,” Calvin added. “We’d love to see it.”
Scottie waved as they walked away. “Don’t worry, guys. If Trenton Lewis cracks a smile in my presence, you’ll be the first to know.”
He looked down at Sasha before letting his gaze wander back across the street, just in time to see Trenton turn away from the window.
“Well, girl…” Scottie sighed as he led Sasha back toward the coffee shop. “Maybe we’ll wait until another time to go over and introduce you to Trenton. I think you both might need to prepare a little more for that.”
Still, Scottie couldn’t help but look back across the street as he reached the front door of his shop. He didn’t really know Trenton very well, but there was one thing Scottie did know for sure.
Trenton could use a little more fun in his life. He could definitely smile a little more.
And Sasha might just be the one to make it happen.