Chapter 0003

Aria

“I-I’m so sorry about last night. I was drunk, and—”

“Lucas. Come.”

The man didn’t even look at me as I tried to explain myself—he just snapped his fingers. Laughably, the affectionate husky with eyes that looked an awful lot like his owner’s whined and sat down next to me.

“Lucas…” The man seemed to be growing frustrated, and I had to choke down a chuckle as the dog cocked his enormous head and whined again.

“Is he a show dog?” I asked, nodding toward the husky.

The man finally looked up from his dog, but only to glare at me. “Excuse me?”

“A show dog.” I felt heat creep up my neck, even though it was supposed to be an innocent question. “He’s really beautiful. And quite large, even for a husky.”

“Oh.” The man shrugged and said, “No. He’s just a… rare breed.”

My eyebrows shot up at that. “What breed?”

The man opened and closed his mouth for a moment, little puffs of white air escaping, clearly not in the mood for small talk. Finally, he responded, “Part wolf.”

“Wow!” The exclamation slipped out of me before I could stop it. “No wonder he’s so big! Purebred wolves are enormous—I spent a summer once working at a wolf sanctuary and—”

“Lucas. Let’s go.”

My mouth snapped shut at that, and I felt my face turn what was sure to be a brilliant shade of crimson. Clearly, my attempts at small talk were unwelcome.

But the dog just sat there.

And yipped at his owner as if in protest.

I had to cover my mouth with my hand to hide my smirk. Finally growing impatient, the man turned on his heel and began to stride away. “I’m leaving, Lucas. Unless you want to find your own way home, you should come with me.”

He talks to the dog like he’s a human, I thought to myself, but I couldn’t blame the guy. I often did the same with animals. But shockingly, the dog barked and whined once more as if responding, pawing at the grass with one foot.

The man’s back stiffened, and he stopped in his tracks.

“Lucas…”

The dog growled softly and nuzzled my hand, clearly not wanting to go. By now, the other dogs had relaxed somewhat and were sniffing him curiously, although he didn’t seem all that interested in them.

“I guess he likes me,” I joked.

“No. He doesn’t.” The man turned, placing his hands on his hips, and continued to stare at the dog. “I’m not sure what you did to make him come to you, but he’s not usually this friendly.”

I frowned, cocking my head. Was he implying that I’d given his dog treats or something to make him come to me?

“He just ran up to me,” I remarked, and placed my hand on Lucas’s head. “Seems friendly enough to me.”

Sure enough, the husky nuzzled into my hand. His owner looked a bit surprised, creases forming between his dark brows. A slight breeze ruffled the loose hairs around his face, and even though he was being a bit standoffish—for good reason, I supposed—I couldn’t help but blush at how handsome he looked.

“How did you manage that?” the man asked. “Lucas is… particularly picky with who he likes.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Dogs have always liked me, I guess.” Suddenly having an idea, I pulled my business card out of the pouch at my hip and held it out to him. “I’m actually a professional dog walker. If you ever need someone to walk him when you’re busy—”

“I don’t need to pay someone to do something so frivolous.” He didn’t even glance at my business card.

I quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed beneath that piercing gaze. Right; he still hated me for what I had done last night. “Sorry,” I managed, pulling my hand back. “I just thought…”

Suddenly, as if a dog whistle had gone off somewhere nearby, the husky began to howl and whine miserably. The man sighed, staring at the dog with his hands on his hips. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that the guy and the dog were in the middle of some kind of battle.

Finally, the man shook his head as if giving up. “Alright, fine.” Before I could react, he took my card and studied it. “It’s rare to find someone who Lucas accepts, so I guess I’ll take it. Just in case I need a babysitter.

My eyebrows shot up again. “You mean a dogsitter?” I quipped.

The tips of the man’s ears reddened slightly. “Right. That’s what I meant.”

I let out a tiny breath of relief. More work was always a plus for me, especially with wealthy businessmen like this guy, and dogsitting made even more money than walking. I watched as he studied my card, and those mismatched eyes glanced up at me.

“You’re Aria?” he asked.

I nodded and stuck out my hand. “Aria White, at your service. And you are…?”

The man looked at my hand for a moment, as if considering, then sighed again and shook it. “Darren Avarise.”

“Nice to meet you, Darren.” His palm was warm and large against mine, practically dwarfing my fingers. I was taller than most women—standing at five-foot-nine—and it was rare for me to feel so small next to a man.

But with Darren… He had to have been at least six-five, maybe more. I almost had to crane my neck to look up at him.

“Ahem.” Darren cleared his throat, and I quickly pulled my hand away, realizing I had been shaking his hand for far too long.

“Sorry,” I managed, turning away in the hopes that he wouldn’t see me blush again. “I should get going—these guys need their playtime. It was nice meeting you.” I paused, swallowing, and added over my shoulder, “I really am sorry about last night.”

Darren didn’t respond, and so I went to leave.

But before I could take more than two steps, I felt something tug at the hem of my sweater.

Stopping, I looked down to see that Lucas was biting my sweater. His mismatched eyes stared almost pleadingly up at me, and a soft whine escaped his throat as if he didn’t want me to go.

“Oh, uh… See you too, buddy,” I said, patting his head. The dog still didn’t release my sweater, and I let out a small chuckle and glanced over at Darren. “I guess he really does like me.”

Darren just stared at his dog, looking shocked. “Lucas.”

Only then did the large dog, albeit reluctantly, release his grip on my sweater—leaving a big, wet mouth print on the fabric. Whining, he tucked his tail between his legs and hung his head as he returned to his owner’s side. Darren walked away without a word, and Lucas shot me one last sad look before following him.

I couldn’t decide whether to laugh again or feel bad. Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded adding the big softie to my list of clients, although I doubted that Darren would actually call me. I shook my head to dispel the notion as they disappeared over the hill and returned my focus to the other dogs.

…

By the time I returned home that day, it was past noon. I’d spent more time than usual at the park, savoring the fresh air, and had also chatted for a while over coffee and more oatmeal cookies with Anna.

I kicked my boots off by the door, tossing my keys onto the counter as I trudged back into my apartment. Home sweet home…

I need to clean today, I thought, glancing around at the unwashed dishes in the sink and the full hamper in the corner. It was a small apartment, just about all I could afford, which meant that it got messy quickly.

First, though, I grabbed my laptop and settled cross-legged onto the sofa to get some writing done. I hadn’t even opened Word, however, before a new email notification was popping up.

“RE: Job Application to Lunar Labs — Application Accepted.”