“Don’t tell me you don’t like dogs,” Brodie remarked, eyeing her. “Not liking dogs is a deal breaker for me.”
His tone was joking and light, as usual, but she didn’t doubt he meant what he said.
“You said not liking animals was a deal breaker, not specifically dogs. But don’t worry. I like dogs. I always wanted one, but I’ve never lived in a place where I could have one, so I don’t have much experience with them.”
“Dogs are easy. Lavish them with pets, and they’ll love you forever.”
“I don’t know why they surprised me,” she murmured, leaning down to do as he instructed. “Hey, guys. Charlie’s the black Lab, right? And Jake’s the yellow?”
“Yep.”
Jake had no qualms whatsoever about throwing himself at Celeste, but Charlie, as enthusiastically as she’d greeted Brodie, was hesitant. She s
