I wish that I had been able to see if Hudson and Lyla drove together, but I know that I’ll be able to ask her more about it at work.
Teller gets my door and I thank him as I settle into the passenger seat. The bar isn’t far from the Mystery Cabin and I struggle to keep my eyes open.
“Did you have fun tonight?” Teller asks and I blink sleepily, giving him a smile.
“Yeah, thanks for going with me.”
“Anytime, Sutton,” he says easily.
We’re about a mile and a half away from the cabin when I spot a familiar shape along the side of the road.
“Have you seen that dog around a lot?” I ask as Teller slows.
“No. He looks like a stray though,” he says, peering over the dashboard.
I chew on my bottom lip, but my heart goes out to the scrawny, pitiful looking animal. He’s even skinnier from the last time that I saw him. I can’t just leave him out here.
“You know, one of the items on my bucket list was to adopt an animal,” I say, looking out of the eye at Teller.
He doesn’t say anything, just grins as he hits his hazards and pulls over to the side of the road. I lean over, brushing a kiss on his cheek before I climb out to try to catch my new fur baby.
13
Stan has been glaring at Bandit all morning.
It took Teller and me two hours last night to coax him to come to us. I ended up sitting on the side of the road with Teller. Bandit sat a few feet away and just stared at us. We had tried to talk soothingly to him and he would take a few steps toward us and then sit down again.
This happened on repeat until finally, he let us get close enough to him to pet him. I had thought that we were going to lose him again when we tried to get him into the truck but by then, he seemed at ease with us and he jumped right up into the cab.
Teller had helped me get him inside and into the bathroom and we had gotten completely soaked as we gave Bandit a bath. Teller didn’t seem to mind and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was remembering the last time that we were in this bathroom together.
It took three washes to try to get all of the caked in mud and dead leaves and debris. I let Teller dry him off as I went downstairs to get him something to eat. We didn’t really have any dog food, so I made him another sandwich. Bandit ate it in about two seconds flat.
I had offered to help Teller clean up his truck. Bandit had jumped up on the front seat and gotten mud and dirt all over it but he had assured me that he had it covered and that it wasn’t a big deal.
Teller promised to pick up dog food on his way into work and I’m already planning on taking Bandit to the pet store downtown on my lunch break so that we can get him some food and water bowls, toys, treats, and a bed.
We’re eating breakfast now, some eggs and bacon that I made to try to soften Stan up a bit before I brought up Bandit staying here. I’m not sure that it helped since he hasn’t said anything since he walked in and saw Bandit sitting at the kitchen table next to me.
Bandit keeps staring at Stan as he shoves another bite of food into his mouth and for a moment it looks like they’re having a staring contest. Stan looks away first, taking another bite of his breakfast. He still looks mad about our new addition but at least he hasn’t demanded that I take Bandit outside or that I get rid of him.
“Isn’t he cute?” I ask Stan when I catch him looking over at the dog again. I make sure to add some extra pep to my voice to really try to sell Stan on the dog.
“I guess,” he grumbles and I grin.
“Can I keep him here?”
“I guess,” he repeats and I can tell that he isn’t thrilled about our new family member, but it means a lot that he’s going to let me keep him here.
I already know that I’ll be taking Bandit with me when I head to Boston. I’ll have to find an apartment that allows pets and maybe even find a dog walker for him depending on my work hours.
“Thanks, Uncle Stan,” I say, standing and giving him a quick hug before I step over to the sink and start to wash up the dishes.
“Morning,” Teller says as he steps into the kitchen, a huge bag of dog food on his shoulder and a small plastic bag dangling from his fingers. “I grabbed some dog food and a collar and leash. I wasn’t sure what else you needed but I figured that was good for now.”
“Thanks,” I say, trying to grab the bag of dog food from him but Teller waves me off, passing me the collar and leash instead.
Bandit jumps off the kitchen chair and comes over right away, his tail wagging as Teller bends down to scratch him behind his ears. I slip the new collar on Bandit, smiling when I see that it fits perfectly. I get him a small bowl of food, not wanting to overdo it until he’s used to the new diet.
“I’m going to take him for a walk before we open,” I say, grabbing the leash as Bandit finishes inhaling his food.
“Do you want some company?” Teller asks and I smile.
“Sure.”
Stan has already disappeared into his room to get ready for the first tour so I don’t bother asking if he wants to join us. I have a feeling that I know what his answer would be.
I hook Bandit up and we make our way out the back door. Bandit tugs on the leash, happily trying to sniff every blade of grass.
“How was he last night?” Teller asks as we head down the path that winds between the Mystery Cabin and the Pine Motel and Cabins next door.
“It was good. He ended up curling up in bed with me and passing out like right after you left.”
Teller laughs at that. “Sounds about right.”
Bandit seems happy to run back and forth from one side of the trail to the next as we slowly walk down the path.
“I can take him out with me today. I think I’m set to fix one of the cabins over at Pines so I can tie him up to the front porch so he can enjoy being outside.”
“That would be great. I was worried that he would just bark if he was inside all day.”
“No problem.”
We continue on in silence for a few more feet. Our fingers keep brushing together and with each pass, the tension between us grows more and more.
Teller clears his throat and I look over to him.
“Would you have dinner with me tonight?” he asks and my steps falter.
I guess maybe I should have seen this coming, but it still hits like a bomb.
“Like on a date?” I ask and I realize that I’m not feeling scared.
I’m just excited.
“Yeah, it’s a date.”
“Alright,” I say shyly.
“Tonight? I can pick you and Bandit up around seven?”
“Sounds good,” I say as we reach the back door of the Mystery Cabin.
Teller takes Bandit’s leash and I give him one last pet before I wave and head inside. Lyla won’t be here until noon, so it’s just me and my thoughts as I get to work stocking the shelves and cleaning up behind the register.
I make a list of things to buy for Bandit on my lunch break and text Iris and Madelyn back, but then there’s nothing left for me to do and thoughts of tonight flood my mind.
Where will he take me? What do I wear? What if things are awkward or go badly and then I have to see him for the rest of the summer?
Maybe this date isn’t such a good idea.