Her eyes darted from one side of the huge building to the other. “How did you achieve all this in such a short amount of time?”
“I was broken emotionally, but I had a plan. I wanted to still make a difference, and I got lucky. I tapped on the right doors. Got the right investors and supporters who also wanted to make a difference for our veterans. You see, it’s not just the kennel or these retired military dogs. It’s the veterans who need work while healing from PTSD. We are partnering closely with several organizations.” He stopped and took a breath. “Sorry. I’m kind of passionate about it.”
“Congratulations. This is amazing!” She looked around. “I’m…I don’t know…impressed. Proud. Excited for you. All of that.”
He sighed with relief. “I’m really proud of it. This company is so much more than a cool place to leave your dog. There’s a lot of personal stuff that goes along with it. Ties back to my fellow military men and women. It’s a long story.”
“I want to hear it, no matter how long it takes. And, Paul…I could never think less of you. No matter what you did. You’re not what you do. It’s you.” She tapped his shirt at his heart. “This is who you are. You have always been thoughtful and caring.”
“I’ve been so blessed, and I’m passing it on, Amanda. There’s so much more to this business that I can’t wait to share with you. It touches lives in a way that I could have never dreamed of, and I don’t do it alone. One heart touches another and the talents just flow.”
“Gift. This is your gift.” She nodded with a reassuring smile. “It sounds like it was meant to be. I’m so excited for you and so proud of you.” Gauge sat at attention in front of them. She reached down and stroked his ear.
“I need to finish Gauge’s run. Can I come over tonight?” Please say yes.
“I was hoping you would.”
“Yes.” The fist pump had been an automatic response. He pulled her into a friendly hug. “Thank you.” He released her, looking into her smiling face. “We’re going to run. He’s on a strict exercise routine, but I’ll be over tonight. I can bring pizza.”
“No, I’ll cook. Just show up. Whenever. We’ll be there.”
He took off running. His legs felt strong, probably from the adrenaline, and the dog geared up right with him too. He turned and waved a hand in the air. “See ya later.”
Maeve stood on the bridge with the kids. Jesse was on tiptoe, peering over the rail.
The boards echoed as Gauge’s feet double-timed across the planks over the exercise pond.
“See y’all later,” he said as he jogged by.
“Bye.” Hailey and Jesse were still waving when he transitioned from the bridge back to the Astroturf. In the reflection of the large round security mirror that hung between the trees, he could see them still standing there. When he spotted Amanda’s bright-blue shirt, his pulse quickened.
She wasn’t mad. Glee pumped through him.
He took Gauge for one more fast lap, and then they cooled down with a game of catch and fetch in the water-park area outside. The two of them relaxed and dried in the sun. Best job in the world.
He’d honored Amanda’s wishes to stay away, but when he saw her on the beach, those old feelings flooded back. A thousand what-ifs ran through his mind. He thought about his love for her all these years, impossible to act on while Jack was alive. He’d all but buried those feelings in finding a way to move on. Seeing her again awakened all of that hope.
He’d worried that Amanda wouldn’t understand how he could leave the Corps after Jack had given his life for it. He’d dreaded telling her, but she seemed genuinely relieved by the information.
All that worry for nothing.
Now he just needed to win her heart.
—
That evening, Paul stood at the back door of Amanda’s house with a paper grocery sack in one arm and a yellow plastic bag hanging from his other hand.
“Hi, Paul!” The kids raced from the living room to greet him.
“Hey!” He placed the bags on the floor, picked up Jesse, and slung him into the air. Then he twirled Hailey. “You ready for fun tonight?”
“What are we going to do?”
“It’s a secret, but I promise you’ll like it.” He turned to Amanda. “How long until dinner?”
“About forty-five minutes. Do you need a snack?”
“Nope. That’s perfect. I have a project for the three of us while you finish cooking. That is, unless you need our help.” He reached down and tickled Jesse. “Because all the fun happens after dark.”
“Nope. I have dinner under control. You are dismissed.”
“Awesome.” Paul moved the plastic bag to the corner, then unpacked the contents of the paper bag.
“What is all that?” Amanda asked.
“Well, the other night I fixed your squeaky gate.”
“I noticed. Thank you, by the way.”
“You’re welcome. Although it occurred to me later that I’d also eliminated your redneck burglar alarm.”
She snickered. “It wasn’t intentional, but I guess it was a pretty good alarm.”
“So I got you one of these systems where you can use an app to see who’s at the door and the gate. It’s safe here in town, but couldn’t hurt, right?”
“That was thoughtful.” She picked up one of the boxes. “Yeah. Great!”
“Won’t take long to install, and then you can see what’s going on here even if you’re over on the beach.”
“I do like that.”
“Can I have your phone so I can set up the app?”
“Sure,” she said. “It’s on the charger over there by the door.”
He picked up the phone and took it to her. “Can you type in your password for me?”
“You can probably guess it. My birthday. Do you remember it?”
“I do.” He pecked at the keys and downloaded the app. All the while, Jesse shadowed him, picking up the boxes and wrappers as
