Up for Adoption

Deadline

Brady came back to the shelter the next day and I tried to ask him why he was gone but he just shook his head and I took it to mean that he didn't want to talk about it. I was curious but if I knew that if it had been me, I wouldn't want anyone prying into my personal business either. If I wanted to stay on Brady's good side and be friends, then I would have to respect his boundaries. And so the two of us stayed quiet as we mopped front desk area and cleaned the windows. I was trying my best not to stare at his handsome face as I spayed down the glass when all of the sudden he turned his head in my direction and I was so surprised that I accidentally sprayed the window cleaner right in my face. I coughed and gagged as Brady blinked, and then a huge smile spread across his face and he laughed.

"You know, they have face wash for that," he joked.

"That would definitely be better for my health," I wheezed before coughing again.

"Do you need some water?" He held up his mop bucket. "I've got plenty right here." 
"I think I'll stick to bottled water," I said as I finally settled down. "Thanks anyway, though."

"You're welcome," he said shooting a grin that made me go weak in the knees.

I was starting to realize how much I enjoyed his company, even more so than I should. It was safe to say that I was starting to have my first serious crush and I wasn't sure how act since I had never liked a boy before. I had seen girls at my school go out of their way to impress the guy they liked and some have made complete fools of themselves doing so. I knew if I made a fool of myself, I would never be able to be in the same room as Brady again. So for now, I decided to keep things casual between us, it was better than having him look at me like I was crazy as I laughed at some imaginary joke he made.

"Oh good, you're both here," Gina walked in holding a couple of aprons. "I have a job that I think might need both your help."

"Gina," Brady said slowly as he eyed the aprons. "Don't tell me..."

"Sorry, Brady," Gina shot him an apologetic look. "But we need all the help we can get."

Judging by the look on Brady's face, I could tell that this job was not going to be as simple as cleaning windows. But I was up for pretty much anything, especially if it meant I would get to keep hanging out with Brady.

"It's bath day, Kendall," Gina said. "Some of the bigger dogs are due for a good scrubbing. Especially Griffin since this morning he got into-"

"Gina," Brady interrupted with his face scrunched. "I don't think we need to hear the details."

Gina laughed. "Well, anyway, they still need a bath and you two can either finish mopping floors or help us out. Either way, it's a wet job."

The whole idea with the bath didn't seem very appealing but I was bored doing windows and floors so I went with Gina willingly as she led out to a gravel fenced-in area outside the big dog kennels that was closed off from the play area. Around us were hoses and kiddie pools filled with water and large bottles of dog shampoo and conditioner. Bree was holding onto Griffin who was trying to climb over the fence to get away while Todd was holding Kirk by the collar as he was trying to make it for the door. Brady sighed as he watched the two of them and turned to me.

"I hope you're ready for what's about to happen," he said.

I was about to ask what he meant when Gina pressed aprons in our hands and told us to get to work. She assigned me to help Todd with Kirk while she and Brady helped Bree, who already looked like she was ready to quit.

"Don't we have bathing tubs or something that we can put them in?" She asked Gina. "You know, the ones where we can actually tie them down in and shut them inside? And why can't we hire a professional groomer to do all this?"
"You know we don't have that kind of money," Gina said as she started hosing Griffin down in a pool. "We have to make do with what we have."