Page 102 of Wild Card 13

Not Director of Player Operations. Not Ezra Thomas's daughter.

Just Lucy.

Then something darted across the trail in front of her. Fast. Golden. White paws.

The dog lunged after a leaf tumbling across the pavement, nearly tying itself into the leash before bouncing back toward Lucy with its entire back end wagging.

Lucy laughed. It wasn't loud. Just one soft, helpless little laugh. She shortened the leash before the dog could investigate another runner's shoelaces. "Easy," she murmured, smiling down at it.

The dog immediately ignored her in favor of trying to sniff a squirrel that was halfway up an oak tree.

I blinked.Since when did Lucy have a dog?The thought barely finished before another one landed harder.

She looked comfortable, as if this wasn't a brand-new thing she'd decided to try. She knew where she was going. The dog kept checking back with her between moments of complete and utter chaos.

Without thinking, I slowed to a jog. Then a walk.

She spotted me before I decided whether I should keep going. The smile disappeared. Like someone had closed a book in the middle of a chapter. Her shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. One hand tightened around the leash.

The dog, blissfully unaware of whatever history had just walked onto the trail, finally noticed me. Its ears perked. Its tail started wagging so hard its entire body joined in.

I couldn't help smiling. "Well..." I muttered under my breath, leaning down to pat the wiggling pup on its head. "You definitely don't hate me."

Lucy snorted. “She’ll learn.”

“Good morning to you, too.” I stole a quick glance as Lucy’s expression hardened further. “Bit chilly, isn’t it?”

“What are you doing, Ty?” Lucy crossed her arms, and the dog sat instinctively at her feet, pressing her entire body against Lucy’s leg.

“Exercising?” I tossed out with a quick shrug. “It’s a public park, Lucy.”

“Don’t,” she sighed. “You know what I mean.”

“I know.” I lifted both hands a few inches, palms out. “I’m not trying to ambush you.”

Her mouth pressed into a line.

The dog took that exact moment to shove her nose into my palm like she had concerns about everyone’s emotional priorities.

I looked down at her. “Thank you. I also feel like this meeting is going great.”

Lucy made a small sound in her throat. Not quite a laugh. Not quite irritation. Somewhere between the two. “She is friendly.”

“I noticed.” I crouched lower, letting the dog sniff my fingers properly before I scratched gently under her chin. “Hi there.”

The dog responded by trying to crawl directly into my arms.

Lucy pulled back on the leash. “No. Absolutely not. We are not tackling strangers on day two.”

I glanced up before I could stop myself. “Day two?”

Her expression shifted immediately, like she realized she’d given something away.

The dog licked my wrist.

Lucy looked at the lake instead of me. “I adopted her yesterday.”

Something in my stomach loosened and tightened at the same time. “You adopted a dog yesterday?”