“There was nowhere else I would be. I can’t imagine how awful that was to go through, Darcy. I had no idea things were that bad,” I said, taking her hand in mine. I fully expected her to let go, yell at me, or even slap me, but she grasped it tighter instead.
I realized at that moment that I wanted to be the one to protect Darcy from experiencing any more pain. I wanted to take care of her and make her smile and feel loved.
A sharp pain seared through my chest as I realized I was falling in love with Darcy. I wasn’t sure if I was terrified or excited. It most certainly felt like the most confusing moment in my life.
“Stay with me tonight,” I said, looking into her eyes.
“I’m not sleeping with you,” she said.
I smiled. “I know.”
* * *
Darcy
I woke up the next morning with Thane spooning me. I froze.No! This can’t be happening.I slowly got out of bed, hoping not to wake him up, but was unsuccessful.
“Come here,” he said, one eye open. “Come back to bed.”
“I have to go home,” I told him as I got up and got dressed as quickly as I could.
Thane got out of bed and got dressed as well. “Before you go home, I want you to come somewhere with me.”
I nodded. “Where?”
“You’ll see when we get there. We’ll get breakfast after,” he said. I followed him to the car and then we drove for about 10 minutes.
“What is this place?” I asked. It looked like an old warehouse.
“Come on,” he said, and we walked to the back of the graffiti-covered building.
When we walked inside, it was like a five-star hotel. It was gorgeous. I was in awe of how stunning it was.
Thane took me to the receptionist, a tall woman with the warmest smile. “Taylor, this is Darcy.”
Taylor and I shook hands and exchanged smiles. “What is this place?”
“You didn’t tell her?” Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows.
“I’ll let you tell her while I go say hi to everyone.” Thane winked at us and went through a double door on the opposite side of the large room.
Taylor told another girl to cover her while she gave me the tour. We went through the same doors as Thane did, and I was amazed at what I saw. There were tons of 10-foot by 10-foot rooms, done up really nicely, and each room had a few dogs or cats in them. They lived like kings and queens in here. I drank it all in, lost in wonder.
“This is a veterinary/hospital/adoption agency for the furry little creatures. Thane owns this facility and many more, just like it, all over Florida. He’s working on spreading these all over the country in hopes of getting rid of facilities that aren’t clean or humane. He comes here whenever he has extra time to hang out with them all. He walks the dogs, bathes them, and plays catch with them. He gives the cats lots of attention and brushes them. He tried bathing one of the cats once. It didn’t go over well, so now he shies away from doing that,” Taylor laughed. “Everyone loves him here. Best boss all of us have ever had. He’s so great with the animals. He’s saved so many lives. He also actively tries to shut down puppy mills and animal breeding houses and rescues as many animals as possible. He’s a saint to us all.”
“That’s amazing,” I said.Are we talking about the same person? I know he rescues dogs and donates money, but this is huge.My heart swelled, and I was lost for words.
We walked over to Thane, who was tending to an orange tabby cat. He had a laser pointer, and the cat pounced on the beam. Thane was so engrossed, he didn’t hear us come up to him.
“This place is awesome,” I said.
He picked the cat up and moved so I could visit with him. I rubbed the cat along its jaw, and it started purring.
“I love it here. I’m sure Taylor filled you in. I just want all these animals to find a great home. Speaking of home, I have to swing by the office on the way there. Do you mind?”
I shook my head. I was still so shocked that words eluded me.
At the office, Thane excused himself to go in for a meeting. “It shouldn’t take more than half an hour. Go to the kitchen and make yourself a coffee or go take a nap or read a book,” he suggested.