Page 43 of 50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover

Immediately, I corner Avett. “Tell Mrs. Chan not to put Candy Cane up for adoption. I want her.”

“Then why’d you say you wanted to meet more dogs?”

“That’s more for Delilah than me. She’s been through a lot lately and needs a pick-me-up.”

He widens his stance and crosses his arms. “You know about her ex.”

“Of course I know about her ex. Do you honestly think I’d insinuate myself in her life if I thought she was happily engaged to be married?”

He gives me another hard stare, followed by a heavy sigh. “No. You wouldn’t put her through that. But tread lightly, man. A lot went down after you left. She’s been dealing with her recent breakup well, but—”

“She has? You’ve talked to her?”

He sneaks a peek at the playroom door and lowers his voice. “We got closer after you disappeared, stayed pretty tight. And yeah, I never liked the guy. She met him when he was vacationing here, and most of their time was long distance. He just always seemed too . . . perfect. Not genuine. Always steering conversations and boasting about himself. She even admitted as much after they split. Aside from feeling hurt, I think she’s more relieved it’s over than sad. But like I said, there are a lot of scars where you’re concerned.”

“I have a few scars of my own,” I mutter. Inches deep, running straight through my heart.

He shakes his head. “You two, man . . .”

“Us two, what?”

He eyes the door again and fiddles with his leash. “There was this, like, aura around you two in high school. I didn’t fully get it then. Was a bit jealous of how in tune you were to each other, but I get it now. You guys loved each other in this pure wholehearted way you don’t see every day. So yeah, it wasn’t a surprise Delilah went off the deep end when you vanished. I honestly don’t think she ever fully regained her spark, which is why half the town hates you and means you can’t push her too hard now. She’s fragile where you’re concerned.”

“I’d never push Delilah.”

He cocks his head, reading me plain as day.

“Fine,” I concede. “I might push a bit, but I’m letting her lie to me, pretending the engagement’s still on.”

He chuckles. “Gotta love Windfall, right? You two and this ridiculous ruse are the talk of the town.”

“Oh, trust me. I’m aware. So”—I adopt my most innocent tone—“when you say Delilah has a lot of scars because of me, what exactly do you mean?”

“No way, man. Not my story to share.”

“Yeah, I get it.” No one in this town will crack.

“Anyway, I gotta head back to the clinic after this checkup.” He gives my shoulder a light punch. “But this was nice. I still have a ton of questions, but looks like there’s time for that.”

As long as that twisted devil Life doesn’t play dodgeball with my face again. “We’ll make plans. As will we,” I tell Candy Cane.

She pants heavily, which I interpret as unbearably excited.

Pumped to adopt the dog of dogs, and relieved Avett and I breathed a few CPR breaths into our old friendship, I walk into the pale-blue playroom, ready to help Delilah find her missing spark.

FOURTEEN

Dog toys and a couple of dog beds are scattered around the playroom’s easy-to-clean, for-sure-peed-on linoleum floor. Mrs. Chan crouches next to the big bruiser on her leash, who looks like a cross between a yellow Labrador retriever and Albert Einstein.

Delilah sits on the couch against the far wall and promptly levels me with an all-knowing wizard stare. “Anything to share with the class, E?”

I sit cross-legged on the floor. “I ate Raisin Bran this morning?”

Now she’s an exasperated wizard. “Whatever.” To Mrs. Chan, she says, “Tell us about this cutie.”

“This here is Caramel. He’s been with the shelter for a month. He’s wonderful with kids and other dogs and loves licking faces. Don’t you, Caramel?”

On cue, Caramel lunges for me. He’s a big guy, all gangly in that goofy big-dog way, pushing at me and licking my face until I’m lying on my back, covered in slobber. That’s when I hear my favorite sound in the world: Delilah’s belly laugh. The one that turns her face bright red and pushes tears from her eyes.