Entangled (Free Indeed Book 1) (7 page)

She pursed her lips as she considered his question for a moment. Finally, her eyes lit up, “Well, since she’s a little kiss monster and obviously loves kisses more than anything, I’m going to call her Shuggy Von Shuggs.”

Jason burst out laughing followed quickly by Dory. What the hell kind of name was that? It was quite possibly the dumbest and cutest name all rolled up into one, and somehow it fit Allie and the little pup perfectly.

Allie turned back to her brand-new puppy and nuzzled its face with her nose, “How do you like your name, little Shuggy?” Little Shuggs replied by giving a quick
yip
of delight, and then proceeded to cover her new mistress’s face in kisses. Looks like the little lady wanted to prove she was worthy of that name. Allie laughingly turned her head to the side to try and avoid the onslaught of kisses. But not to be deterred, Shuggy then started licking and nibbling on Allie’s ear instead. “She’s nibbling on my ears!” Allie laughed, “That feels so weird!”

Dory chuckled as she finished up wrapping the leg. When that was complete, she turned to Allie and Jason, “It was just a mild sprain, so I’ve got the leg braced for now. If you want to go ahead and give her a bath to get her cleaned up, I’ll finish wrapping it when you’re done. When you take her home, just make sure the brace stays on and that she gets a lot of rest. For your work days, you’re more than welcome to bring her in with you for the day. That way I’ll be able to check her status and make sure she’s healing ok. If she gets worse or starts to swell, we may have to put her on anti-inflammatory meds, but we’ll see when if it gets to that point.”

“Thank you so much!” Allie exclaimed as she gingerly cuddled up Shuggs in her arms and turned to give the pup a bath. Just before she walked through the door, she turned and looked back at Jason, “Thank you. For bringing her in, I mean.”

“My pleasure,” he simply replied. She gave him one last smile and then walked away.

Jason watched her leave the room, staring even after she was gone until a snort from Dory jerked his attention back to reality. At the seemingly knowing look on her face, he just shrugged and said, “What?”

“Mmhmm,” she raised an eyebrow in his direction as she scrubbed her hands.

Jason just grunted back. Whatever, so what if Dory thought he liked Allie. He did like her. He actually liked her a lot. And if she could possibly be interested in him back, well then, he’d quite happily announce it so the whole world knew.

“
A
llie
, are you coming tonight, or what?” Rayne’s question came from across the room where they were busy cleaning out the animal cages.

“Umm, I haven’t really decided yet honestly.” Allie replied.

“Seriously, you’ll be missing out if you don’t come. And it’s no pressure. It’s just some girls getting together at Garb & Gab to do the gabbing part while we enjoy some wine and watch tv at the store. Have you seen her set up there?”

“No, I don’t think so. I mean, I saw a room set off to the side when I was clothes shopping, but I didn’t go inside.”

“It’s so awesome.” Rayne practically gushed, “We get together after the store is closed and locked, and set up in the gabbing room. She’s got this huge tv set up on the wall, with couches, loungers, and chairs to relax on. Then we just sit back, relax, have some wine, and watch as the latest contestant painstakingly debates over thirty eligible bachelors, until she narrows down which one she wants to marry. And we gab—the whole time—lots of gabbing. It’s so much fun!”

Allie laughed, it really did sound like a lot of fun. She had never been allowed to even watch tv growing up, not to mention even look at wine. Plus, she really liked Stacy and Rayne, and it would be fun to spend more girl time with them.

“If you’re worried about Shuggy, you know Dory will let you crate her up here while you go. And then you can use your key to come get her when you’re ready to go home.” Stacy continued trying to address any roadblock Allie may have, “That way Shuggy can get some gab time in with the other animals too.”

Hearing her name, Shuggs suddenly dashed into the room and across the floor, stopping only for a brief second to give Rayne a quick kiss on the leg before turning and running back to where she was playing with a brown and black pug named Jayne, “I got drive-by-Shugg’d!” Rayne and Allie both laughed. Shuggy was such a little kiss monster; it was as if it were her favorite pastime. She frequently did this thing where she dashed into a room to make an appearance just to lick a foot, leg, arm, or whatever she had access to, and then she would run off to continue whatever she had been previously doing. They called it getting drive-by-Shugg’d because it all happened so fast. It never ceased to amuse them. It was like Shuggy just wanted to let them know she was there, and that she loved them for being her family.

“I’d love to go,” Allie finally decided to just go for it.

“Great! We can leave straight from work and walk over there together.”

“Sounds good.” This was going to be a fun night, she just knew it. And apparently this favorite show of theirs was on once a week right now, so they’d be having gab-togethers on a weekly basis as well.

“Ack! I got drive-by-Shugg’d!” Dory’s shriek was suddenly heard from the other room. Both girls looked and each other and laughed.

* * *

A
llie and Rayne
made their way over to Garb & Gab. They had finished all their work for the day and had left Shuggy crated up next to her friends. It was a nice night out for a walk, still relatively cool even with summer approaching.

They arrived at the storefront and Rayne tapped on the locked door. Stacy must have seen them coming because the door opened within seconds. “Hi guys,” she grinned, “so glad you made it. Showtime is in about ten minutes, so go ahead and make your way back, and help yourself to some wine and snacks.”

“Thanks Stace.” Rayne replied while Allie smiled over at her. They both walked to the back of the store and through the curtained doorway to a media room. Allie’s jaw dropped open as she took in the seventy plus inch tv mounted on the wall in front of them.

“Oh my gosh! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tv that big.”

Stacy just laughed, “Guys have their football and basketball, but us girls need our tv time too. Now let me introduce you around.” She led Allie around the seating area and introduced her to the seven other woman that came. Allie nodded and smiled. There were too many names to remember for right now, but she’d get it by the end of the show’s season.

Finally, they made their way to one of the couches just in time for their show to start. Not ever having seen a reality tv show before, Allie really didn’t have anything to compare it to, but after watching the single woman meet, flirt, and date thirty really fantastic looking guys...she had to admit, she was quickly becoming hooked.

“So Allie, do you have a special man in your life?” One of the women, Hana, asked her during the commercial break as she topped off her wineglass.

“No. No, I’m really not looking to be in a relationship right now.” Allie replied honestly, “I’m more trying to find who I really am right now, instead of trying to find someone else.”

“But…” Rayne drew out the word as she elbowed Allie with a lighthearted wink, “Allie has totally gained the attention of none other than our very own Jason Connors!”

At that news, the room totally erupted. Between the squealing and the fanning of faces, Allie quickly realized that Jason was a very hot commodity with the women in this town.

“Oh my gosh!” Cynthia exclaimed, she was one of the swooning fanners, “You’ve actually caught Jason Connors attention! Serenity’s number one bachelor and sexiest man alive! You are like my best friend right now!”

“Her car broke down on the interstate and Jason gave her a lift into town,” Rayne interjected, happy to share the gossip with the ladies.

A collective gasp sucked almost all of the air out of the room, as everyone turned to stare at her with big eyes. Rayne continued the story, “Apparently, he’s been smitten with her ever since.”

“You are so lucky, girlfriend!” The high pitched squeal came from Cynthia, “Oh my gosh, I’d
die
to have Jason save me from near peril!”

“I don’t know how perilous it was,” Allie snorted in response to the over exaggeration, “he probably saved me from getting blisters, though.”

“Oh, that’s just so romantic!” Cynthia gushed, probably more than a little drunk by this point. “I need more wine to deal with this level of sexiness!” With that she jumped to her feet, wobbling slightly, but still making her way to the food table to replenish her wine supply. Seeing she may have trouble holding the bottle steady, Stacy reached over and poured it for her with a laugh.

“Has he asked you out?” Hana asked as she sat down next to Allie on the couch. “Because if he has, you are duty bound as a gab-together member to dish on that sexy hotness.”

“Oh my gosh, you guys, he hasn’t asked me out. He’s just being nice. Honestly, I find it annoying.” She pointed back to the tv, “Look, the show’s back on.”

Not to be deterred, Hana pressed, “Would you go out with him if he asked? I mean, rhetorical question, right? Who wouldn’t?”

“Shhh, I’m watching this drunk guy totally embarrass himself by taking his clothes off and jumping in the pool.”

“I’d watch Jason take his clothes off and jump in the pool,” Cynthia almost tipped her drink as she sat back down, “drunk or not.”

“He totally stopped by the shelter last week.” Rayne kept egging them on, “And...wait for it...brought in a puppy he rescued.”

“Awwwwww,” the collective sigh from all the women resonated like high definition surround sound in the room, “Jason and a puppy, oh my God, just when I thought he couldn’t get any hotter!” Julie fawned happily as she fanned her face with her hand, “Damn, sometimes I really wish I were still single.”

“No you don’t,” Hana rolled her eyes at Julie, “you’re madly in love with your man, and he’s just as hot as Jason. So leave the rest of us girls some eye candy to look at.”

“You’re right,” Julie laughed, “but I can at least still look and not touch, I mean, this is Jason Connors, for pete’s sake.”

Turning the focus back on Allie, another one of the women named Amy exclaimed, “You would be the hero to every woman in this town if you stole Jason away from Daphne!”

The other women groaned. “Ugghh, I can’t stand that woman.” Hana moaned.

“Who’s Daphne?” Allie felt like she was asking a rhetorical question based off of everyone else’s reactions to the name.

“The mayor’s daughter.” Hana stated.

“The snootiest brat around who thinks she’s something really special.” Amy added.

“The woman every woman hates.” Rayne interjected.

“The town bitch.” Cynthia added to the mix.

“She thinks she’s such hot stuff with those designer clothes and handbags, driving around in that fancy red convertible that her daddy bought her.” Hana drawled on sarcastically.

“Oh her! I
have
met her.” Allie gasped, “She almost ran me over with her car when I first came to town.”

The room erupted again, this time in furious outrage. Except for Cynthia, who calmly replied, “Yep, you’ve met her all right.”

“So Jason’s dating her?” Against her better judgement telling her to leave it alone, Allie pressed for more information. Based off of the way he was acting, he didn’t give off the impression that he was in a relationship. She still couldn’t believe Daphne was his type. Not that she knew him that well, but honestly, how could Daphne be anyone’s type.

“Oh. Hell. No!” Cynthia shouted, “He would never date her, but she sure thinks he does. She considers him to be hers, and if she senses any other woman possibly sniffing around,” she used her hands to make air quotes, “
her man
, then she does her normal bitchy thing and tries to make trouble.”

“Does she ever come to one of these parties?” Allie asked.

“Psshh, goodness no,” Amy snorted, “we’re too beneath her and a waste of her time. She wouldn’t be caught dead coming to a gab-together, just like she’d never come to book club.”

“You all have a book club too?” Allie’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Yep,” Amy confirmed with a wink, “but it’s romance novels only, none of that serious award winning boring crap.”

“Yep, yep, no sleep-inducing books allowed,” Cynthia sloshed. “Only ones that make you horny.” She gave a little wink.

“Oh, I am so in!” Allie laughed, a huge smile spreading across her face. She looked over at Rayne who gave her a happy thumbs up.

Shouting suddenly broke out from the tv in front of them, and their attention collectively turned back to the show as one of the contestants suddenly punched another in the face, “Holy craps,” Cynthia sputtered, “what’d we miss?” Her eyes got big as she stared at the fight erupting between the two men, while the other contestants were standing around trying to stay out of it.

“I love this show.” Stacy said as she started popping popcorn into her mouth, just as both of the men fell into the pool.

* * *

“
T
hank
you so much for coming.” Stacy smiled at Allie as they all walked to the door to leave for the night. “I hope we’ll see you again next week. Same time...same channel.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Allie answered back.

Rayne along with the other women who had been drinking were climbing aboard a van that Stacy always rented for the girls to get a ride home in. They all waved at Allie through the windows, and she gave them a cheery wave back. Allie was making new friends, and it felt wonderful. She loved just being around them and taking in their personalities. From the more serious and quiet Kim to tipsy and silly Cynthia, she was quickly liking them all and looking forward to seeing them again.

She strolled down the street heading back to shelter, but not really in any hurry. It was a beautiful night. And even though she had a wonderful time tonight, it was nice to have a moment of quiet. All the girls really wanted her to give Jason a chance, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. In his defense, the more time Allie spent around him, the more she started to like him. And that was scary. It wasn’t easy for her to trust new people, especially men. All the men in her life had always let her down or caused an enormous amount of fear...her father, Paul, all the men in the community who saw her father beat them and did nothing, even God...they all let her down. So why should she start to open her heart to yet another man who would probably just let her down too?