9. Xander

9

Xander

Two weeks after our discussion about pets, Bjorn, Kaino, and I climb out of Bjorn’s Range Rover and walk toward a beige cement block building with Tails and Toe Beans painted in large bubble font on the side. There’s absolutely nothing else remarkable about the place, except perhaps the incredibly loud and excited barking coming from somewhere behind the privacy fence. I eye the place skeptically. “You’d really want to work here?” Bjorn told us about his plans to retire from the police force and a few of the options he’s considering as a replacement.

He walks around the front of the vehicle and takes my hand, leading me toward the front of the building. “Wait until we get inside. You’ll love it.”

I sincerely doubt that, but keep my opinion to myself. It doesn’t help that I’m feeling a bit out of my element. Bjorn insisted we wear something we don’t mind getting dirty. As if I have a wardrobe of that kind of clothing. After much cursing and sorting through everything at least three times, I settled on a pair of somewhat older blue jeans and a gray cotton sweater over a denim button-down shirt. On my feet are the only pair of canvas shoes I own. Bjorn insisted my footwear should be washable. The entire experience so far has me stressed and wondering what we’re walking into. Kaino seems to know what I’m thinking because they have a mischievous sparkle in their eyes. “You look very nice.” They brush their fingertips down my arm, and I’m so shocked that I almost stop walking. “Your sweater is soft.”

“Thank you.” I stutter-step forward, somehow managing to maintain momentum without tripping. Much.

Bjorn swings the door open, ushering us inside. “Welcome to Tails and Toe Beans.”

I take a tentative sniff, expecting the heavy, acrid scent of urine, or wet dog, or both, possibly overlaid with heavy floral air freshener to mask all of it. Instead, there’s a distinct scent of pine cleaner and bleach. While not my favorite aroma, it’s preferable to what I’d been anticipating.

Bjorn leads us down a brightly lit corridor that ends in a larger, somewhat cozy room with a reception counter and several other doors leading who knows where. A shortish woman in her mid to late thirties, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved, moss-green polo with the shelter’s logo on the left chest area is behind the counter. “Hi. I’m Sandy. How can I help you?”

Bjorn gifts her with one of his casually disarming smiles and leans on the counter. “Hi Sandy. I’m Bjorn. And this is Kaino and Xander.” He points at each of us in turn. “We’re here for a few hours of volunteering. I spoke with Kathy on the phone, and we filled out the questionnaire and quiz, and we’re ready to go.”

Sandy pulls a clipboard from under the counter and runs her finger down the sheet, nodding at something on the page. “Here you are. Okay, you’re scheduled for an hour in the cat room first, then an hour with the dogs. Brad is your volunteer guide. He’ll answer any questions you have and help if anything comes up with one of the animals.”

If anything comes up? What does that mean? I turn to Kaino. “What might come up? Are these animals sick?”

Sandy answers my question, though I’m not actually sure she heard me. “We might have visitors looking to adopt, at which point we’ll want them to meet the animals.” Oh. Well, that makes sense. Why didn’t she lead with that?

“What will we be doing?” Bjorn told us we’d be playing with the animals, but part of me can’t help wondering if we’ll be scrubbing out cages or on pooper scooper duty. Doody duty? I groan because that’s Bjorn-level bad.

Sandy glances back at her clipboard. “You’re assigned to the playrooms. So that means interacting with the animals, helping them socialize. If things go well today, and you want to continue volunteering, the next step would be our formal training program. That requires a commitment of two hours each week for six weeks, where you learn about the care and handling of the animals. We can get into more details later, if it’s warranted.” The way she’s phrasing things makes me wonder how many people volunteer and don’t come back.

One of the other doors opens, and a young man in his early twenties joins us. He’s wearing the same polo and jeans uniform as Sandy. “Hey.” He nods in our direction. “These my new recruits?”

“Yep. Bjorn, Xander, and Kaino. This is Brad.” We all acknowledge each other with a head nod or wave as Sandy introduces us. “Brad’s going to take you into the cat room. If you have any questions or issues, he’s your guy.”

Brad jerks his head the way he came and opens the door. “Okay, let’s go meet some cats.”

Both Bjorn and Kaino seem relaxed, almost eager, as they follow Brad into the playroom, but I can’t shake the low grade anxiety. What if the cats hate me? What if they love Bjorn and Kaino, and none of them wants to play with me? I give myself a mental kick in the pants. What am I, five? Get a grip, Xander.

“Why don’t you all have a seat on the benches, and I’ll get the cats.” Brad gestures to a kind of modern art piece that’s the same moss green as the employee shirts. It’s situated in the middle of the twenty by twenty foot room, and does have flat surfaces, which I supposed could be seating, but it looks incredibly uncomfortable.

Brad disappears through a different door as Bjorn plops himself down on the bench, grinning. “This is going to be great.”

I’m still not so sure. I sit between him and Kaino, my anxiety growing. Brad opens the door wide enough for several cats to bound into the room, some making straight for a cat tree in the corner, others diving onto toys on the play mats. A few saunter toward us, curious but a bit hesitant. We all sit still, waiting to see what they do. I glance at Brad, who is trying to coax a cat into the room. When the tiny black head pokes around the doorframe, and I get a look at the big green eyes, my heart melts. “Oh, baby!” The kitten blinks at me and scoots into the room, hop-jumping across the floor toward us. I hold my breath, hoping it picks me to play with, though I can see it looking at Bjorn. It pounces near our feet, peering up at us. When it starts to climb my pant leg, I exhale in relief, ignoring the sharp pain as its little claws slice right through the denim and into my skin. “Oooh, that’s not a good idea.” I carefully detach the sharp claws, then brush my cheek against the soft fur of its face. “Hello, sweetheart.” The kitten purrs, and I’m in heaven. After a quick snuggle, I do a gender check.

Brad laughs. “She’s a girl.”

“Well, young lady, it’s time to put the claws away.” I deposit her on my shoulder, and her soft purrs rumble in my ear.

Kaino reaches out and strokes her. “She likes you.” They’re looking at the kitten with such a soft expression, and for one very brief moment, I consider putting her on their shoulder. I don’t actually do that, though. She picked me, and I’m not going to second guess her. She ducks under my bun and creeps to my opposite shoulder, batting at loose strands as if they’re bits of yarn or string. Kaino snorts. “It’s a built-in cat toy. How convenient.”

I glare at them. “Shush.” They grin and scratch under the kitten’s chin. It brings their face close to mine, and I inhale the spice of their cologne, ignoring the impulse to nuzzle behind their ear. Not only might it not be welcome, this is not the place for that. I can let them know I like their cologne, though. “You smell good.” My voice is soft and even so I don’t scare the cat. Or Kaino.

They turn their face, and our lips are only inches apart. “Thanks.” Their mouth quirks up at the corner. “It’s my shower gel.”

Bjorn leans in. “Feeling left out over here. Anyone want to mumble soft things in my direction? I wouldn’t mind. And who is this little beauty?” He strokes the kitten’s back. “Does she have a name?”

Brad answers. “We’re calling her Sid. Short for obsidian.”

I gasp. “Oh my god, that’s perfect!” She bats at my hair again and gets a claw stuck. I wince and Bjorn comes to the rescue, detangling her before placing her in my outstretched hands. I bring her to my face and nuzzle into her soft fur. “She’s so sweet.” I look hopefully at Bjorn. “Do you think she’d get along with Bingley?”

Kaino groans. “I knew you’d want to take one home.”

I hold her up in front of them. “Look at that sweet face and tell me you can resist her?”

Their smile is soft and they stroke her fur gently. “She is sweet.”

I grin at them. “I think Bingley would love her.”

“Xander.” Bjorn shakes his head. “You don’t need another cat. You have Bingley, and you shouldn’t disrupt his life by introducing a small kitten into the mix.”

I frown. “That’s rather bossy of you.” I pull the kitten against my chest. “If I want to bring her home, I will.”

Bjorn holds up his hands defensively. “Sorry, you’re right. But do you think it’s a good idea to make snap decisions when it comes to pets?”

I pout, mostly because he’s right, and give in. “That’s a very reasonable observation. You probably should have led with that. Asking is always better than telling.”

That makes him blush and wince. “Sorry. I’m working on it. Old habits.”

I lean in and kiss his cheek. “You’re forgiven.”

His boyish smile is back, and this time there’s a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “So, what did the vet say to the cat?”

I roll my eyes and smirk. This is Bjorn’s way of easing stressful situations, and though I don’t usually find his jokes funny, they are mildly amusing. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to humor him. “I have no idea. What?”

“How are you feline?” His grin lights up his face, making my heart skip excitedly. I’m all kinds of confused. Doubly so now, with both Kaino and Bjorn sitting so close to me. Yes, they’re paying attention to the cat, but I’m right here . And they’re both so damned attractive, if complete opposites in almost every way. Surely it’s wrong for me to want to kiss both of them. Yes, polyamory is a thing, but for other people. Not university professors trying for tenure. I shudder to think how a few of the review board members would react if confronted with a candidate for tenure who was in a poly relationship. The school claims to be LGBTQ+ friendly, and for the most part, it is. This is Seattle. But the review board still has a few sticks-in-the-mud who could cause problems. And I’m so close to tenure that I can taste it. I don’t need to have that derailed because of some uptight committee members’ opinions. Sighing, I lean back, giving myself some breathing room. Otherwise, I might do something foolish, like give in and kiss one, or both, of them.

We spend the next hour in feline heaven. Eventually, every cat comes to investigate our little group, and I’m clearly the favorite, though we all get some love. I find it interesting that Kaino doesn’t have an issue touching or being touched by the animals, and I can’t help but wonder what the cause of the aversion is. But that’s too heavy to contemplate in the midst of all of these sweet fur babies.

I kiss each of the cats before Brad takes them back to their crates. Then he leads us next door, where it’s immediately clear that this is the dogs’ domain. There are half-chewed toys everywhere, dog beds strewn around like kindergarten nap mats, and an omnipresent eau de canis scent that permeates everything.

“If you guys will have a seat, I’ll bring in the dogs. There’s a range of sizes at the shelter right now, but they all get along, so we’re allowing them in the playroom at the same time. Otherwise, we’d have to separate them into smaller groups.” Brad goes through yet another door, and a minute later, six dogs come barreling in.

They appear to be mixed breeds, though with some, it’s easy to tell what the dominant lineage is. The barking is loud and excited, and everyone’s tails wag violently. Some of the little dogs are doing that shrieky whine thing that’s getting on my nerves, and they’re all dashing here and there, chasing each other. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the chaos, but Kaino doesn’t seem bothered. Bjorn is in his element, if his grin is anything to go by. He throws himself on the floor, utterly disregarding the massive drifts of dog hair, and lets himself be licked and pounced on by every pup in the room. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Nah, I’m fine.” It’s obvious who the dogs’ favorite is, and this time I’m very glad it isn’t me.

Wrinkling my nose, I survey Bjorn’s clothing. “You’re covered in dog hair and slobber.”

“I know! Isn’t it great?” Bjorn laughs and wraps his muscular arms around the labrador mix currently trying to stand on his chest. “All this love. No judgment. No conditions.”

Humming, I watch the chaos unfold, then glance at Kaino. “Not your thing?”

“Oh, I love dogs, but rolling around on this floor is a bit too much, even for me. I’ll hang here with you until Bjorn calms down enough to stop feeding the pack energy.”

I eye them skeptically. “The pack energy?”

Kaino nods in Bjorn’s direction. “He’s the pack leader. They all know it, which is why they want his attention. And he’s excited and enjoying their interest. They feed off his energy, and he feeds off theirs. Eventually, one or both sides will get tired and calm down, breaking the cycle. At that point, the dogs will probably come over here and see who we are.”

I gawp at him. “Dear god, we don’t have to roll around like that. Do we?”

“No.” Their eyes sparkle with amusement, and they’re so damned pretty. “They’ll be much calmer then.” They point to a small fluffy looking dog about the size of a loaf of bread. “My bet is that one’s a snuggler. She’ll be in your lap, leaning against your chest, begging for pets.”

I eye her cream-colored coat. “It looks like hair, not fur.”

“It is hair. If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Shih Tzu mix. They don’t shed, and they do need haircuts.”

I blink at them. “What, like at the salon?”

Kaino nods. “Exactly.”

Hmm. A dog that requires a spa day. That might not be so bad. “And what kind is that one?” I point at an even smaller dog with a black curly coat and a long pointy nose.

“Poodle. Or a poodle mix. They’re wicked smart dogs. Very affectionate, but they can also be incredibly territorial. It just depends on the dog and how they were raised.”

“It sounds like people.”

Kaino laughs. “It’s exactly like people.” They gesture to the Shih Tzu. “Look, here she comes.”

The cream-colored ball of fluff trots over and stands up on her hind legs, front paws resting on my knee. She’s looking right at me expectantly. “What do I do?”

Kaino pats my lap. “C’mon sweet girl. Come up.”

I freeze, very aware that not only is Kaino touching me, they’re touching my thigh, and they don’t seem aware of it. I, on the other hand, am very, very aware. Before I can get too distracted, I have a lap full of fluff. She walks around in a circle, then plops down, leaning her body against my chest as she looks around the room. Tentatively, I stroke her back. “Oh. Hello.”

Brad comes over and scratches behind her ears. “This is Pixie. She’s six. Her owner passed away, and there weren’t any relatives to take her, so she ended up here. She’s house broken, knows about a dozen commands, is even-tempered, and loves to be petted.”

I look up at him in wonder. “She’s so soft.” I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this level of silkiness. Pixie looks up at me with the gentlest dark brown eyes and licks my hand, tail wagging.

“She likes you.” Kaino leans in close, and Pixie licks their face. They jerk back, laughing. “Ugh. She licked the inside of my nose.” They mock-glare at her. “Thanks, Pixie.” They wipe away the slobber, but they’re smiling, and it’s breathtaking.

“She likes you, too.” Our eyes meet, gazes holding just a moment too long. They glance at my lips and up to my eyes, and the butterflies in my stomach swoop dangerously.

Kaino grins. “I’m very likable.”

I find myself nodding. “You really are.”