Page 51 of Keeping Amanda
Amanda smiled. “This is Rain. He found us in the jungle and stuck with us for the olives we could give him…and probably because he had no other place to go.”
“He’s adorable!” Laryn gushed, squatting down so she could be eye-to-eye with Rain. “Hey, boy! Aren’t you the bestest dog in the world? You like olives, huh? I don’t blame you. They’re awesome!”
“Why don’t you talk tomein that tone of voice?” the man beside her complained with a smile. “That lovey-dovey tone?”
Laryn stood and frowned at him. “Because you’d probably wonder what the hell I was doing and whether I’d lost my mind.”
“She’s not wrong,” another man said. “I mean, it sounds perfectly normal when talking to an animal, but if she did that to you? It’d be weird.”
Everyone chuckled.
Laryn stepped closer to Amanda. “Welcome home, Mandy. We’re all sorry that you had to go through what you did, but those kids were lucky to have you with them.”
“Thanks,” Amanda said, feeling shy all over again. Out of her element.
“I’ve always wanted a dog,” Laryn continued, her gaze going back to Rain. “A beagle. I want to name him Waffles. Don’t know why, just always thought that would be a cool name for a dog. But I’m gone too much with work. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“I’d be happy to dog sit anytime you wanted,” Amanda offered impulsively. She wasn’t sure why she’d said that. She had no idea what the future held, and she’d just met this woman. It was possible they wouldn’t even like each other once more time went by.
Laryn’s eyes sparkled, and she looked at the man at her side. “Hear that, Tate? She said she’d dog sit.”
“I’m standing right here, of course I heard her,” the man said, gazing at Laryn warmly. “We’ll talk about it more later. I’m Casper,” he said, holding his hand out toward Amanda.
The team leader, Amanda remembered. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“This is Pyro, my copilot. And Chaos and Edge,” he said, gesturing to the other men. “I’d tell you their real names, but you probably wouldn’t remember them, and they likely wouldn’t answer to them anyway since they’ve gone by their call signs for so long.”
“Kylo Mullins, Arrow Porter, and Roman Aldrich,” Amanda said without hesitation. “And you’re Tate Davis. You have a twin who’s a Navy SEAL. And Obi-Wan is Obadiah Engle. Nash told me all about you. Not much else to do in the jungle. And I’m good with names. Have to be as a teacher.”
Everyone was gaping at her as if she’d just recited the first eight hundred numbers of pi.
“Anyone care if we stop jabberwalling out here and head inside? I want to get Mandy home.”
Everyone spoke at once, apologizing and immediately starting to walk toward the large hangar. As they did, Nash leaned down and asked, “You okay?”
It reminded her of the jungle. How he was constantly checking on her. His concern felt like a warm blanket being wrapped around her after coming inside after a snowstorm.
“I’m good,” she reassured him.
“They’re a little much all together, but any one of them would give the shirt off his or her back if you needed it.”
She nodded. From everything Nash had told her about his friends and coworkers, they were a tight group. She loved that for Nash.
Looking down at Rain, she saw his head was on a swivel, taking in his new environment. He stayed right at her side, the leash lax, not pulling, not trying to bolt at the scary sounds of people and aircraft all around him. Not for the first time, she wondered about his history. How he could be so accepting of seemingly anything. Most strays she knew were jumpy and definitely wouldn’t have adjusted as well as he had. He was one-of-a-kind, and she was thankful to Obi-Wan all over again for doingwhat needed to be done to get him into the country without a lot of hassle.
The next hour went by in a blur for Amanda. Nash had to report to his colonel, and she was left with Laryn and Casper while he did that. She found the couple to be hilarious and kind. They picked on each other in a sweet way and were obviously madly in love. Laryn once again brought up the idea of getting a dog, but insisted it had to be the right dog. Not a designer dog, not one bought from a breeder. She wanted one that needed a home. Which endeared the woman to Amanda all the more.
Then Nash returned, and relief swept over her. Though internally, she frowned. If she was this happy to see him after he’d been gone an hour, what was it going to feel like when he left her at her apartment?
She didn’t want to think about that, about how attached she’d gotten to the man…how she was so used to having him around.
She supposed it was only natural, after the experience they’d shared. He’d been her rock. He’d literally saved her life. There was no way she’d have been able to make it back to Guyana without him. And now, after spending almost every minute of every day together for so long, she’d have to watch him go back to his normal life, as if she wasn’t being torn apart inside.
But she’d do it. She wouldn’t do anything to make him feel guilty or bad for getting back to his usual routine. Besides, she had Rain. She wouldn’t be alone. The dog would protect her, maybe not in the same way Nash had, but he’d at least alert her if something was wrong. She hoped. She was probably putting too much responsibility on the dog. But he was smart.Verysmart. After all, he knew enough to tell them not to take the path that would’ve led them straight to the rebels.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Nash asked, as he drove them to her apartment.
She had a lot of things to do. Needed to let her landlordknow she was back early. Get her car out of storage. Make sure all the bills had been paid properly while she’d been gone. Go grocery shopping, do laundry, find a vet for Rain so he could get examined here, register him with the city, look for a job.
