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Chapter 9
    KENDALL
    I was hosing down one of the kennels when Darla Bernard, another of the volunteers, stopped and leaned against the wired wall of the enclosure. All the enclosures had a drain in the center to make washing them down easier. Even the most housebroken dog sometimes had an accident if he couldn’t get outside.
    â€œHave you seen Jade making a fool of herself with Chase?” she asked as she chewed gum. “She is all over that guy.”
    â€œShe thinks he’s hot,” I said, although it was probably an unnecessary comment.
    â€œHe is totally, but jeez, give him some breathing room.”
    â€œWanting to make a pass at him yourself?” I teased.
    She blushed. “I won’t deny that I’ve thought about it. How about you?”
    â€œI have a boyfriend.” Who had visited on occasion, with whom she had seen me more than once. Why was Jeremy so forgettable?
    â€œAnyone I know?”
    I turned off the hose. “Jeremy Swanson.”
    Wrinkling her brow, she looked up at the ceiling like she expected to see his portrait painted there or something. “Oh, yeah, I remember him. Didn’t know you two were together.”
    â€œSince spring break.”
    â€œHuh. Well, anyway, Terri wants to see you when you’re done cleaning the pen.”
    She could have led with that, because I was finished. I put the hose away and headed to the reception area, wondering if someone was surrendering a dog, but then Darla could have taken care of that.
    I stopped walking when a text came in from Jeremy.
    Miss U. ☹
    It shouldn’t have made me smile, but it did.
    Miss U 2.
    Then I shoved the door open and went through into the reception room. Chase was there, arms folded on the counter as he talked with Terri. She brightened when she saw me. “Just the person whose opinion I wanted,” she said.
    â€œYeah? What’s up?” I asked.
    â€œThey’re going to start breaking ground to build thenew wing next week,” Terri said.
    â€œGreat!” She’d been working on fund-raisers and approaching businesses for support for a couple of years now, so we’d have room to house more dogs.
    â€œSo we really need this year’s Bark in the Park event to bring in more money than ever,” she said. She coordinated the annual event that was held in a park downtown. People were encouraged to bring their pets and to adopt pets. We displayed a lot of our dogs. So did a couple of the other shelters. “Chase was telling me about a fund-raiser he was involved in at his college. I was thinking we could incorporate it. He calls it a ‘gun show.’”
    I furrowed my brow. “What have guns got to do with dogs?”
    Chase held up his bent arms, made fists, and displayed a very nice set of biceps. “These guns.”
    â€œWow! I’m impressed, but how does that bring in money?” I asked.
    â€œStuds, such as myself, display our guns, and people vote with their dollars for the best set. All the money goes to the shelter.”
    â€œAnd people really make donations just to see muscles?” I asked.
    â€œYou bet. I brought in six hundred and seventy-three dollars. Pretty cool, huh?”
    â€œIt sounds like something different, something fun,”Terri said. “And there’s no monetary investment on our part. We just have to find a few guys willing to show off their physique. Think your boyfriend would be interested?”
    At least someone remembered I had a boyfriend. What was more, she thought he might bring in some bucks for the shelter. I just didn’t know if Jeremy would be willing to flaunt his stuff. “I can ask.”
    â€œWhat do you think of the idea overall?” Terri asked.
    â€œSeems a little sexist.”
    Chase grinned. “Hey, it’s no different than a beauty pageant and it’s for a good cause, not a tiara.”
    And he’d no doubt have girls flocking around him,