Chapter 10 - Happy Tails and Forever AfterSix months later, the rain was pouring outside Happy Tails, but inside, the shop was warm, smelling faintly of lavender shampoo and roasted coffee beans.
A bell chimed above the front door as a tall man in a charcoal suit walked in, shaking the droplets from his shoulders. He didn't have a security detail trailing him today—just a massive, healthy black Cane Corso trotting happily by his side, carrying a squeaky toy rubber duck in his mouth.
Emily looked up from the grooming table where she was fluffing the tail of a very cooperative standard poodle. She wiped her hands on her apron and smiled.
“You’re late,” she said.
“Traffic on the harbor bridge was impossible,” Dante Valente replied, walking behind the counter and leaning over to steal a kiss before Emily could even protest.
Brutus dropped the rubber duck at Emily’s feet, let out a contented groan, and trotted over to his favorite spot right across her left boot, refusing to move an inch.
May you like
Emily laughed, shaking her head as she reached down to scratch behind his ears.
Outside, the Baltimore harbor was calm, the city skyline quiet and secure. But inside Happy Tails, the most feared man in the city had finally found a place where he didn't need to give any orders at all.
