𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 9 | 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

𝐊𝐀𝐌𝐑𝐘𝐍

"Wow. You guys, I'm blown away!" Andrea's face lights up at the newly decorated kennel.

There's new dog beds, a fresh coat of paint, there's even a chandelier. I'll be honest, I think Kayla over did it. But if it makes Andrea and Will happy then that's all that matters to me. Oh and if the dogs are happy.

"You like it?" Will smiles widely as he greets her at the door.

"I love it." She's basically awestruck. "And clearly, so do the dogs."

"Well Donald hasn't been acting moody so I'd say he's pretty satisfied." I ruffle his ears making him dig his face into his bed.

Andrea sighs. "This must have cost a fortune."

"Not for Kayla." Will chimes in. "She's a bargain-hunting machine."

"Well, I suppose you three make a great team." Andrea nudges Kayla.

"Hey, have you seen the dog brushes?" Will asks me.

I stand up from my spot on the ground. "Yes. Kayla washed them."

Kayla snaps and walks over to grab the brushes. "Rufus did a number on the large ones."

"I thought you were allergic to dog hair." Will gives her a questioning look.

"I'm just allergic to bad hair in general. And right now, Rufus is one up on you." She cheekily retorts.

"You kiddin' me?" Will scoffs. "I like my look." I like it too.

"Yeah? And what look is that?" She reaches up and ruffles his hair. "Shaggy dog?" I feel heat rise to my cheeks. There is no way I'm getting jealous right now.

"It's not that bad." He defends himself.

"Okay. You just keep tellin' yourself that." Kayla smirks.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something I'd regret. "Hey, why don't you guys call it a day?" I glance up and Andrea gives me a knowing look.

"You sure?" Will asks. "We're more than happy to help."

"Yeah. I can close up here." She insists. "Go have fun." She shoos us off.

"All right. I'll be right back." Will heads off to the back to grab his stuff. I head for the reception desk so I can gather my things.

"Thank you, Kayla." Andrea holds her hands. "You have no idea how much all of this means to me. Really."

"Of course." Kayla smiles. "It's the least I can do to repay you guys. I owe you and Will so much."

"Oh don't even mention it." She swats her hand before giving Kayla a hug. Kayla walks off to the back once the hug is broken.

I can feel Andrea's gaze on me but I try to ignore it. "Thank you, Kamryn." She leans over the counter. "For everything."

"It was all Kayla." I give a half hearted smile. "It's not me you should be thanking." I start to organize the dog treats.

"I'm not thanking you for all of this." She motions around the room. "I mean don't get me wrong, this is all amazing but you've given me something better."

I scoff quietly. "And what might that be?"

"You gave my boy his old smile back." I freeze as the words leave her mouth. "Kammie, I haven't seen him this happy since back when he was competing." She picks up his competition photo and fiddles with it. "After his accident, I didn't know if he'd ever be the same again, but he's got his old smile back. And I don't think it only has to do with snowboarding." She remarks making my skin flush. "So thank you for treating him the way you do. Thank you for never leaving him." She leans towards me and embraces me. I accept the hug and hold her tightly. I smile lightly at her kind words. Will and Kayla emerge from the back room with their stuff making us pull apart.