Getting It Right (BOOK THREE)

Chapter 38

Corey plops down in a chair feeling exhausted. He really had been on his feet all day and now he's tired, sweaty, smells like dog and he stepped in poop a few minutes ago.

He watches as a little girl carries a white puppy in her arms and tells her parents all the fun she's planning to have with her new furry friend. Lisa gives the puppy a scratch behind the ears before showing the family the way out. After the massive rush of people that came through here early today, it's finally quieted down with no one but the workers and a few dogs lingering in the back.

Two hands clamp down on his shoulders from behind, making Corey gasp and jerk forward. He hears a giggle before Risa appears in front of him. "You look tired, Rookie." She teases and sits down on the bench beside him.

"I am and my feet are killing me." He says.

"The soccer star can't take a little bit of pressure?" The playful glint in her eyes makes Corey laugh.

"Running around on a field is one thing because you're so focused on the game you barely notice how tired your feet are. Wandering leisurely in a back yard for hours is another thing." He says.

Risa takes her hair out of the small ponytail it was in and shakes it out. "I agree, it does get tiring after two hours. And hour three just drags on." She says. "We probably won't be getting anymore customers before adoption day is over."

"Good, cuz I'm beat." He fans his face with his hand. The humid Atlanta weather is really kicking his butt. Across the yard, Ariana is laying in the grass using a tennis ball to play fetch with Pepper. She's happy that the puppy didn't get adopted and Corey can tell her attachment to that dog is so strong that she's going to be heartbroken when it gets adopted one day.

"Are we done yet?" Joe drags himself over to them with the rest of the workers trailing behind him.

"If another stank breath lady talks up in my face today, I'm gonna be sick." Kennedy adds. She plops down on the other side of Corey and takes out her phone.

Denzel, Robin and Shantel sit down on the grass in front of them. "The good thing is a lot of the dogs got adopted. Which means we have room to bring in new ones." Robin says, looking around at the eleven dogs that are left from twenty-four.

Shantel fans her face with her hand. "Yeah, hopefully Lisa finds a new location to move the shelter to. It gets crowded here fast."

"Anyway," Kennedy says dramatically and drops her phone in her lap. "What we doing when we leave? I'm not in the mood to stay in the house on a Saturday night."

"Girl you're barely home, did your parents kick you out or something?" Denzel asks and she glares at him.

"No, I didn't get kicked out. The people in my house annoy me so I try to stay as busy as possible to avoid going home." She rolls her neck as she speaks, "Since you wanna be nosey."

Shantel throws her head back with annoyance and looks up at the ceiling. "Enough with the bickering, y'all make my head hurt."

Robin chuckles, "We were planning to go to the mall to shop and get food after work, y'all wanna come?" Her doe-like eyes look between Corey and Risa.

Corey is about to answer but Risa quickly steals his chance. "Actually we have plans." She says. He looks at her quizzically but she ignores his eye.

"Corey doesn't look like he has a clue about these, 'plans'." Joe laughs and puts air quotes around the word plans.

"Yeah can we come?" Kennedy asks, "I want to hang out with the cute new kid too. You can't have him all to yourself." She jokes half heartedly.

Risa shakes her head, "Sorry, these plans are meant for two not seven."