“Ahmed, he’s not gonna hurt you,” Ace says, his voice heavy with amusement as he pets his dog.

“Dogs scare me,” I whisper, too embarrassed to say it any louder than that.

Ace turns to look at me, eyebrows furrowed. “Seriously?”

I nod, still clutching on to him. “It’s a whole thing. My parents taught me to be afraid of them.”

“They what?”

I sigh and explain how my parents projected their view of dogs onto me, going as far as telling me I was allergic when I was younger so I would stay away from them. When I’m done, he’s frowning deeply. “Why did they do that?”

“Some conservative Muslims don’t like dogs because they’re seen as impure,” I say, eyeing the golden retriever, who’s wagging his tail happily. “Personally, I think dogs are cute, but my parents freaked me out about it really bad when I was younger, so I’m kind of...hesitant now.”

“Spade won’t hurt you,” Ace says, before holding out a hand toward me. “I’ll show you if you want.”

I shake my head. It’s not like I’ve never petted a dog before. I have. But it’s always so intimidating, and I have to work up the nerve to do it.

Then I have a different thought. “Your name is Ace and you named your dog Spade?”

“I was ten,” Ace says, shrugging. “Spade seemed fitting. Isn’t that right, boy?”

Ace leans down and nuzzles Spade, running his hands through the dog’s fur coat. “You like the name Spade, don’t you?”

The dog barks happily, licking Ace’s face.

Ace laughs, pushing Spade away with a light touch. “See, Ahmed? He’s gentle.” He offers me his hand again. “Are you sure you don’t want to pet him? It’s up to you, but I’ll be with you the whole time.”

I bite my lip, considering my options. Ace and the dog are giving me puppy dog eyes now, which should be illegal. Despite my nerves, I slowly put my hand forward and Ace takes it.

Spade is quiet and patient as he waits for me to near him. Ace places my hand between his ears, and his fur is soft and fluffy beneath my palm. “See?”

I waver before giving the dog a careful rub. Spade’s mouth opens into a wide grin, his tail wagging again.

“He likes you,” Ace says, smiling as he lets go of my hand and leans against the wall. “He’s a good judge of character.”

“Oh, shut up,” I say. God, I’m getting way too comfortable being around him.

Ace raises his hands above his head. “I can’t even give you a compliment?”

“No.” I pet Spade once more, feeling warm inside, before pulling away. Ace was right. He is gentle. “Now let’s get to work. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”