Olivia wouldn’t attempt to deny that she wanted his loving, forever home to be her home. If she had one of her own to offer him. It wasn’t that she minded living at Aunt Becky’s. Waking up to the smell of chickpea pancakes, tofu omelets, or cinnamon French toast and Coco’s continuous chatter had its merits, and she was grateful. Escaping the bustle of the city at the end of the day and tucking herself away in a town that time seemed to have forgotten also had merit. For the most part, she could go on living there indefinitely.

It just so happened, this remarkable and deserving dog was the first thing causing her to question how long this “indefinite” should be.

“Do you have any idea how long dogs his size and age typically stay here before they’re adopted?”

Patrick held open the door, motioning her inside. “Yes, I’ve done some compilations of body size and age to average length of stay.”

“Oh. Cool.” Olivia checked out the room, waiting for him to offer more. Only he didn’t.

As welcoming as the rest of the facility was, she still managed to be taken off guard at not finding the quarantine room cold and indifferent like she imagined a quarantine room could be. The walls were a muted purple-gray, soft music played through a set of speakers, and an essential-oil diffuser filled the room with the inviting but subtle scent of lavender. The kennels in the small room varied in size and were divided with cats sectioned off from the dogs.

“I’ve got our largest kennel in here ready for him. Once he’s moved up front, he’ll have more room. The big kennels in the main area are just under thirty square feet. With any luck, he won’t be here long enough to be moved over to the kennels with outdoor runs. But those are sixty square feet including the run.”

“How long is it that you think he could be here?” she asked, rephrasing her earlier question.

Patrick eyed the pointer with discernment. “How old?”

“Ah, four or five was the best guess.”

“Then he’s thin but still in his prime. Since our main kennels aren’t maxed out at the moment, he’ll be available for adoption as soon as he’s neutered and clears quarantine. He’s a hunting breed, so a home visit will be required unless it’s a repeat adopter who wants him, and there’s always a chance of a home visit falling through. Assuming that doesn’t happen, my best estimate is thirty-two days.”

“Thirty-two days.” Just over a month ago, Olivia had filled out the application to be a transport driver. All the days and hours since then seemed like such a long stretch of time.

“Yes, based on the season, his breed, and his age,” Patrick added as if he thought she were questioning him.