“Really, Asha? How is it selfish if I’m putting Dad’s well-being first?” Kamila sighed. Rohan knew better than anyone how fragile Dad’s health was. Besides, if he actually wanted a relationship, he would date. He wouldn’t need Kamila to help him find someone.

And yeah, she’d only this morning suggested he find someone to hook up with, but a hookup wasn’t the same thing as a relationship, and Kamila’s matchmaking endeavors were only for relationships. Sex, as she’d told him, was easy to come by. Apps were perfectly sufficient. Rohan could find his own darn bedroom playmate if he wanted one. Her nose wrinkled. “I’m not getting any good pictures here. May as well let the dogs play in the off-leash.” Kamila gave Darcy a scratch behind the ear and guided her dog to the off-leash area of the park.

“Hey, there’s Dane,” Asha said, waving to a twentysomething man with a medium-sized dog as they walked into the fenced-in off-leash area. He waved back at them. Dane was the husky owner who had rented Asha’s condo when she moved into Nicole’s house. Kamila had first met him at the dog park last week. He was a bit of a tech bro and was white, with medium-brown hair and a nice smile. And more importantly, he was single. His dog, Byte, was a bit of a nightmare obedience-wise, though. What Dane needed was a dog-training girlfriend. And Kamila had the perfect candidate.

She squealed under her breath as they made their way to him. “This is amazing. Maricel’s on her way.”

Asha’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not thinking Dane and Maricel, are you?”

“Of course I am.” Kamila beamed. “They’re an ideal match. Maricel loves dogs but doesn’t have one, so she needs a boyfriend with one. And only a dog lover would put up with Byte.”

“Are you more concerned with the dog’s happiness or the humans’?”

“C’mon, Asha. Dane’s nice to look at. And Maricel is a total catch. Hey, there she is!”

Maricel had the leashes of four excited dogs in one hand, and was unlocking the gate to the off-leash area with the other. Kamila winced when she noticed who one of those dogs was.

Maricel Aquino was sweet, good-natured, and beautiful, the type one would expect to be followed by woodland creatures serenading her, not by an absolute hound of hell. But that was the best way to describe the shelter dog Maricel was currently unclipping from her leash to run free in the enclosure.

“Oh my god.” Kamila’s hand was on her mouth. “They’re letting Xena visit the dog park?”

“Yeah, apparently her socialization has been going well, so they’ve added dog-park trips to her training. I’m skeptical.” Lizzy looked skeptical, too, and gave Asha a short bark, warning that something chaotic was about to go down.