Harrison threw up one hand, his other arm wrapped around the sling holding Bubbles. “Of course I’m not. It’s what Sophie wanted from the very start, what she’s been plotting since day one. She gave me this…this…” He trailed off and glanced at the puppy before heaving a reluctant sigh. “This beautiful little nugget, and now I’m trapped.”

The beautiful little nugget licked his fingers obligingly.

“I won’t put her in harm’s way before she’s ready,” Harrison said. “Or myself. I’m sorry, Oscar. I’d like to spend a few more weeks here on the training field before we start tackling the real fires. You’ll have to fight this one without me.”

Oscar showed no signs of pleasure or distress at this, merely dismissing them both with a nod and a grab for his phone. Sophie decided to take a similar approach. Turning on her heel, she made it three steps into the hallway before she realized Harrison was right behind her.

“Sophie, wait,” he called, his voice rough.

Although it would have been so much more badass to keep walking, her head held high and her pride intact, she slowed her steps to wait for him to catch up. After all, Harrison was technically still her client. At least, he was until she gave him the ownership papers.

She reached for them now, tucking her hand into her canvas bag to extract the puppy’s vaccination records and the certificate of completion they gave all their clients. “Here,” she said as she held them out. “This finalizes any and all business between us. She’s your dog now, free and clear.”

He didn’t take them. He didn’t speak either, just stood there glowering at her.

Shifting from one foot to the other, she searched for something to say. “I’m sorry you won’t get to start your air force training today.”

That got him to speak. “Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

“You aren’t sorry. In fact, you’re the exact opposite of sorry. You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

“Um.”

“You know what this damn puppy did all weekend?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’ll give you a hint—it involves raisins.”

“I hope you aren’t going to tell me that she ate any, because grapes are highly toxic to dogs. You should take her to the vet before her kidneys shut down.”

The muscle at the corner of his mouth twitched. “No, she didn’t eat any raisins. It’s her eyes. She kept looking at me.”

“You’re complaining because your service animal looked at you? I hate to break it to you, but she’s going to be doing a lot of that over the years. If you’ll note, she’s doing it right now.”