Small and sweet, she was also manipulative as all hell. He blamed the eyes. Raisins were the cesspit of the food pyramid, the shriveled waste that no one wanted anywhere near their cookies, not the windows to some tiny creature’s soul.

“They’re not even real food,” he muttered.

“What’s that?” his dad called.

Since admitting how close he was to losing it wasn’t going to do him any favors in his father’s eyes, he said, “I was just warning you that the dog isn’t allowed to have any table scraps.” His father might not have been as susceptible to this puppy’s charms as Harrison, but he wasn’t going to put anything past the wily creature. “And, um, there’s going to be a woman coming by tomorrow. All the tomorrows, actually. Apparently, most of the training has to take place here.”

“Here?” Although neither Harrison nor his father was what you’d call “house proud,” there was something about inviting another human into the dusty, haphazard mess they lived in that caused an automatic recoil.

One look at the living room alone was enough to reveal why. Stacks of books sat next to his father’s favorite armchair, most of them cracked along the spine and in various states of disrepair. The bookshelves, conversely, held boxes of broken electronics, most of which would never work again and, if they did, would be at least twenty years out-of-date. Even the furniture was old and mismatched, chosen more for comfort than for looks. On its own, the place suited them just fine. Compared to Sophie’s house, however, it was downright deplorable.

Every few months, Harrison tried to fix it up, but his efforts were usually met with resistance at best and outright hostility at worst. To let in light and air would be to let in the possibility of happiness—a thing no respectable Parks man had done for decades.

“Are you sure she can do that?” his dad asked. “How is it legal?”

Harrison had to chuckle. “Because I invited her, Dad. It’s part of the process. She comes highly recommended.”

Which may not have been true in so many words, but there was no denying that the Oscar seal of approval didn’t come cheap. For whatever reason, his boss trusted Sophie. Therefore, Harrison would trust Sophie too.

But not too much.

“And she’s going to train the dog?” his dad asked, eyeing the puppy warily.

“So I’ve been told. Both Bubbles and I need a lot of work.”

That, at least, got a crack of laughter. “If there’s one thing I’ve been trying to get through to you for years, it’s that. What happens if I step on it?”

“Her. And don’t.”

“What if I can’t help myself?”

“Help yourself anyway.”