The next morning, after Reagan indulged herself in another round with Jill, they were on their way in Jill’s car to the still undisclosed location. Only the clothes Jill set out gave her small hints. As Reagan showered, Jill had rummaged through her closet and tossed a flannel button-up, thick socks, and a pair of hiking boots onto the bed. She’d been told her jeans from the day before would be okay as long as she didn’t mind them getting dirty. She never pictured Jill doing any activity that might stain her clothes, so she was certainly intrigued.

Most of their car ride was spent in relative silence except for the low volume of the radio. Reagan kept a gentle grip on Jill’s thigh, enjoying that her light scratches along Jill’s inner thigh led her to shift her legs a little farther apart.

They pulled into a gravel parking lot in front of a large, white building with a dark green roof. “Happy Tails Animal Shelter. Why’d you bring me here?”

Jill took a deep breath and intertwined their fingers, staring at their joined hands. Was she nervous? Did she want to adopt a puppy together or something? Reagan panicked for an instant, but the more she thought about it, the less it scared her.

“I volunteer here.”

Well, that wasn’t what she expected. “Really? Since when?”

“The past couple years.” She gave a small shrug. “I’ve been donating money longer than that. One year, they sent out a mass email asking for volunteers because they had a shortage after many of the summer volunteers went back to college. So, I figured, why not?”

“That’s very sweet of you,” Reagan replied, squeezing Jill’s knee.

“Don’t give me too much credit. I still don’t stop by enough. Some months it’s more money than volunteering.”

“Well, I’m sure they’re still grateful for the money. Every bit helps, right?”

“Of course. Ready to do some work?”

Reagan smiled wide. “Definitely.”

Jill led her inside. “You’ll have to fill out some paperwork and unfortunately you won’t be able to handle the animals just yet. But maybe, if you like it here, you could come back?”

Reagan’s heart tugged at the hope in Jill’s voice. She was sharing something precious with her and she would never turn down a chance to learn more about her. “I’m sure I’ll love it, and already I can’t wait to come back.”

When they reached the reception area, Jill knocked on the counter and a woman around their age looked up from her clipboard. “Jill. I didn’t expect to see you today.” She grinned as she glanced at Reagan. “Who do you have here?”

Jill lightly pressed her hand to Reagan’s lower back and bit her lower lip for a moment. “This is Reagan. She’s, um, my girlfriend.”