Jill stored her phone and car keys in an empty locker. She went straight to the laundry, starting a load of towels before grabbing a bucket and window cleaner to take care of every window and mirror in the place. Even though the job didn’t require much thought, she lost herself in the motion of her hands instead of letting her mind wander to all her problems.

Four hours later, three loads of towels were washed, the windows were spotless, and the food inventory was done. “Anything else you need?” she asked Stacey.

“Nope. I finished the rest while you were working.”

Jill frowned. That meant she’d have to go back home and she didn’t want to just yet. “Is it okay if I take one of the dogs for a walk?”

Stacey studied her for a beat and Jill wanted to squirm under the scrutiny. “Cage six. He’ll be good for you.”

“Okay,” Jill replied, dragging the word out. How would he be good for me?

When she entered the dog wing, she grabbed a leash off a hook and stopped in front of cage six. Inside, a tan dog with pointy ears perked up and strutted to the front of the cage, alternating between sitting and half-jumping with his tail wagging constantly. She looked at the form attached to the door. Rufus. Four-year-old terrier-pit mix.

“Well, hey there, Rufus. Want to go for a walk?” He answered with two quick jumps. “Guess that’s a yes.”

She opened the door and knelt down, making sure to introduce herself properly, but Rufus didn’t seem to like following the rules of a first meeting and gave her sloppy kisses on her cheek. She pulled away and roughly wiped at the wet spots with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “Yuck. Okay, none of that.” She stood and hooked the leash to his collar. “Let’s go.”

Right out the gate, Jill realized this would not be a calm walk like it had been with Haley. Rufus pulled Jill down the entire hallway until he stopped at the backdoor, tail wagging furiously. “Sit,” she said firmly. She nodded as he barely sat, his tail wagging so much his entire backside moved with him.

When she opened the door, he darted in front of her, zigzagging along the path as he sniffed everything within reach. It took all her strength to keep him under control. She tried to correct him a few times, and he listened briefly and stayed near her side—until another leaf blew. She shook her head at his exuberance and just let him enjoy himself.

She took in a deep breath of the crisp winter air. They hadn’t had snow yet so the ground was just drab, brown grass with leftover dead leaves. The day was gloomy with overcast skies and it fit her mood perfectly.