Simply Be Mine Matchmakers

2. The Bet

Before leaving the station after shift, Tim took the flyer for the pet shelter home instead of throwing it out. He set it down on his kitchen counter and stared at the images of cute puppies and kittens. Surely, going to the shelter just to see the cute puppies and kittens would not mean he would have to adopt one. No, Tim decided to go, since he had the next day off. A far too chipper woman walked him around the facility to show him all of the pets available for adoption, and then he saw HER.

"Sergeant Bradford, this is a nice surprise," Lucy said happily.

"Ma'am," he responded with a curt nod.

His scowl would not deter her. "Are you here to find your match?"

"Just browsing on my day off. What are you doing here?"

"Research."

"On getting a pet?"

"No, for my job." Since he did not seen very convinced, she elaborated, "First dates can be really awkward. Especially when our company sets you up with a total stranger you know nothing about, so we try to plan activities for first dates. It gives both people some common ground, decreases the amount of awkward pauses like during a dinner conversation, plus, it's more memorable."

"I think I'll stick with plain old dinner at a restaurant."

"Are you kidding? With your one word answers? The first dates we plan benefit people like you the most. If you become my client, I'll probably only plan active first dates for you."

"Like what kind of active date?"

"Like coming here. This shelter is always looking for volunteers to walk dogs for an hour or two. I wanted to try it out today and see if it could make for a nice first date option for animal lovers to get to know each other while giving some love to some local pets. Want to try it out with me?"

"I don't know."

"You came to meet the animals. A walk is a great opportunity to get to know a few of them. Pick one out you think is the right fit for you, and consider it a free trial before adopting."

"Seems reasonable."

"It's kinda like a date but to find a dog instead of a human life partner," Lucy smiled. She began to scan the kennels scrutinizingly. "Let me see which one would be a good match for you."

"That's okay. I can pick my own. I don't need your help."

"He's stubborn. Good to know," she muttered as a mental note in case he became one of her clients. "Fine, I'll just pick one for me to walk." She stepped down the aisle to peruse the dog options and stopped at one that caught her eye. Lucy lowered herself onto her knees and slowly opened the gate to pet the sweet pit bull terrier mix. She saw the sign next to his kennel to read his name. "Hi, Kojo. I'm Lucy. Wanna go for a walk with me?" At first he stayed laying down and unmoving, but when he rolled onto his back for a belly rub, he started panting and wagging his tail making her smile. "Let's go, buddy," she said, and he obeyed, trotting out of his kennel with her. Tim selected a golden Labrador retriever. "Really? That's the dog you chose?"

"Yes. This is Honey, and she seems like a great dog. I think she could be a good fit," he justified his decision.

After years of being a matchmaker, Lucy tended to read people quite easily, and she could tell when a couple was a good fit or not, and Honey did not seem compatible with Tim, but she kept that assessment to herself. "Great. Want to join me and Kojo?"

"Sure." He followed with Honey as Lucy and Kojo walked out of the shelter and onto the street.

"Okay, so, Sergeant Bradford, all I know about you is that you're a cop, and you have an adoring sister. What else should I know?"