Kieran hadn't been this excited to go to Brinny's for a while. Today was Naomi's first training session with Rusty. They hadn't hung out since he'd brought her pizza for the second time, but they texted every few days whether it was a silly GIF, a check-in, or coordinating these sessions.
"What do you think, Kier?" Brinny spun around the living room in a pale yellow sundress that accentuated her paleness.
"For dog training?"
Her brow furrowed. "No, for Heidi's bridal shower."
"Yeah, it seems like something people would wear to that." Not that he'd ever attended one or cared.
She gathered the material in her palms. "Are you and Jake fighting again? You seem distracted."
"Me and Jake? Nah, we're good. Just been a long week." Every day felt further from this one. Naomi would arrive in five minutes, and Brinny was more interested in dressing up than preparing her dog for training. "Should we get Rusty ready?"
"That's why I'm paying this person so much money, isn't it?"
"I'll take him to the backyard so he's not whining at the door when Naomi arrives."
"Naomi?"
"Your dog trainer."
Brinny grinned coyly. "Is that why you're distracted? Saw a pretty girl in the ad and think she'll show up. That's cute, Kier."
He wanted to contradict her but decided not to get Naomi in trouble by implying their closeness. "Just ensuring Rusty gets the best care and training."
"Like when you flirt with women during his walks," her tone was light, but she looked at him for a few seconds too long to be unbothered.
"Not a crime to flirt, Brin. That's how you got yourself into this Rusty situation, isn't it?"
She quieted and scurried to her room. He'd be skeptical of showing that much exposed skin around that little beast. His arms were battle-scarred enough.
Kieran called Rusty, and the dog came running with a destroyed slipper in his mouth. After failing to catch Rusty, Kieran opened the sliding back door and took him outside. He stood guard in front of the replanted flower garden with a leash in hand while the dog ran in circles like he was on a caffeine high then lost interest in the massacred slipper to pee on the lawn instead.
As he zoomed to Kieran, the dog jumped up on his jeans. Kieran caught him under his front legs and wrestled him onto the leash with only four or five scratch marks on his arms.
"Alright pupster, let's get you to the front to meet Naomi. You've gotta trust her, okay? She's here to make your life easier, so there's less yelling from your people. You can do that, eh boy?"
Rusty chewed on the leash and tried to engage Kieran in a game of tug-a-war. He shook his head, but if Rusty could intuit the meaning of his words, they wouldn't need Naomi. He'd have to take her out to thank her after surviving today.
Kieran walked and tugged Rusty toward the gate. The dog's nose pressed to the ground in an instant, and he stuck it under the fence and growled. Kieran hoped he wouldn't go wild on the other side. As Kieran opened the gate, a rabbit ran off down the street, and Rusty barked at it while jumping at the leash. An old blue Hyundai Senata pulled into the driveway with a familiar brunette in the driver's seat. Kieran waved as he tried to keep Rusty under control.
Naomi laughed as she stepped out of the car under Rusty's watchful eyes. That smile warmed him like the sun. "No one's ever greeted me the second I arrived at a client's house."
"He couldn't wait to see you."
She laughed as Rusty betrayed his lie by crouching beside a cricket on the driveway. "I'm flattered." She stood back as the dog lunged at it and grabbed the insect in his mouth. He spat it out a second later, and it scurried off. "Must have been too squirmy for him. It's Rusty, right?"
Kieran nodded as she stepped forward and smiled at the dog, greeting him by name and earning his invasive welcome. Kieran pulled the leash, which only seemed to make him worse. "Sorry."
"It's normal for a puppy his age, may I?"
She reached for the leash, and Kieran's hand brushed her soft one as he handed it to her. Memories of holding her last weekend flooded his mind. Even though she would have taken anyone's comfort, his ego wanted to believe her words. 'Knowing you'd be there got me through it.' From her chipper demeanour today, he'd never suspect her ex had broken her heart a week ago.
"Puppies aren't used to leashes and don't always understand them. We need to ensure there's not too much uncomfortable tension while not distracting them by having the leash too close to their face." She walked with Rusty as he left to sniff Naomi's tires. "Does he have any dietary restrictions or allergies?"
"Dogs have those?"
"Often."
"Brinny would never know that so, no?"
Naomi smiled, and as Rusty stopped chewing on the leash, she reached into a pouch on her hip. "Good boy."
Kieran kept her and Rusty's pace as they rounded the driveway. "What did he do?"
"You need constant positive reinforcement for dogs to train at the beginning. Reward any behaviour you want to see, like walking without chewing the leash, again and again until it sticks." She gave him another treat as he proceeded toward the shrubs in front of the house. "However generous you think you're being, you've got to double it. Your friend has lots of treats, right?"
"I picked up a few too." He opened the passenger side of his truck and grabbed his shopping bag full of soft treats like Naomi had requested.
She chuckled. "Better to be over-prepared than under. We'll want to tuck these away, so Rusty's not too distracted, and keep a few in a pocket. In the future, you can also cut up treats to save a little money since he'll get a lot."
"Alright, we'll go through the backyard."
Rusty was running after Kieran with the bag and howling. Naomi laughed. "Looks like he's quite excited about your choice." She didn't seem bothered at all by Rusty's energy or bounding.
"Please watch him around those flowers." Kieran didn't trust the chicken wire fence could withstand the dog's energy.
"They're a real temptation?"
"Yeah, it's the third time Brin's mom has replanted them, and she's not keen to do it again."
"It'll help to train him in a space with the fewest distractions of noise, scents, and sights."
"I'll see what she has in mind. Are you okay out here with him while we set something up?"
She grinned. "What kind of trainer would I be if I weren't?"
He chuckled. When he slipped inside, Brinny stood in the living room with a smile. "Leaving my dog with strangers already?"
"We gotta load up on treats and find a distraction-free area to train him."
Brinny snickered. "Good luck with the last part."
"Or the least distractions is what she said."
Brinny eyed Naomi and Rusty through the long windows. "You mean besides her? You must be thrilled. She's hot, tall, and friendly."
He'd noticed that about her when they met, but she had far more layers than that. "She's also a great trainer, which you should care about." Rusty sat at her feet, enjoying another treat while she beamed at him like he was a superstar. Kieran could stare at that smile and her sparkling brown eyes all day. It was nice they were pain-free for once.
Brinny cleared her throat and laughed at him. "She's not distracting you in the slightest."
"Ok, point taken. Is there anywhere inside that we could train Rusty?"
"Maybe in here?" She gestured around the rectangular living room with a fireplace on one end, the couch and coffee table facing the porch window. It connected to the kitchen's dining area as well.
Kieran collected a handful of items Rusty loved to chew, tossed them into Brinny's room, and shut the door. He grabbed treats for his pockets and offered her the same, although she was more reluctant and placed them in a plastic bag first.
He went to the sliding door to invite Naomi inside with Rusty. She smiled and handed Rusty over while she slipped off her shoes and left them outside. "Hi, I'm Naomi. Thanks for having me at your home. I'm excited about working with Rusty."
"I'm Brinny." She smiled genuinely. "Hopefully, I'll be the one thanking you by the end of this."
"So, Kieran mentioned he loves digging up flowers, chews a lot on furniture and his leash, and jumps and nips a fair bit. Was there anything else he missed?" As if on cue, Rusty started nipping at Kieran's toes, which he did his best to ignore while telling him to stop.
"He pulls towels off the racks and shreds toilet paper."
Naomi nodded. "Sounds like he's an energetic little guy, but I can help you with that. How old is he?"
"Not sure. My boyfriend rescued him." Brinny's voice had that far-off impressed tone that Kieran was sick of. It wasn't like Cole was taking care of the animal. Kieran, Brinny, and her parents were. Cole was a transporter.
"He looks like a puppy, at least four months old, and at this age, everything is new and exciting. The key is to reward the positive behaviours you're seeing."
Brinny laughed lightly and turned to Kieran. "How many of those have you seen?"
"They can be very subtle. Whatever you want him to do, reward and reward often. Things like using his dog bed, choosing a chew toy over the furniture, sitting even if it's only for a few seconds, staying calm during human meal times, and walking well on his leash. We'll focus on the simple ones today, sit and heel, and see what else Rusty wants to show us. You can let him off the leash." After Kieran released him, Naomi said, "Come, Rusty."
When Naomi pulled out a treat, Rusty ran to her, and she gave it to him. She held another at his nose, then as she said 'sit' and lifted it over his head and toward his back, Rusty sat for the briefest window. Naomi gave him the treat. Next, she moved away and got him to sit again half a dozen times before calling Brinny over. He started barking and jumping up.
"Try not to reward that behaviour with something he likes."
Normally, Brinny would start playing or petting him, but she refrained and stood stiffly.
"You'll want a treat in your hand. Hold it up to his nose," Naomi used a gentle, encouraging voice.
As Brinny held the treat there, Rusty licked her hand.
"Good. Bring it towards his back. As he sits, praise him and give him the treat."
Brinny tested the technique with a wide grin spreading across her face, and after a few repetitions, Rusty sat seconds after the treat came out. His little white tail swished back and forth. "Do you want to try, Kier?"
"It'll be less confusing for Rusty today if we stick to the person who'll spend the most time with him. Unless you're here daily?" Naomi shot him an inquisitive look, almost as if that question stemmed more from interest than training. Was that a hint of jealousy? A small thrill filled his chest even though it was next to impossible she'd feel that way about him.
"Nah, that'd be Brinny."
"We can try getting him to heel now if you'd like."
Brinny nodded enthusiastically, which triggered an excited howl from Rusty. Both women cooed over him. Naomi was attractively confident like she could command an army of dogs. But it came with no desire to flaunt that over Brinny or demean her. Naomi seemed so in her element that Kieran loved watching her do things with Rusty and Brinny that he'd considered impossible.
By the end, Rusty grew tired and reverted to his usual nippy self. Naomi said it was normal, and that if Brinny kept at this, they'd notice progress.
"Thank you so much." Brinny wrapped her arms around Naomi. "I was so worried he'd be terrorizing this house forever."
Naomi returned the hug and smiled. "He's just curious and making sense of his world. We'll help him understand the expectations, so you'll all be happier."
"Really appreciate it. Same time next week?"
"Absolutely. I'll send the confirmation and invoice tonight. It was great to meet you both."
Kieran raised an eyebrow until he realized she was looking at Brinny and Rusty. He walked with Naomi to the door. "Thank you for doing this. You're pretty amazing at it."
"Thanks. I let you off easy tonight since you were so helpful last week."
When their eyes met, her smile was far more upbeat than last week. He couldn't imagine life since then was pleasant, but she didn't let an ounce of it show. "Have you been doing okay?"
"Mostly." Her eyes darted to Brinny, who was watching them. "I'll text you later."
He couldn't help but smile. "Looking forward to it. Have a good night."
As Naomi smiled, waved, and took off without letting Rusty escape the house, Brinny grinned. "You are crushing like mad, Kier."
"What? I was just being nice."
Brinny scoffed. "Nah, that was your 'Let me fix all your problems' smile, and she got zero judgy bitterness. You used to pull that with me all the time. Don't even deny it."
If Brinny knew he was hitting on her, why did she never act? Or was this her rubbing that attempt in his face? "Maybe a little. She's sweet."
"Sweet?" Brinny laughed and met his gaze. "She is a lot more than just sweet."
Kieran tucked his hands in his pockets. "Why do you care?"
"To tease you about it. What else are friends for?"
"What if she ends up liking me?" He didn't quite believe it, but it maybe having a dream wasn't the worst thing.
"Kier, I love you, but she's out of your league."
He resisted the urge to scoff. Brinny didn't know a thing about that woman. Naomi didn't write others off so easily, but he also doubted she wanted a new relationship, especially not with a non-ace guy so soon.
"You're probably right." Agreeing was always easier than arguing with her. "Plus, I wouldn't want to make you jealous," he teased.
"Jealous?" Her voice rose. "I have Cole."
"Who is in the city how often?"
Brinny kneeled to pet Rusty and teased, "Often enough to miss him when he's not around."
Kieran chuckled as that was a subtle shot at him. "Message received."
As he left to retrieve his shoes, she interjected, "I was just kidding. Please stay a little longer."
"Jake needs more help with the app tonight. Being a big bro sidekick never ends."
"The guy is my age, Kier. He'll survive."
"I gave him my word." Kieran didn't, but this conversation made him want to call Naomi, and Jake was a suitable cover. Jake wouldn't care how much Brinny disliked him.
"You jump the second he asks you, and I never see him do the same for you."
He'd helped last week when Kieran had regretted the forward drinks offer but didn't want to disappoint Naomi. Jake had almost enjoyed himself by the end of it. Unlike with Brinny, he and Naomi got along well.
"He's family, and he's always had my back. Without him, I wouldn't have anything."
Brinny nodded. "I get it. Still, I owe you for tonight. We could go out again, and I could be a much better wingwoman this time."
"One club experience a season is enough for me." The odds of him meeting someone like Naomi again were slim to none, especially with Brinny around. "But I'll be back for his session next week."
"Bye, Kier. Thanks for setting up today."
She reached in to hug him, her head pressing into his torso. It made him miss Naomi's embraces where she melted into him. It was a strange feeling because he knew they would lead to nothing given her asexuality, but he liked them all the same.