Must Love Wieners by Casey Griffin

interviews, the training. She’d already be kicked out of her apartment by the time she saw her first paycheck. Or worse, she and Colin would be forced to crawl up to Washington with their tails between their legs.
    She grimaced. That wasn’t an option. Unable to think of a better idea, she reached for her phone and texted Aiden before she could chicken out.
    Hello, this is Piper, the telegram girl from the rescue center. I’m wondering if you still needed a dog walker.
    She hit send . It felt weird to ask for a job this way. Especially after how they’d met the day before. She wondered if he only suggested it because he’d watched her lose two jobs. What if it was a handout? What if he just felt bad for her? She’d rather sleep in the rescue center than face his pity.
    Her phone chimed with Aiden’s response.
    Absolutely. When would you be free to meet and have a chat?
    A chat? She wondered what that meant in Aiden’s world. Was it an interview type chat at his office or a casual coffee thing? Since it was for a dog-walking position, she chose neutral ground.
    I’m free all day today or tomorrow afternoon. We can meet at the Presidio with the dogs.
    Does two o’clock work for you?
    Sure. I’ll meet you in the Fifteenth Avenue gate parking lot.
    See you then.
    The exchange was professional and businesslike. No words wasted. Then why was Piper’s heart beating so fast? It was nothing more than a job, she told herself. It wasn’t like a date or anything.
    She threw the phone in her bag and turned to Colin in the passenger seat. “Happy?”
    His head tilted to one side in confusion.
    “Sophie will be there.”
    At the mention of her name, his tail began to twitch back and forth. He stared out the windshield expectantly, as if saying, You may chauffeur me now.
    Bowing, she threw it in drive and did his bidding.

 
    6
    Seeing a Man About a Dog
    Piper drove her VW Bug across town while Colin stuck his head out of the passenger window. His flapping ears reminded her of little propellers. She imagined that if they caught the right wind they would balloon like a parasail and he’d go flying right out the car and down the boulevard.
    The sun glaring through the windshield made her feel like an ant under a magnifying glass, so she followed his lead and rolled down her own window. Her long hair whipped around her face as they drove toward the north end of the city. While the vintage car was totally epic, it made a gruesome hot box in the warmer months since the air-conditioning had crapped out and she couldn’t afford to fix it.
    As they approached their destination, signs for the Presidio started popping up. She followed the signs onto the former military base and pulled into the parking lot where she told Aiden to meet her. Piper searched for a shady spot before parking; the vinyl seats had a tendency to heat up like molten lava and scorch her when she hopped back in. She killed the engine and climbed out.
    It was a beautiful Saturday to be at the park. People were loading and unloading their dogs, kids, and picnic baskets from their cars. Those in bare feet hopped across the pavement and onto the grass like they were walking on hot coals.
    Scanning the lot, she smoothed the wrinkles from her cotton tank and searched for Aiden. After all the time she spent Googling photos of him with Addison and Zoe, she was positive she would recognize him from any angle—and, as it turned out, he looked damned good from all of them.
    Colin surveyed the scene from the passenger window. After a minute, his tail began whipping back and forth. His excited barks carried across the parking lot.
    Piper followed his gaze and saw Aiden. Colin had spotted him before she did, or rather, he spotted Sophie rolling in the grass at Aiden’s feet. Aiden was sitting on a bench, people-watching at the edge of the lot. While she could only see his profile, she recognized the stiff way he sat, back rigid. He wore a collared work shirt even though it