You were barely halfway down the main path when you heard it—a frantic, scrabbling sound against the pavement. Growing louder. Faster.

Then, a blur of black and white shot around the corner of the hedge.

She let out a happy little whine, then backed up, barked once, and immediately circled you, as if you were the best thing she'd ever found in her entire life.

You looked up.

He was tall. Dark hair pulled back messily, a few strands falling loose. Dark eyes locked on you—or, more accurately, on the dog. He stopped a few feet away, hands on his hips, breath slightly uneven.