Solace Read Free Page B

Jack is a sweet dog. You must have rubbed off on him.”
    Aaron opened his mouth to say something, but closed it just as fast. It wasn’t worth it.
    “Is it hard to train a dog?” She asked, touching him again. “I can’t get my Chelsea to do anything I ask! But she’s just so cute I give her the treat anyway.”
    Aaron wanted to roll his eyes, but instead he fixed a smile into place and forced himself to make eye contact.
    Sometimes he wished this came easily to him. He wished he could be charming and charismatic, and that he wasn’t constantly thinking about how stupid he sounded, or what others were thinking when he spoke.
    Even with this woman, he felt that way, and he shouldn’t care what she thought.
    But he did his best to pretend, and talking about dogs helped. He’d always been good with dogs, and dogs had always been good with him. They didn’t care about his “quirks,” as his mother once called them. They were simple and straightforward, never saying one thing to his face and then something else entirely behind his back.
    Dogs were inherently good. Aaron had his doubts about humans.
    So he talked about the process of training Jack, and it became easier. His words flowed instead of feeling like they were going to trip him at any moment. And when he hit a lull in his speech, he noticed Richard was watching him with a look of approval.
    “I’ve fielded a few questions about the process. Maybe you can answer some more?” Richard asked.
    Then he noticed it wasn’t just Richard watching him. Nearly everyone who’d previously been mingling in the living room was looking at him, waiting for him to say something.
    Waiting for him to screw up.
    His stomach felt like a lead weight. He looked from person to person, and his pulse hammered behind his temple, creating a pressure point that flared outward, pushing against his skull in a staccato rhythm.
    “Uh, sure,” he said, reaching up to touch the back of his neck.
    The questions flew, and because they were about dog training, Aaron was able to answer a few of them. But by the time the fifth question came, his brain was completely fixed on the fact that everyone was watching him.
    Aaron drew in a breath, but it was short and quick and he gasped afterward, his throat feeling raw, his lungs burning.
    He wasn’t going to hyperventilate over a few questions. He wasn’t.
    And so he decided to make sure he didn’t.
    “I have to… I need some air. Just a few minutes. Mr. Baker is a great trainer, I’m sure he can answer…”
    The sentence faded, and Aaron didn’t look at anyone as he bolted for the sliding glass door. He couldn’t look at anyone, especially not Richard. This wasn’t the first time he’d done this and it wouldn’t be the last. Eventually Richard wasn’t going to put up with it anymore.
    But Aaron couldn’t stay in that room. As soon as he shut the door behind him, the world opened up. He gulped down a lungful of air and closed his eyes, willing his heart rate to slow to an acceptable level.
    Spotting a bench nearby, he sat down and gripped the cool edges of the stone.
    He’d been working with Paws For Hope for years. He’d been a complete wreck when he started; someone Richard had to basically keep in the back twenty-four seven, lest he trip over himself and drive away anyone who was looking for a service dog.
    It was fucking ridiculous. He was a grown man. He shouldn’t have these problems. It made it seem like he’d been raised by wolves.
    Aaron sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. He had to apologize, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Sorry I can’t function like a normal human being? Maybe next time?
    The glass door slid open, and Aaron didn’t even have to look to know it was Richard.
    “You okay?”
    Richard sat beside him, giving Aaron the chance to just stare at the privacy fence that surrounded the back yard.
    “Yeah. I just… got overwhelmed.” Richard’s silence felt like a hundred-pound weight on his