Thom Baron has been struggling with social anxiety his entire life. He's taken the medications, gone to the therapists, followed the programs, and concluded his best life is a solitary one. When he comes across a dog in obvious need at his local market, it rekindles the desire to have some company around. It may come with a dishevelled coat, a notched ear, and a refusal to respond to anything but its given name "Ugly," but it could still be a friend.<br><br>However, Thom's new fur buddy has no such need to keep to itself and immediately befriends the man Thom has secretly coveted since he moved in -- Justin, Thom's gorgeous, bright-eyed neighbour. No matter how Thom tries to evade the man, the dog keeps drawing them back into each other's lives, and it doesn't take Thom long to recognize it's simply pursuing the demands of Thom's own heart. With the dog giving him the courage to try, Thom reaches out to return the love being offered.<br><br>Until a stranger shows up insisting the dog is his and demanding its immediate return ... a loss Thom knows will take all of his efforts and newfound confidence with it.

But by the Grace of Dog

“He’s a nice guy,” Thom said, watching Dog slurp and chew so he wouldn’t have to make eye contact. “I wouldn’t say we’re dating, though.”


The line of questioning was awful, but when he peeked up, her smile was annoyingly warm and genuine. She was, obviously, just like her son. She handed him an invoice that was way less than Thom knew it should be.


“I have a lot of issues,” Thom said, reaching for his wallet, then digging out his credit card. He didn’t feel comfortable getting too specific with his answer. While she was Justin’s mother, she was still a stranger to him. At the same time, he felt like she deserved a bit of something. She was, after all, way too weirdly happy that he was there. It wasn’t a response he was used to getting. “I think it’s probably not a good idea to rope somebody else into dealing with those issues.”


She handed him the machine to enter his PIN and complete the sale. “The anxiety.”


Chapter 25