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

“Leave me alone. I have a court summons to get ready for.” He peered at the paperwork. “Right. December 2nd. So, yeah, it looks like I don’t have long to do it. Please pass on my regrets to your mom for missing Thanksgiving. Just tell her something came up outside of my control. You can decide if you want to tell her that it was completely within yourcontrol, though.”


He opened the front door, stepped inside, then shut and locked it behind him. His guts were full of rolling fireballs. His breath and heartbeat were fast and uneven. He slid to the floor, listening for Justin’s footsteps and, instead, heard Dog’s. The first tear fell out of his eye when Dog sat directly in front of him, head cocked and eyes wide. It was a “What just happened?” expression.


Chapter 36