Lex finally got past the first line of the email a day later.

Dear Alexandria,

Thank you for your interest in working here! After carefully reviewing your application and our interview, we have decided to hire you for the job. Please let us know if you will be accepting this position. We'd love to have you as part of our team!

Warm regards,

Lex looked at the email in shock. She couldn't believe that she got what was a dream job for a high school dropout. "Guys," she said. Hannah looked up from her homework and Ethan from the test he was grading.

"What?" Hannah asked.

"I got the pet store position. I have to let the fast food places know that I'm not taking it," Lex said. She stood up and Ethan followed, delivering a quick kiss.

"What do you say I pick up a pizza tonight?" He asked.

"This is perfect timing! We ran out last night," Hannah noted. Ethan nodded, calling in the order. When he went to go get it, Hannah put away all her homework (finished) and sat down with Lex.

"Hannah, do you have any good date ideas in the winter?" Lex asked Hannah.

"Something indoors? Why are you asking?" Hannah asked.

"Well, it's been a tough year. Ethan and I don't do Valentine's Day, but I'd like to do something. I almost lost him on Black Friday and it was terrifying," Lex said, "I'd love to do something low-key."

"A movie would be nice. I could just stay in my room all night," Hannah volunteered.

"I don't want you to have a bad time due to that. I'm sure we have some friends who would let you be with them for a while."

"I guess."

Lex looked down at her phone, fingers flying, while Hannah fiddled with a pencil. "A-ha! Got it!"

"What?"

"So Paul and Emma hate Valentine's Day and they're taking care of Tim that day and they'd like to spend time with you," Lex said, "Is that cool with you?"

"Yeah. As long as you pick me up," Hannah said.

"Of course. I wouldn't leave you alone all night," Lex said, hugging Hannah. Ethan opened the door and the fresh scent of pizza filled the house.

"Pizza's here," Ethan said, locking the door behind himself. Hannah ran to Ethan and took the pizza. She brought it back to the kitchen.

"Thanks," Lex said, kissing Ethan on the cheek briefly before getting three plates out.

"No problem. When are you going to start?" Ethan asked.

"Next week I think. I've asked for a few days off and they've accepted," Lex said, rummaging through drawers for a pizza cutter. She cut through the warm cheese. "We're talking tomorrow about a generic schedule that isn't too bad."

"I'm proud of you, Lex," Ethan said as they served themselves the warm slices of the pepperoni pizza.

"Thanks," Lex smiled.

The next day, Lex was talking to her new place of employment. "So you can do 9-5 every day with a lunch break and break times in that time?" Her boss asked her.

"Yes. I'd like weekends off, though," Lex said.

"We can do that. Do you have any prior engagements that you know of that clash with the schedule?"

"Yes. I'm only busy on the fourteenth after noon," Lex smiled.

"Okay, I'll put you down for a half a day then. Your first day is Monday," her boss said.

"Thank you. I'll see you then," Lex said, "Thank you, Sandra."

"No problem. Please call me if something arises," Sandra said. Lex headed home, a skip in her step. She was budgeting when Ethan and Hannah came back from school.

"How were your days?" Lex asked, hugging both of them in turn.

"It was normal. I like what we're learning," Hannah said.

"I was trusted to teach a math lesson today on fraction operations," Ethan said.

"Good days for you guys then," Lex said.

"How was your job scheduling meeting?" Ethan asked Lex as she closed her laptop.

"It was good. Weekdays 9-5," she responded, "Start Monday."

"Full week right off the bat. Good luck, Lexi," Hannah said to Lex.

"Thanks," Lex said. The next few days, Lex distracted herself with doing a puzzle. It was 500 pieces and she challenged herself to do it all before her job started.

On Sunday night, everyone had an early night. Lex had her three alarms ready to go. The first one was for her to wake up and start a pot of coffee. Ten minutes later, she woke up Hannah and Ethan and showered. Finally, the last one was her cue to to get downstairs and eat breakfast.

The next morning went smoothly. It was as if nothing changed. Lex drove Ethan and Hannah to school so they could be there on time. "Alright, so we'll call someone to see if they can take us home and you'll be home at 5:15 or 6:15 ish?" Ethan asked Lex to confirm.

"6:15," she said.

"Okay. We'll see you then," Ethan said, giving her a quick kiss. Hannah gave Lex a hug from the backseat.

"I'll see you then," Hannah said.

"Have a great day, Banana," Lex said, making sure they both got inside. Lex got to work half an hour early, so she waited outside for fifteen minutes before locking the car and trying the door to the store. There was someone in there that smiled and opened the door.

"Lex, right?" The person asked. Lex nodded.

"Yeah," she responded.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Luke, your boss. Your application said you have a background in retail. Where did you work?" Luke asked her.

"I worked at Toy Zone...well at least before the mall burned down and all my superiors died," she said.

"Well, today, I'm going to have you shadow me. It's just so you get used to everything. You'll be having Wednesday as a half day, right?" He asked. Lex nodded. "The doors are opening in ten minutes. In nine minutes, find me. I'm just going to double-check with my superiors about what you're doing. You can look around the store. Familiarize yourself with the environment."

"Will do," Lex said, adjusting the vest given to her last week. She looked at each of the aisles in the store, knowing where things were for types of pets. At the eight minute mark, she went to go find Luke.

"Small change of plans. Are you good at convincing people to buy stuff?" He asked.

"Yes," Lex said. Her sales were the highest at Toy Zone in her first month and they kept rising.

"Okay. So today, we're having dogs that are available to adopt. We found them abandoned on the side of the road. It's a litter of golden retrievers. Convince people to adopt these cuties into a family. They have a names, they're available to foster, and there's a whiteboard with basic information. Go to the back of the store and you'll find them there," Luke said. Lex nodded and went to the back of the store where she found a kennel with six puppies. She sent a picture to Ethan. Please tell me not to buy any or all of them. He texted her back almost immediately. Maybe could we get one...? Lex smiled and pocketed her phone. She let all the dogs sniff her before she went in and pet them. They were so cute.

"Hi! Lex, right?" Another lady asked. Lex looked up.

"Hi. I'm Lex," she said.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lydia and I'm just going to watch over you today. You can sit in the kennel with them. It'll make them more trusting," Lydia said. Lex sat down.

"I'll do that," she said as all the dogs jumped onto her lap and enthusiastically started licking her face.

"Today's a Monday which means there won't be traffic until about three or four. Lunch break is eleven to twelve," Lydia told Lex. Lex nodded in acknowledgement.

"Cool beans," Lex said. For the first few minutes, no one came into the store. After about forty five minutes, customers started coming in. They were buying whatever they needed for their pets. At last, a customer came to where Lex was.

"Hi. Can I ask you questions about these puppies?" The customer asked. Lex stood up.

"Of course. What are they?" Lex asked.

"So, can I adopt these? What breed are they? How old are they? Do they have names?" The customer asked.

"Yes, they are golden retriever puppies, eight weeks old. They do have names already," Lex responded.

"Can I go in and meet them? I'd like to see which one I like best. I lost most of my family on that horrific day and my house has felt so empty," the man said.

"Of course, come in here. They're all very sweet," Lex said, helping him step into the area where all the dogs sniffed his shoes. A few jumped onto his leg for attention. She saw him smile as he interacted with all of the dogs. He finally settled on the one with a green bandana.

"What's his name?" The man asked.

"He's named Bear. This is Lydia and she will help you fill out the paperwork," Lex said, gesturing the man to Lydia.

The end of the day came and two more dogs were adopted. "Good job today, Lex. Any final questions?" Lydia asked.

"Where do they go overnight?" Lex asked.

"There's someone that takes them," Lydia said.

"Do you know if I could foster one? We can't financially support one at home for a while, but I'd like to have the experience if that makes any sense," Lex said. Lydia smiled.

"Take your pick, except for Bandit, and we'll fill out the paperwork and get you starting materials," Lydia said.

When Lex got home, it was later than both Ethan and Hannah anticipated. She came with a new friend. "I'm home with a friend!" Lex called. Hannah raced over to see for herself. She didn't expect to see a puppy with a purple bandana.

"Did you adopt a dog?" Hannah asked Lex.

"No. This is Bailey and we're going to foster her. We have the starting materials. If we put aside enough savings, she can move in," Lex said, affectionately rubbing Bailey's neck.

"I want to tell him and catch him by surprise," Hannah said. Lex smiled and picked up Bailey to bring to Ethan.

"Lex, I was joking," Ethan said when he saw Bailey.

"She's a foster. We just have to save up and she can move in," Hannah said excitedly, "Her name's Bailey."

Lex let Bailey onto the ground where she ran to Ethan and sniffed him. He bent down to pet her. "She's sweet. I guess we should start saving," he said.

"Not a bad day at work," Lex smiled, serving herself some of the soup that Ethan and Hannah had made.

"Can I help take care of her?" Hannah asked, sitting next to Lex.

"Of course. But, we need to stick to a schedule. We feed her once in the morning, so eight thirty, and again at six thirty. We have to take her out after that. Weekends, we should take her on walks or to the dog park. At night, she's going to sleep in a crate. Do you want her in your room?" Lex asked Hannah, who enthusiastically nodded.

Lex took Bailey to work with her and the next two days whizzed by. It was finally Valentine's Day, so Lex left work early with Bailey. Paul and Emma were picking up Ethan and Hannah. They were going to drop Ethan off, and Lex's low-key Valentine's Day surprise would be underway.

After hours, the door opened. "You're home early," Ethan noted.

"I know we don't ever do anything, but I almost lost you. Happy Valentine's Day," Lex said, kissing Ethan quickly.

"I love you," he said, dropping all his stuff in the appropriate places.

"I got some food and a movie. We're due to pick up Hannah at ten," Lex said.

"Well, I skipped lunch in favor of grading, so I'm starving," he said.

"I got pizza and also some root beer since we're underage. Also, I got not just any movie, but our movie," she smiled, showing off the options in the kitchen.

"Excellent choice. We're overdue for an Avatar rewatch," he said, getting plates out of the cupboard. Lex made clearer slices in the pizza and then got two cups out. Together, they headed to the living room to spend a night with each other and Bailey.

At ten, the movie had long since ended and Lex and Ethan were on the way to pick up Hannah. Bailey was used to riding in the backseat of the car in her harness and a dog seatbelt. She was out in seconds.

Ethan rang the doorbell and was greeted inside by Paul. "I'm here for Hannah," Ethan said.

"How was your night?" Paul asked.

"It was really nice and low-key. Just me and my two girls."

"Two?" Paul raised an eyebrow. Ethan remembered they hadn't shared the news.

"Lex started working at the pet store and she came back on day one with a foster golden retriever that we're saving up to properly adopt. Her name's Bailey," Ethan said.

"Dog, what?" Emma asked, coming up to the boys with Hannah.

"We're fostering a golden retriever named Bailey. We're saving up to adopt her," Hannah explained, "She sleeps in my room."

"I hope I can meet her soon," Emma said.

"She's in the car. Also, where's Tim?" Ethan asked.

"He was picked up five minutes ago," Paul explained as all four walked out of the house. Lex was outside the car with Bailey's leash, walking around to stay warm.

"Hi!" Lex exclaimed, hugging everyone, "This is Bailey. Sit. Good girl."

Bailey obediently sat down at Lex's command and sniffed everyone before giving them kisses. "Thanks for letting us have a night in," Lex told Emma.

"It was nothing. We had a nice night. Some people from CCRP came and we all had pizza, played board games, and relaxed," Emma said, "I hope this doesn't sound rude, but it's getting cold and we'd like to go inside."

"Oh, don't worry. We should probably get home. Tomorrow's a school night," Lex explained. A quick round of goodbyes were given before everyone got home.

WC: 2,402

Hey, y'all! How are you doing? I hope you're doing well. Can anyone believe that we are 25% done with this book already? How crazy is that! Well, I hope you all have an amazing week!

--Luna :D