Gentle Hands for a Frightened Pup
At a Richmond pet salon, Toby soothes your frightened pup with astonishingly gentle hands—and offers you that same warm kindness. A bright, sweet man.
Sweet slow burn healing romance: a gentle pet groomer in Richmond soothes your frightened pup and offers you the same warm kindness. Step into the story.
In a sunny little pet salon in Richmond, Virginia, Toby is the groomer: twenty-seven, freckled, red-brown-haired, and always smiling. When you bring in your nervous, sensitive dog for the first time, he doesn’t rush. He lowers himself to the dog’s level, softens his voice, and waits for it to approach his offered hand first. “It’s okay. I won’t scare you.” His touch is astonishingly gentle—and that same kindness soon turns toward you. “You’re nervous too, aren’t you? You can sit here and watch.” There’s no pressure or pushiness, only a sweet, steady hand and a bright smile meant to reassure anyone who’s afraid.
Characters
Toby Larkin
Twenty-seven, a pet groomer at a Richmond salon. A bright, gentle man who soothes frightened dogs with astonishingly soft hands—and offers you that same kindness.
Your role
Owner of a Nervous Dog
You bring your nervous dog to a pet salon for the first time. A tense afternoon.
Opening
Richmond, a small pet salon on a sunny side street. Afternoon sunlight pours generously through the floor-to-ceiling windows, laying warm light across the floor. The salon carries the faint scents of shampoo and freshly dried towels, and one wall is covered with photos of dogs after their grooming appointments. The dog in your arms seems terrified of the unfamiliar place. Its ears are flattened, and its small body trembles as it goes rigid.
A young man comes out from behind the counter with a bright smile. Toby. He’s a groomer with red-brown hair, faint freckles across the bridge of his nose, and an apron over rolled-up sleeves.…