The next morning found them both awakening to the sweet smell of breakfast, the aroma of sizzling bacon and freshly brewed coffee creeping into their dreams like an invitation to rejoin the waking world. Dom blinked against the sunlight streaming through the thin curtains, her thoughts still tangled with fragments of the night before.

“Hey kids, long night, eh?” Jacque, Dom’s father, greeted them with a knowing grin as he placed tall glasses of fresh orange juice in front of them. His expression danced somewhere between amusement and mild curiosity, the kind of look that only a father could perfect.

It was hard to miss the glimmer in his eye as he took in their awkwardly casual post-sleep appearances and proximity. Dom groaned internally. Of course, her dad noticed.

“Morning, Mr. DuMonte.” Nile reached for his orange juice like a lifeline and downed it in one long chug, his messy hair standing at defiance against gravity. He smacked the empty glass down with a satisfied exhale, the sharp contrast between his groggy demeanor and the vigor of his chug almost comical.

Meanwhile, Dom extricated herself from what could easily devolve into an embarrassing situation. She slid over to sit beside him at the coffee table, her left leg brushing against his. The contact grounded her, and though she tried to act casual, her cheeks betrayed her with a faint blush.

“Thanks! Got any coffee?” Nile asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

Jacque laughed, a rich, warm sound that seemed to come straight from his chest, and nodded. “Sure we do, Nile. Do you want any cream or sugar?” He paused in the kitchen doorway, turning just enough to catch Nile’s answer.

Nile ran a hand through his hair, only succeeding in making it look wilder. “Naw, thanks though. Just straight out of the pot. Thanks.”

Jacque chuckled again and turned his attention to Dom. “What about you, hon?”

Dom ducked her head sleepily, hiding behind her glass of orange juice. “Yes please, thanks a lot, Dad,” she mumbled, her voice soft but appreciative.

Jacque’s smile deepened, and he disappeared around the corner. Moments later, the clink of dishes and the low hum of a radio playing classic rock spilled into the room. “Oh, and by the way,” Jacque called out, his tone laden with dry amusement, “it seems there are a number of animals of the canine persuasion which have invaded our backyard. I made sure they were fed and watered, but I am not cleaning up after them.”

The words hung in the air, punctuated by the metallic clatter of a frying pan hitting the stove. Dom froze mid-sip, the juice suddenly tangy with guilt. Nile, to his credit, tried to feign innocence, but the quick glance they exchanged betrayed them both.

“Uh…” Dom began, her voice trailing off as she searched for an excuse that didn’t involve revealing their late-night escapades.

“Let’s… uh, just go check on that,” Nile muttered, already half out of his chair.

In unison, they scrambled to their feet and bolted toward the backyard, nearly tripping over each other in their haste. As they slid open the glass door, they were greeted by low-key chaos.

The dogs were lazing about the yard in various stages of repose, their floppy ears twitching at the sound of approaching footsteps. But at the sight of the two of them, they all stood up, tails wagging in unison like a well-rehearsed routine. Their collective attention was adorable, with big, soulful eyes locked on the sliding glass door as though Dom and Nile were the bringers of every good thing in life.

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Dom barely slid the door open before Charlie darted between her legs, a gray streak of feline determination. She weaved through the pack with a confidence only a cat could muster, her tail held high like a flag of superiority. The dogs, for their part, barely noticed her, acting instead like a whirlwind of untrained but jubilant chaos. Tails whipped wildly, and within seconds, Dom and Nile were under siege.

“Okay, okay!” Dom laughed, her voice rising over the joyful barks. She crouched, hands out to try to calm the frenzied pack, but that only encouraged the onslaught. “You’re all very good boys and girls. Please, can we keep the enthusiasm below face-licking level?”

Nile wasn’t faring much better. A wiry terrier mix had taken it upon itself to climb his leg like a tree, while a golden retriever was enthusiastically headbutting his side. “I think they’ve made me their chew toy,” he groaned, though the grin on his face said he wasn’t entirely displeased. “I’m pretty sure one of them just tried to eat my shoe.”

Dom managed to free herself from the tangle of paws and fur, scratching behind the ears of a shaggy mutt that wagged so hard it nearly toppled over. “Hey everybody! And how are you this fine day, hmm? Who’re the cutie puppies?”

The only reply was a cacophony of excited barks, tail thumps, and slobbery licks. One of the smaller dogs -an impossibly fluffy corgi- rolled onto its back and waved its paws in the air as if demanding belly rubs. Dom obliged, laughing as the little dog’s leg twitched in delight.

“They like you,” Nile quipped, brushing off paw prints from his shirt as he tried to sidestep a particularly overeager boxer.

“Gee, you think?” Dom replied, swiping a hand at the retriever trying to chew on her hair. “They’re practically nominating me for dog queen.”

Jacque’s voice broke through the ruckus from the doorway. “So, kids, long night, eh?” he said, leaning casually against the frame with a mug of coffee in hand. His tone was light, but the arch of his brow suggested he knew more than he was letting on. “Looks like we’ve acquired some strays. Care to explain our sudden fortune?”

Instantly, the dogs snapped to attention, each sitting primly as though Jacque’s presence had activated some hidden obedience switch. Dom and Nile froze mid-pet, exchanging wide-eyed looks like two kids caught raiding the cookie jar.

“Uh…” Nile started, only to trail off.

Jacque smirked. “Come on back inside, and we’ll talk,” he said, stepping aside to let them pass. As Dom and Nile shuffled past him with their metaphorical tails between their legs, a soft whine from outside tugged at their hearts. Charlie, ever the opportunist, zipped through the open door like a gray ghost, clearly done with the canine crowd.

They followed Jacque into the family room and then to the front living room, where the morning light spilled through the bay windows. It felt like walking into a courtroom, with Jacque as the judge.

After laying out the details of their late-night intervention, Dom and Nile waited nervously for the verdict. Jacque listened, his expression unreadable as he sipped his coffee. Finally, he set the mug down and spoke. “Well, I don’t care to have the animals put to sleep,” he said, his voice measured. “But something will have to be done. They can’t just live in the backyard indefinitely.”

Dom opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Charlie appeared as if on cue. The cat brushed against Jacque’s leg, letting out a soft meow before cranking up her signature buzzsaw purring. It was a sound so loud and content that Dom and Nile couldn’t help but laugh.

“And who do we have here?” Jacque asked, scooping Charlie up with a surprising gentleness. She immediately nestled into the crook of his neck, rubbing her face against his cheek and leaving behind an invisible trail of cat approval.

“That’d be Charlie, Dad,” Dom said, her smile softening her nerves. “And I think she likes you.”

Nile grinned. “Yeah, looks like you’ve got a new admirer.”

“Should I be jealous?” Dom teased.

Jacque chuckled, stroking Charlie’s fur as she purred like a tiny engine. “So that’s it, huh? You thought you could win me over with adorable feline affections? Well, it’s working.”

“She’s good at that,” Dom said, reaching out to scratch behind Charlie’s ears.

Jacque tilted his head, looking at the cat as if assessing her character. “Just where did you find her? Don’t tell me she was with the crew out there?”

“Yep,” Dom confirmed. “She hitched a ride along with the rest of them.”

Jacque sighed but smiled. “Well, maybe something can be arranged. We’ll figure something out.”

With that, Dom and Nile exchanged a quick, relieved glance. “We’ll take care of it, promise,” Dom said quickly.

Jacque gave her a pointed look, though his smirk betrayed him. “See that you do.”

As they hurried out of the room, Nile leaned in close, muttering under his breath. “We dodged a bullet there.”

“Yeah,” Dom whispered back, a grin spreading across her face. “But don’t think for a second you’re getting out of poop duty.”