“Are you still living at Matt and Chloe’s place?”
“Yes, she is,” Tina said, her voice thick with disapproval.
Luke, so wrapped up in Sophie, had nearly forgotten about Tina. Sophie’s wide eyes told him that she had also. Luke took Sophie’s wrist with one hand, and picked up the folder of fliers and placed it behind his back with the other. “Let me take you to lunch.”
“No. I told you I have to—”
“You are not passing out your name and number.” He rubbed her inner wrist with his thumb.
“You can’t stop me!” She jerked her hand away and folded her arms across her chest.
“Come on, Sophie,” he said.
“That’s Sofa to you!” she spat out.
“Oh, that’s low. Seriously, you’re going to drag out junior high stuff?”
She put the puppy in the back of the stroller and turned to flounce away. He followed, knowing she couldn’t go very fast while pushing Jamie.
“I want to help with Jamie,” he told her backside as they walked down Main at a brisk pace. “I know you gave up your job in the city… I admire that.”
Sophie acted as if she hadn’t heard him. She paused at a lamp post, pulled a roll of tape from her jacket pocket, and reached into the stroller for the folder of fliers. Straightening, her gaze flicked between the folder in his arms and his face. “Give them back!”
He shook his head. “Be reasonable. You’re living alone on nine acres and you’re going to invite everyone who passes by this lamp post to come and claim the dog? I don’t think so. Not while my nephew is living with you.”
She stared at him for a moment. Her eyes narrowed. Seconds later, she picked up the puppy and shoved it into his arms. “Fine. Now he’s your problem!”
The dog, a bundle of curly fur with big brown eyes, smelled of lavender soap. But no matter how adorable it was, Luke couldn’t keep it. “Sophie! Be reasonable. I can’t take care of a dog.”
“Yes, you made that perfectly clear six months ago.”
Luke glanced around at the nearly deserted street, hoping no one was listening. An elderly gentleman was washing the windows at the Pizza Palace. A woman browsed through the potted plants at the Finicky Florist Shop. He lowered his voice. “I couldn’t be here then, but I’m here now.”
“Thank you very much for taking care of Atticus.” Her voice caught and she stroked the puppy between the ears. “He’s just a puppy. He likes chow made with carrots. I know it sounds weird, but according to the doggy-bloggers, it’s the best. If you’ll come by, I’ll give you his things and the recipe for the chow.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “His things?”
“Well, yes. He has a quilt and some toys. Actually, the toys had been Jamison’s…”
“You weren’t going to keep this dog, right?”
“Well, no, but…” She paused, then shook her head. “This isn’t going to work. Give him back.”
Luke edged away from her. “Are you going to pass out fliers with your name and phone number on them?”
“No. I’m going to keep him.” She motioned for him to hand over the dog.
“I’ll give him back on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“If you decide you can’t keep Atticus, I get first dibs.”
“It’s a deal.”
“And you’ll meet me for dinner tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to be a part of Jamie’s life and for that to happen, I need your cooperation.”
Sophie sucked in a deep breath. “Okay.”
Luke gently placed the dog back in her arms.
#
Sophie tried to ignore her trembling knees, but if she were honest with herself, meeting Luke again had shaken her. When he’d stroked her inner wrist, she’d worried she would pull an Atticus and roll onto her back for a belly rub. Of course, she’d heard he had bought the Jacobys’ barn and had plans to renovate it, but she didn’t know what that meant for Jamison.
But she did know that other than an occasional free babysitter and a backup plan for Atticus, it meant very little to her.
