I laughed out loud, but instantly clapped a hand over my mouth so as not to draw attention to myself in the quiet setting. Percy caught a whiff of the jerky and snuffled Zane’s suit. “I think he loves you more than he loves me.”
Zane shook his head, his gaze searching my eyes. “Impossible.”
My cheeks heated up, but I held his stare. “You sure about that?” I said, pointing at the way Percy licked Zane’s hands.
“It’s purely mercenary with me—all about the food. But it’s different with you. He loves you for who you are.”
A lump formed in my throat. Percy did love me for who I was. Would I be able to say the same about Zane one day?
The music started and the coordinator waved us down the aisle. My pulse raced as we went, Percy walking between us. Zane caught mestaring once or twice, but I played it off like I was just checking to see how engaged Percy was with his beef jerky. It wasn’t lost on me how couple-y this felt—almost like we were practicing for something bigger.
Percy’s slow, lumbering steps were just what the doctor ordered. The flowers stayed in place, and the pillow holding the rings was just as secure as ever. As long as Zane kept a steady stream of jerky coming, Percy was pretty good at playing follow the leader.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t always so easy to sneak dried meat from a pants pocket beneath a suitcoat. With a piece of meat stuck in the baggie, Percy’s focus shifted to the golden petals the three-year-old little girl in front of us was dropping.
Convinced they were some new kind of treat meant just for him, Percy’s nose went to the ground, snuffling each one.
“Leave it.” I whispered the command he was so fond of ignoring. “Leave it.”
The flower girl noticed and turned around in time to see Percy come up for air with several of her petals stuck to his muzzle.
“No, no!” she said, wagging a chubby finger in Percy’s face. She stood eye-level with him but left no question about who was in charge. “Dogs don’t eat flowers!”
The crowd tried to muffle their laughter as she peeled each petal off Percy’s nose one by one and placed them back on the ground where she’d left them. Percy’s tail wagged as he shoved his nose into the little girl’s basket when she was distracted dropping the slobbery petals again.
But Percy didn’t give the flower girl a chance to scold him. Something tickled his nose and he sneezed, blowing a handful of petals off his snout and onto the ground.
“Good job,” the little girl cooed, hugging Percy’s shaggy neck. He slathered her in kisses as guests onall sides of us held up their phones to take a picture. My cheeks heated and stomach jumped at the sight of all those camera lenses pointing in my general direction.
With the jerky finally dislodged from Zane’s pocket, we got moving again and made it through the rest of the ceremony without a hitch. By the time it was over, my cheeks had cooled and Zane and I high fived each other.
“Now, that’s what I call teamwork,” he said.
“It was a long shot, but the jerky did the trick.” I stooped over to free Percy from the wagon.
“A long shot is the best shot if it’s the only one you’ve got.” Zane stepped closer so that when I stood, we were toe-to-toe. The fresh scent of citrus and cedar enveloped me, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in that moment. “I’m thinking about taking a long shot of my own,” he said, holding my gaze.
I gulped down the excitementbuilding inside me. Deep down, I was sure I was a part of that long shot and that set off a frenzy of delicious prickles in my stomach. “Oh, really?” I tilted my head, egging him on.
“I’m a free agent when this season’s over. I’ve got two offers on the table.”
“A man in high demand,” I said, still enjoying our closeness.
The corner of his mouth curved into a grin. “In some circles.” He brushed my hand with the back of his index finger. “I’m going to have to make a decision soon. Take the starting position or go become a second stringer.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m no sports expert but the starting position sounds like a no-brainer.”
“Not necessarily.” His gaze softened, and longing flickered in his eyes. “The starting position is out on the West Coast. The other one’s practically next door to this hot librarian I just met.”
My brows shot up. He meant me.Iwas the hot librarian,but I played it cool. “I didn’t know you knew any librarians. You should introduce us sometime.”
His chuckle rumbled deep in his throat. He leaned closer and said, “Wren, meet my sister’s good friend, Wren the Librarian.”
His breath was hot on my cheek, melting my insides until there was nothing left of my heart but a puddle. I tossed my hair, pretending to be unaffected. “I’m not a librarian. I’m an event coordinator at the biggest indie bookstore in Wisconsin.”
His eyes widened. “Impressive. Why don’t you give me your number so I can come visit. You can show me what the difference is.”
My jaw dropped. “Smooth. Did you call me a librarian just so you could have an excuse to ask for my number again?”
