“You are such a liar!”
Luke put his hands up. “Hey, we did go around the block. Kind of.”
“You’ve been taking her on your runs, which is why she’s totally exhausted when I take her for a walk an hour later!”
She could tell he was weighing his options behind his sunglasses.
He threw up his arms. “For Christ’s sake, look at her! She’s huge. I was worried she’d drag you around the block and knock everyone over.”
“So you took her out first to try her out?”
“Well, yeah. And to tire her out, so if she was bad on a leash, she’d at least belessbad tired.”
“That’s oddly sweet and thoughtful of you.”
“Hard to be mad at me, isn’t it?” The dimple flickered back into existence.
“Well it would be except for the fact that you’ve been making me feel so guilty for bringing her into your house when you clearly love having her around!”
“I wouldn’t say love —”
“Lucas Norbert Garrison!”
“Charles, actually.”
“You love her! Look her in those big dopey eyes and tell her you don’t.” Harper squished Lola’s face in her hands. “Look at Daddy. Make him feel like garbage for playing Mommy. You could have told me, you know. Should have told me.”
“I am pleading the fifth. Now if you lovely ladies don’t mind, I’m going to finish my run because Lola can only hang for a mile and a half.” He leaned in and kissed Harper and moved to drop a peck on Lola’s head, but she squirmed free and stuck her tongue in his mouth.
“At this second, I can honestly say I don’t love that,” he said, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“Serves you right, Norbert!”
“Can we still have steak tonight?” he asked, backing down the walk.
“You knew I was kissing up to you! You are such an —”
“The neighbors don’t need you to finish that sentence,” he called as he turned onto the sidewalk.
“Fine, but Lola gets half of yours!” Harper waited until he was out of sight before laughing.
***
Luke avoided the office all day, communicating primarily by text and email, even after Harper called him a chicken.
She beat him home and took Lola for a quick walk before starting dinner. Harper was busy prepping the steaks when she heard the front door. She headed down the hall to greet Luke with Lola ambling after her.
“Look who decided to face the music,” Harper teased.
Luke dropped his keys on the table by the door and shifted the strange bundle he was holding.
The bundle barked.
“Not a word. Not one word,” Luke muttered.
He was carrying a scruffy terrier under his arm like a football.
Harper bit her lip to keep from laughing.
