“It won’t stop her from panicking,” Marc said. “But it’ll have to do. What other choice do we have? I wasn’t about to ask Judy to stay behind and leave her sister to fend for herself. Baby came early and there might be complications.”
An idea struck Sadie so suddenly it nearly knocked her off her seat. It bubbled up inside her, daring her to entertain it, despite its ludicrous nature. Marc wouldnevergo for it, even if Dad gave her some time off from the family store.
But Sadie didn’t seem to have the good sense to keep it to herself. Not when she saw the golden opportunity to prove herself to Marc. “I could help out,” she offered. “Marylou, I mean. I could help her out this week.” She looked toward Dad at the head of the table. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Things are slow right now,” Dad agreed.
“I’ll still come in to stock—”
“No.” Marc’s firm denial was expected.
“Why not?” Sadie shot back, holding her ground.
“You have no experience.”
“It’s answering phones, scheduling appointments, helping people fill out patient forms, that sort of thing, right?” It was a terrible idea when she considered how much time that would put her in close proximity to Conner. But if things were truly as busy as Marc suggested, she’d hardly see him anyway. “I was an executive assistant in Anchorage.” Never mind that she was fired from that position for throwing herself at her boss at an office party.Nother proudest moment. But that was beside the point. The point was that she’d been good at her job.
“You should take the help,” Dad insisted.
Sadie smiled her appreciation his way.
“This isn’t some ticket to goof off,” Marc said.
“I’m notten.”
“Are you sure about that?” he shot back. “Last I checked you’ve been fired three times I know about. Probably more.”
Irritation simmered inside her, threatening to turn into an all-out boil. But Sadie hadn’t spent ten months practicing yoga and meditation—never mind that she wasn’t particularly good at either one—to lose her cool now. Especially when Marc seemed to be banking on it if the daring glimmer in his eyes was any indication. “I’ll work for free.”
Marc just laughed, something he infrequently wasted time doing. But Sadie didn’t appreciate his rare smile aimed at her as a weapon of mockery. “I bet you don’t last a day.”
Sadie had her stubbornness to thank for being too proud to die of embarrassment in front of Conner. Too much was riding on her proving Marc wrong. Oh, she wouldlovewatching him eat his words. “What time do I show up tomorrow?”
“Seven thirty.”
Ouch. That was early. Sadie mostly worked nights at the family store. She spent evenings on the register until close, then used the quiet time to restock shelves and work on her secret marketing campaign. Rumor had it Dad was trying to sell the store. But if she helped make it crazy profitable with her skills, maybe he’d reconsider. But that was another matter.One hurdle at a time, Sadie.
“Too early for you, princess?”
Oh, how shehatedwhen he called her that. Treating her like she was still a kid rather than the twenty-six-year-old adult she was. “Nope.” She almost told him she’d come in earlier, but the whole concept of under-promise, over-deliver had been drilled into her at her last job. She was keeping that ace up her sleeve. “I’ll be there at seven thirty.”
2
CONNER
Belly stuffed and heart full,Conner Michaelson pulled into the driveway of his rental a little after eight. Boomer waited eagerly in the living room window both to greet him and to see what tasty leftovers Beth Evans sent along. The quirky pup who was, best to his knowledge, some mixture of German shepherd, husky, and a sprinkle of mystery, lifted one ear and left the other limp. The goofy image always made Conner smile, reminding him how lucky he was to have the dog in his life.
They’d found each other when they both needed someone most—after Mom remarried and stopped calling him to come fix things around the house; after his fiancée upended his life and left him more untrusting than he’d ever been. Driving home that dreadful day everything he thought he knew had been turned upside down, he discovered Boomer in the pouring rain cowering in a drainage ditch.
Every other car drove by without stopping, but Conner turned around at his first opportunity.
With nothing more than the suit he was wearing, a couple of dog biscuits in his glove box, and a slip leash he didn’t end up needing, he coaxed Boomer to him. He wrapped him in his suit jacket and took him home. His car had been a muddy, soggy mess, but all these months later, he had zero regrets.
Cutting the engine, Conner checked his phone out of habit but was unsurprised that the only notification was an email advertising organic dental chews. Not even his sister needed him now that she was engaged to a man who knew exactly how to help her through her anxiety attacks.
“Boomer, buddy!” Conner knelt and embraced the eager pup with both arms the second he was through the door. He welcomed the licks to the cheek that made Boomer so happy he got crazy eyes. “Did you miss me?”
Beth insisted Boomer could attend Sunday family dinner whenever Conner wanted to bring him, but the shepherd had some work to do when it came to table manners. It didn’t help that Conner readily shared most anything he ate. As a vet, he knew better than to feed him Cheetos and kettle corn. But with the rough go he suspected Boomer had prior to that day they were united, Conner decided a few indulgences were only fair.
