He pulled back, and I immediately wanted to complain.
“Let’s go back and let Sarge out before we end up giving people in this parking lot a show,” he said.
As much as I hated to stop what we were doing, he was right. If he hadn’t stopped us, I likely would havelet him take me right here up against the passenger door.
I was learning quickly that when Hector’s mouth was on mine, my brain ceased to function. While not a bad problem to have per se, it could definitely get me into trouble.
He rounded the car after closing my door and climbed into the driver’s seat. After pulling out of the lot, he reached over to grab my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine, and placed our joined hands on his thigh.
“Sarge will be happy to see you,” he said. “He’s been camped out just outside the guest bedroom door basically ever since you left.”
That sweet little boy.
“Awww, I missed him too,” I replied and then looked over at Hector’s profile as he drove. “And his owner too.”
He didn’t say anything back, just squeezed my hand and held on tight.
I spent the rest of the drive filling him in on my sister’s visit and our little trip to see Nancy—including the part about how he was invited to her game night so she could show him off to all her friends.
He didn’t say no, so I took that as a win for now—especially since he just grinned as I told him the story.
Pulling up his gravel drive, I felt a sense of peacefulness come over me as his cabin came into view. I wasn’t entirely sure why, because I was a city girl at heart, but there was just something about his place that made me feel comfortable, safe, and at ease.
I heard Sarge’s barks and saw his face in the narrow window by the door as I walked up the front porch. I could see him jumping up and down in excitement as I waited for Hector to open the door. The moment he did, Sarge bolted out and came up to me, sniffing and licking me all over in his excitement.
“Sarge,platz,” Hector told him, and he reluctantly listened, moving his body off mine but still staying close by, his tail wiggling so fast in excitement.
“Let me take this beast out, and I’ll be right in,” he said, grabbing Sarge’s leash from the entryway.
I walked in and noticed Hector had reached in and set my overnight bag just inside the door. This set the wheels in motion in my brain—where did I put the bag?
Did I go back to the guest room like I had the other nights I slept here? Was the date essentially over? I’d never had a date like this before, so I didn’t know what the protocol was.
Okay, think about this rationally.
What if we weren’t at his house? What if the night had ended back at my place, like I originally assumed? What would I have done?
I asked myself this and realized I would have invited him in for a drink and hoped that I could convince him to stay the night with me—but not for safety reasons.
Just because the location changed didn’t mean the night couldn’t end the same—us, in the same bed. Right?
I decided to leave my bag resting near the couch in the living room, and went into the bathroom to freshen upwhile he walked Sarge. I had just made it back into the living room when they both came back in through the front door.
Sarge immediately ran to me and rolled over, begging for belly rubs. Dogs were such simple creatures. There was no shame in just blatantly asking for what they wanted—pride be damned—even if he looked like an idiot on his back, all spread-eagle and demanding belly rubs.
Why couldn’t I do the same?Well, maybe not the belly rub part.
Deciding to be brave—at least on the outside, since on the inside I was a nervous wreck—I walked over to where Hector was in the kitchen, filling up Sarge’s water bowl.
“You okay?” he asked as he set the water bowl down in its place. “You look nervous.”
Damnit, I needed a new face that didn’t give everything away.
I straightened my shoulders to at least give me the look of more confidence. “Where am I sleeping?”
He stared down at me for a few moments. “Where do youwantto sleep?”
Ugh. Redirecting…really? Fine. I guess I’ll be the daring one.
