Ollie got that weird look on his face again as he said, "That's okay.Everything's in their bag."
He went back to the hallway and picked up a duffel bag that looked like it could contain everything Peanut and Butter needed for a week, let alone for a walk.She didn't comment, though.She was glad that he had a lot of gear for them, even if he did keep them here in an apartment like this.
It seemed to take him a while to gather everything together and put the harnesses on the dogs, but eventually they were ready to go out.
"What can I do?"she asked.
He looked down at the dogs."Who wants to walk with Callie?"
Butter let out a short, sharp bark and Peanut whined.Callie couldn't help but feel special when they both strained toward her.
Ollie gave her a wry smile."You can take whichever you like.I'll let you choose."
She held both hands out."Can I take the two of them?I'd hate to show any favoritism."
She really didn't want to disappoint either of the dogs — although she immediately felt bad thinking that, it would hardly be a disappointment to have to stay with Ollie.
She inhaled sharply.She was only thinking about the dogs; there was no way she was thinking about herself staying with Ollie.Spending the night with him was an appealing thought, but in reality, it wasn't going to happen.She tended to date guys for months before she ever slept with them, and she had a feeling that today would be the only date that she and Ollie went on.
It wasn't that she didn't like him.She did.But all her reasons for thinking that it was probably a bad idea were still true.She still lived in Fort Bragg.He still lived here.And now, she knew that any time he came up there to see her, he'd be leaving these poor fur babies alone in this apartment.
She wouldn't do that to them.No matter how much she liked him.
He locked the apartment door behind them, and the dogs walked perfectly in step with her all the way down the hall to the elevator.Ollie pressed the button, and Peanut and Butter sat down on either side of Callie, then both stared up at her adoringly.
"Oh my goodness, you guys," she exclaimed."I could get used to this."
She shot a glance at Ollie when she realized what she'd said.A small smile played on his lips as he met her gaze.
"I meant the dogs," she explained."I love them already."
He seemed to pull himself together and straightened up."That's okay.I knew what you meant; I feel that way about them myself."
"What — that you could get used to them?"she asked, confused."Aren't you already used to them?"
A look of panic crossed his face — or something that looked like panic.But what that was about, she had no idea.
Then the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.Once they were inside, he said, "Of course I'm used to them.I just meant that I could get used to hanging out with them like this every day.I miss them when I'm flying."
"Of course.You're away a lot for work, aren't you?"
"I'm not away overnight all that much.Not really."
She scowled.From the way she'd heard him talk previously, she knew that he and Reaves did a lot of flying for DuPont Wineries.They took the sales team away to meetings or whatever for days at a time, and they flew to Summer Lake, where Alexandria DuPont lived.
She didn't call him out on it, but it made her uncomfortable.
"So, what do they do when you're away?"she asked.
"They stay with some friends of mine.Well, they're more like family than friends.I've known them all my life."
Callie got a kind of prickly feeling.Was this where he was about to tell her that the friend he'd known all his life was a woman?A woman he had history with?
She wasn’t normally this suspicious.Usually, she took a guy at his word.And she’d done that with Ollie — until today.But something was off.She just knew it.
When they came out of the elevator, Peanut and Butter flanked Callie as they crossed the lobby.The guy at the front desk eyed them warily and didn't seem anywhere near as friendly as he had when they came in.That made Callie feel even worse for the dogs.It was bad enough that they were cooped up in such a small space, but now it seemed they lived in a building where the guy out front didn't even like them.And she guessed they'd have to go out several times a day to pee if nothing else.It wasn't like Ollie could just open the back door of the apartment to let them out into a yard.
She glanced at him, but he had his gaze fixed on the door and seemed eager to get out of there.
