Not that he’d texted her, but…
If Tasha thought she could get away that easily, she was mistaken.
Whoa.
That sounded creepy stalkerish. Which wasn’t what he meant.
They clicked.
Elias didn’t want to let let that go.
Something had spooked her last night. He didn’t know what, but he intended to find out. That wouldn’t take a drive to Wishing Bay to find a piece of sea glass to make a wish upon and toss it into the sea. He would get what he wanted by being proactive. Something he hadn’t been with his family until recently.
He didn’t want to make the same mistake with her.
Elias knew what he wanted with Tasha. A brief romance with Tasha would be better than none at all. Might as well go for it because he had nothing to lose.
“You’re distracted.”
Dad’s voice jolted Elias from his thoughts. His eyes met his father’s displeased gaze. “If I am, it’s because of my workload, supervising the ice rink, and making sure my foster dog is thriving.”
“You’re paying your dues.” Dad must enjoy saying that phrase, or he’d stop repeating it. “Did you read the documents from the Monroe divorce?”
“Check your inbox.”
Why the firm agreed to represent a slimeball like Ezra Monroe was beyond Elias. It most likely had to do with Penelope, a longtime client who’d taken Ezra’s side over her own granddaughter, Juliet. Elias, however, was team juliet all the way.
“How’s the dog?” Dad asked.
“Higgins is fine. But he hates being left alone.”
More so when it came to bedtime.
That meant Elias hadn’t slept much since Saturday, and the lack of sleep was turning him into a zombie. He didn’t know if animals suffered PTSD, but Higgins had issues. He must fear someone not coming home for him again. Knowing that hurt Elias’s heart. He might not want a dog, but Higgins was a good boy. He deserved better.
Dad’s jaw jutted forward. “You can’t bring an animal here.”
“If I need to, I will. This was your idea.”
“Hire a dog walker or sitter.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“During your lunch. You have too much to do to take time off.”
“I have to run home at lunchtime to take care of the dog you asked me to foster, so my needing time off each day is your fault.”
“Don’t get smart with me.”
Elias was good at the tit-for-tat. “No job postings have gone up.”
“I haven’t discussed it with your grandfather.”
Of course not. Dad’s unenthused tone suggested he didn’t plan to, either. Time to fire a warning shot. “You should.”
Dad scoffed. “What are you going to do if I don’t? Quit?”
Elias’s gaze met his. “If I quit, I’ll give two weeks’ notice, but I have enough vacation time built up to cover that and an additional three weeks, so I physically won’t have to be here for those days.”
