The day might turn out to be a good one.
The intense sun beat down on my arms and it felt good to be outside, even if for a few minutes. The sun always settled me. There was no way I could ever live anywhere outside Phoenix—I had a blue sky, bright sun addiction, so other cities like Seattle or Chicago wouldn’t do. If it was gloomy for three days, my mental health dropped low.
The dogs wagged their tails as others walked by and either laughed or raised eyebrows at the ridiculous get-up. It cheered me up from my brazen decision to touch someone like Brigham. Dogs were my happy place and this job was just one step closer to opening up my own business. The plans were there—a dog boarding site with an app where owners could check in on their dogs in their rooms with a camera. Ethan and Megan would help me get it up and running, with his finesse for finance and her marketing skills, and I just needed to find a groomer and another full-time staff member who would be okay not getting paid really great the first few months.
The down payment on a small house in north Phoenix was twenty thousand and this job would get me enough to jump head-first into it. Homeowner to pet boarder. I could do it despite my parents’ constant refusal to see my point. It would take hard work and time. Two things I had a lot of, without the choking amount of homework and student debt I’d said goodbye to.
There was no room in my life for a beautiful distraction like Brigham Monaghan. Content with my incredible ability to push thoughts of him to the back of my mind, I hummed to an upbeat pop song while I reentered the building. Fernie and I hadn’t improved our conversational skills, but he didn’t glare at me like he wanted me to drop dead. “Hey, Fernie, did you like the lemon squares I dropped off for you?”
He pursed his lips and sent an icy stare to the plate that sat on the front counter. “You made those?”
“Yes. I only put in a little poison, though.”
“I thought I tasted something off.”
“Did you just…joke with me?” I put a hand over my heart and gasped in a very dramatic fashion. One tiny side of his mouth quirked up and I couldn’t stop my bubble of laughter. “Holy damn, Ferdinand. Put that in the books.”
“You assume because I’m old that I do not understand humor?”
“No. Not at all.” I held my tongue and studied the curmudgeon of a man. “Where do you live?”
He looked offended. “I am not divulging that information, Ms. That is highly inappropriate.”
“Woah, I was asking to be kind. I’ll call it a day and head back up to my temporary residence.” I pushed the button and tapped my feet on the tile, sneaking another glance at him. I swore he had a shadow of a smile on his face. “I expect that plate washed and polished like I’m the queen before you return it to me with a kind handwritten thank-you note.”
“Is that all?”
“Leave a request for your next dessert.” The doors opened and I pushed the stroller in like I was a badass, and waved at him as they shut. It felt weird to enjoy our back and forth, and he might not admit it, but I thought he did too. I made a mental note to make him a batch of cookies the next time I needed to bake something sweet and was already planning my next trip to the grocery store. “Siri, put down baking supplies on my shopping list.”
“Will do, Your Highness,” the phone master replied.
After getting the dogs more water and doing a Facetime with Mr. Alexandre, I was about to fire up my laptop and try working on my website. There was a business in Denver that was essentially what I wanted to be, only they took cats. The Cattery had small rooms for each cat and was set up in the mountains. I loved their Instagram and scrolled through posts with a huge smile on my face. This was my goal.
To have that much joy and to give all my love to dogs.
Someone rang the doorbell and my nerves went to shit. I hadn’t ordered anything, so it was probably Brigham.Two days since the groping incident.My palms sweated an embarrassing amount and I wiped them on my bright blue romper. “Okay, be cool, be brave, Sarah.”
My pep talk didn’t help.
Without checking the peephole, I flung it open and hoped I looked calm, cool and collected. But it wasn’t Brigham and my disappointment conflicted with my relief. “Hello,” I said, scanning the man’s shirt. “Frank.”
“Ms. Blue?”
“That is I.” I frowned at the box and vase of flowers in his hands. “Did you bring me flowers? Frank, we barely know each other. That’s a little fast, don’t you think?”
He laughed hard and passed over a clipboard.Who still requires signatures?“You’re funny. I appreciate that.”
“Thank you.” I took the vase in one hand and the box in the other. “Any chance you know what this is about? I don’t have any pursuers and no one pissed me off enough to require an apology gift.”
“Don’t know, ma’am. Have a nice day.”
He left and I stared at the box far too long, and the door across the hall moved. I panicked and tried to escape, but the objects made it impossible andshit. Brigham stared at me, looking way too good to be true in a backward hat and a black shirt that showcased the chest I’d groped.
“Mr. Monaghan,” I said, sounding like a freaking weirdo. “Hope you’re having a pleasant day.”
He eyed the flowers and a line appeared between his eyebrows. “Nice flowers.”
“Thank you. They must be from Fernie. We are best friends now,” I replied, quite proud that my voice sounded normal. “Well, I should get inside.”
