He dragged his feet returning outside. He didn’t want to see Tiffany, didn’t want to know anything about her life now. Hearing a voice, he paused at the door. Physically, she hadn’t changed much in nine years. She was still beautiful, and he hated that he noticed. Her light brown hair had subtle highlights, and her golden amber eyes revealed her thoughts. She hadn’t gotten any taller, and he almost chuckled at the thought. She’d always wished she had more height than her five feet and two inches. He’d never minded. He’d always thought it was cute how she stood on her tip toes to kiss him.
Those were dangerous thoughts, and he cut them off.
She sat cross-legged on the wooden planks of the porch and played with Lilly. He begrudgingly acknowledged that the pair seemed made for each other.
The door creaked as he pushed it open. “Mrs. Leola’s coming down with a headache. She asked me to give you these.”
Standing to her feet, she brushed her hands against her jeans. “I guess you didn’t convince her I was unworthy?”
Ill at ease, he cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. “Why would you say that?”
“Your voice carries, Connor. I heard what you said.” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t shrink back. “For what it’s worth, I’m sober. Have been for five years.”
He felt like a complete jerk. “I’m sorry.”
Her brows arched. “That I’m sober.”
“Goodness, no.” He ran a hand over his hair. “I’m sorry for being a jerk. I never expected to see you this morning. Your profile had nothing indicating it was you, and it took me by surprise.”
“For reasons I don’t care to elaborate on, I keep my identity hidden.” She blew out a breath. “I didn’t exactly plan on seeing you either.”
He rocked on his heels, unsure what to say from here. “Lilly’s my favorite out of the litter. I almost hate to see her go.”
Her eyes narrowed. A thin line of anger beamed from them. “Is that why you tried to sabotage my adoption efforts, or are you really still holding a grudge from nine years ago?”
“I don’t know.” He exhaled slowly and threw his hands in the air. “Maybe a little of both?”
“How do you know Mrs. Leola? I don’t remember you ever mentioning any person by that name,”
The subtle mention of their shared history caused him to flinch. “She is my neighbor. I bought the house next door several years ago.”
“She seems nice.”
“She is.”
Tiffany cast her eyes toward Lilly. “Is it okay with you if I take her?”
“That’s Mrs. Leola’s call, and she said yes.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He swallowed his pride and anger to do the right thing that he should have done fifteen minutes ago. “It’s okay with me.”
She stooped down and picked up Lilly who was eager for the attention. “I can send you updates on her, if that would make you feel better.”
The offer was tempting. Very much so. He was more attached to that dog than he realized. But was it wise to have further contact with Tiffany?Only regarding the dog. “Would you? I’ll miss her. It would be nice to know how she’s doing.”
“I’ll keep our message thread and send them there.”
He shook his head. “I’ll give you my number. My phone sometimes delays sending me notifications from my apps, and I’m rarely online other than on mobile.”
“All right.” She shifted from one foot to the other, clearly as uncomfortable as he was. “I left my phone in the car, but send me a message, and I’ll save your number.”
“What’s your number?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and typed the numbers as she said them. Sent her a message with his name then saved her as a contact. “Done.”
She pinched her lips together and looked around nervously. “I’m going to go before you change your mind.”
A sad chuckle slipped from his mouth. “I won’t. It’s easy to see how much you already love Lilly.”
