Chris hopped out of the vehicle and rounded the front to assist Erykah, but she was already shutting the door. Of course she wouldn’t have waited for him. It’s not like this was a date or anything. Going into an animal shelter wasn’t romantic.
An associate greeted them when they walked in. He’d already called ahead and let her know the situation, so she took the pup right back behind the double doors. In a matter of moments, she informed them the dog wasn’t registered.
“Have you seen any wanted posters with his face?” Chris asked.
“Nope.”
“Thanks.” He waved, then escorted Erykah out of the building. “You checked your own condo for wanted posters, right?”
“Yeah. I talked to the front desk as well. No one has a missing pet.”
“Then it looks like he’s all yours.”
The happiness shining in her brown eyes almost did him in. They got back in the car, and he drove until they reached his favorite pet store.
Silence filled the cab until Erykah broke it. “You know, when you said Lamont and Nevaeh, it made me think of that Hollywood couple. Remember that one actor who starred inTroubledand admitted to starting a fake relationship?”
Placing the vehicle in park, Chris faced her. “Might be because they’re one and the same.”
She blinked. “Are you trying to say the Lamont in your phone isthe Lamont Booker? Like, the Sexiest Man Alive Lamont?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Would she start fangirling?
Nevaeh had shared with him and Tuck how she’d fangirled in the early parts of her relationship to the actor. Chris was secure enough to admit that Lamont could catch any woman’s eye. But there was a part of Chris—he’d ignore just how great a part—that didn’t want Erykah to react in the same way.
“Youknowhim?”
“I do.”
“And Tuck? Is he someone famous too?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “If you follow the world of horse racing.”
“The trainer of this year’s Derby winner?”
Huh. Not many people knew Derby trainers. “Yep.”
Her mouth dropped, then closed. “Who are you, Chris Gamble?”
“I’m just a man.”
“Likely story,” she muttered, unbuckling her seat belt. She snuggled the puppy close to her. “Puppy’s ready to go inside.”
His brows raised. “You’re not naming him that, are you?”
“No, but he doesn’t like any of my choices.”
“Which were?”
“Mime,” she whispered, then speaking louder, “but he liked Marlowe better.”
Chris winced. “Poor guy. Can’t say I blame him for not wanting to answer to Mime or Marlowe.”
“True, but whatdoI call him?”
“Let me see him.”
Erykah handed the dog over, and Chris studied the little guy, confirming he was indeed a boy.
