The fact that she’d asked him for help was a good thing, right? He wasn’t certain if he wanted her to be interested in him or have the same idea of strictly friendship. But he couldn’t deny the pleasure that hit his chest from knowing she’d asked him for assistance and no one else.
You do work with animals. You’re a no-brainer. Don’t jump for joy so soon.
Right. He needed to keep logic at the forefront so hewouldn’t cause any issues in getting to know her. His heart needed him to remain cautious.
His phone chimed, and he checked the text notifications.
Erykah
Charlie says thank you.
She sent a picture of the pup lying in his new bed and looking very pleased with his surroundings.
Chris
Tell him he’s welcome.
He grinned and put his Bronco in drive. Yeah, he was thankful they were friends.
Seven
Why couldn’t I drag myself out of my car and hand Charlie over to Chris?
Maybe the idea that his coworkers would think there was more to our relationship than what was actually there kept me in the comfort of my own car? (That’s friendship, by the way. Nothing else. Nothing more.) I would keep repeating that until my heart stopped having these ridiculous palpitations—notromantic flutters—that started every time I saw Chris.
But in order to hand over Charlie, I had to walk into Gamble on Nature.Ugh.Even the name of his business was as charming and cute as the man himself.
“I can do this. He’s just a man. Nothing special about him.”
Except I really loved his blue eyes. The way they crinkled when he laughed. And, oh, his laugh. The sound draped over me like a warm blanket, inviting me to burrow deeper. Not to mention he always put me at ease. There was no one on earth who made me feel so comfortable, except for my sister. To find that same quality in another person, a man at that, floored me.
I groaned. “You’re pathetic. You’re just friends. That’s what he wants. That’s whatyouwant. That’s what you have time for.”
Charlie whined. I wasn’t sure if he was agreeing about my pathetic nature or the word-hemorrhage falling from my mouth.
“You’ll be my little spy, right, Charlie?”
He stared at me.
“What? We need more intel on Chris. How is he friends with an actor and a Derby-winning trainer?” Who I was ninety-nine percent certain I’d operated on earlier in the year.
Charlie stared.
“Right, you can’t talk. Still.” Was there a way to sneak a video cam on his collar? Surely there was a way Charlie could let me know if Chris was genuinely a good guy.
I hoped he was. Heseemedto be. But what did I know? My knowledge of men was purely anatomical in nature. I’d never dated. Never had one befriend me before. The whole thing was surreal and kept me up late at night wondering what was going on. People weren’t dependable. The hard knocks of life had taught me that. But part of me wanted to believe Chris was who he said he was.
Gathering up my courage, I grabbed the kennel and slid out of my car. Chris hadn’t told me to bring it—he probably had a bunch in his office—but all the pet forums I’d poured over convinced me I couldn’t just hold Charlie in my lap while driving and hope for the best. If I did and I got in a car accident, Charlie’s chances of survival lessened. Since I’d already saved him once, I really wanted to prevent anything bad from happening to him again.
Sometimes I wished I believed in prayer and a God who listened. I could use the help right about now. But the past had shown me there was no God looking out for me, let alonelistening to any prayers. It was up to me to practice my deep breathing and hope that I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone but the man I came here for.You got this.
I pushed the double door, and my sure steps immediately faltered. The place smelled like a menagerie of animals, and that wasnota pleasant scent. I ventured farther, and a scuffle of noise down one of the halls drew my attention. Chris and his colleagues had created a makeshift Soul Train line.
Laughter bubbled up from within me and spilled out as Chris did the Running Man. He must have heard my giggles, because he stopped and stared right at me. I bit my lip trying to contain my amusement, but instead of being embarrassed, he winked. Winked!
He started doing the Cabbage Patch and ended with the Hammer dance. I was in tears by the time the last strands of the song played over the speakers. When was the last time I’d laughed so hard?Never, girl. Never.
“All right, all right. Get back to work.” Chris turned off the music and headed my way. “Morning.” His voice sounded husky from exertion.
