“You have a guest. Come inside and stop playing in the mud with the dogs.”
Guest? What guest?
“Can I keep playing in the mud with the dogs?” Andy asked, grinning mischievously.
I couldn’t help smiling at him. He was the perfect antidote to my mother.
If he realized I’d been about to kiss him, he seemed unfazed.
Either that was a good sign for my chances, or a bad sign for my ability to make my intentions clear.
“I’ll get rid of whoever it is. You can hide away in our room if you get tired of the dogs. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Andy said, kind and patient as ever.
He was far too good for me. I didn’t deserve him even as a friend, certainly not as a boyfriend. Fake or otherwise.
“Go on,” he added, nodding to the house. “I’ll be okay.”
I looked back as I reached the door and watched Andy kneel on the muddy ground to pet the dogs, laughing as I slipped past Mother and ducked inside.
