Chapter 6
So a date with destiny might have been a bit on the dramatic side, but it was what it was.
I hummed as I slipped into a soft pink wrap dress. The cotton clung to my skin in all the right places. Standing in front of my full-length mirror, I twisted right and left, looking over my shoulder to make sure my panties weren’t creating pesky lines.
“Your rear end looks great,” Lady said from her spot on the bed. “Girl, maybe you could make it look even better. Get yourself some implants.”
I shot her a patronizing look. “I do not want butt implants.”
“We’re talking about what youneed,not what youwant.”
“Who are you? My financial advisor? Only spend on what you need, not what you want?”
“Hmm, do you think I’d be good at that? Should I start getting my résumé up to speed? Wait a minute. I don’t even have a résumé. Clem, first thing tomorrow morning, we’re working on my résumé. How does that sound?”
“Bad.” I smoothed out a wrinkle on my leg. “No one is supposed to know that you can talk.”
“Hmm, that does put us in a pickle.”
“I’mnot in a pickle.Youare.”
“Okay, well, we’re both in pickles.”
I slipped on my coat and fluffed out my hair. “Lady, you are a dog. You are a very smart, helpful dog, but you are a dog all the same. You can’t run around becoming a financial advisor.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m pretty sure.”
“If you say so.” She yawned and stretched, exposing her stomach. “I really wish I was coming with you tonight. That way I could make sure that you kiss John at the right moment and that you also don’t say anything stupid like, ‘I want a baby.’”
I sputtered. “Why would I say that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. What if you’re feeling hormonal? You are in your thirties.”
I scratched her brown belly. “Just because I’m in my thirties doesn’t mean that I’m feeling my internal clock ticking down like a time bomb.”
“It don’t?” she said between yawns.
“No, it doesn’t. I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly happy where I am in life right now.”
“If you say so.”
The doorbell rang. Lady sat up. “Who’s there? I’ll bite their ankles.”
“Calm down.” I stroked her head. “It’s just John. I’ll be back later, okay?”
She yawned again and laid her head on the bed. “Okay.”
“You want me to put you on the floor?”
“Nah. I’ll be okay. I don’t need to pee.”
“Good to know.” I gave her one more scratch and kissed the top of her head. “Sleep well.”
“Have fun, Clem.”
I answered the door and found Rufus dressed in a dark suit jacket and jeans. His shoulders filled out the jacket nicely. So nicely that a little purr trilled in the back of my throat.
