“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Rufus said.
“It pulls out,” I offered. “Into a sofa bed.”
“Perfect.”
I wiggled out from under the warm blanket. “Let me get the pillows and sheets.”
Within five minutes we had the sofa bed made. Rufus escaped to the bathroom to change. Lady took the opportunity to chat away.
“Why’re you letting him sleep in here when there’s a perfectly good bed in your room?”
“Um, well, it might not be appropriate for him to stay in it. With me.”
“I sleep with you,” she said tersely. “And that seems absolutely appropriate.”
How to explain to a dog about human relationships? “You’re different.”
“How?”
Annoyed, I said, “You just are. Tomorrow I’ll explain it to you in detail. Don’t worry.”
Rufus reentered the living room wearing a white T-shirt and boxer shorts. “It pays to layer,” he said, draping his button-down shirt on the back of a chair.
“So it does.”
His biceps peeked out from under his sleeves. I sneaked glances at the definition in his arms and legs. His gaze snapped to mine, and he caught me staring.
I glanced away and felt heat dotting my cheeks. Maybe it was best if I just moseyed on out of the room. “Well, then, I’ll see you in the morning. It’s getting late.”
“Do you want to stay and talk for a while?”
It was like my heart had strings and Rufus had just plucked one of them. Yes, a stupid cliché, but true.
“Um, sure. Let me just get changed.”
The only clean pajamas I had was a knee-length T-shirt with a picture of Winnie the Pooh on it. Well, if we got closer, Rufus would see it eventually, so I decided to go for it.
I shimmied into it, pulled on a pair of cozy socks and headed back into the living room.
Rufus was under the covers. Lady lay curled up beside him in the crook of his arm.
Traitor.
“I hope you don’t mind.” He nodded toward Lady. “She asked.”
I waved him away. “It’s fine.”
Now that I was in the room, I didn’t know what to do. Perch on the sofa bed? Sit in a chair? Read a book?
He patted the spot beside him. “I like your nightgown.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m surprised by it.”
I slid onto the bed, my back rigid. “Because it’s a stuffed bear?”
“No, because I figured you for more of a princess fiend.”
