“What? You know I’m straight.”
Sammi raised an eyebrow. “Mm. That’s what I thought.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Things change, though. Sexuality is fluid.”
I shook my head. “I was just looking out for him, Sammi. Don’t read into it.”
“Okay,” she said. “You would know best. If you’re okay with him meeting someone else, falling in love,kissingthem…”
“I’m fine with it,” I ground out from between clenched teeth.
She smiled. “All righty! I’m going to go check on Zoe and the dogs!”
Sammi left me standing behind the front counter,fists balled, body tense, a rush of adrenaline making me light-headed. WhywasI so worked up about this match? Could Sammi be right?
I’d never looked twice at a guy before. Never had the urge to kiss, much less anything more. Jamie was a good friend and really sweet, but I didn’t want him that way, did I?
I thought back to the last time Fox had taken me to a gay club. To the twink who’d tried to cop a feel. I’d gotten nothing out of that, except a vague sense of discomfort. But if Jamie were to touch me, would I feel differently?
The other night, he’d curled up against me while watching a movie, and I couldn’t say that was bad. But it hadn’t been sexual either. More…comforting. Cozied up on the couch with him, I’d been content.
That was just friendship, wasn’t it?
My next grooming appointment came in, and it was a doozy that saved me from thinking too much.
I spent two hours blowing out mats on the poor Husky’s coat. He was sensitive to brushing, and he was full of loose hair. By the time I finished, I was covered in hair and so was most of the floor space.
“Holy shit!” Sammi exclaimed as she checked in on me. “That’s gotta be a record.”
Bear was panting, a little anxiety showing. “You might call the owners and tell them it’s going to be a while yet.”
She nodded. “You need help?”
“Maybe you could sweep up while I wash him?”
“You got it.”
Sammi was easy to work with, and we tag-teamed to get the large groom done. Bear wasn’t thrilled with the process, and he was a little growly at times, but we got through it.
By the time I left, I was filthy, exhausted, and overdue to meet Jamie at the dog park. It was his day off, and we’dagreed to meet up and exchange notes about our work on festival planning. Jamie had been working on recruiting volunteers, and I’d been making calls every spare moment I had.
I sent him a quick text to let him know I was running late, then went by the house to shower properly. The thought crossed my mind to just invite him over here, but something stopped me.
If Sammi thought I was into Jamie, was I giving him the same idea? I didn’t want to lead him on.
I washed up as quickly as possible, dressed in some fresh clothes, applied a fresh spritz of aftershave, and collected Bruno to head to the dog park.
I carried Bruno in through the gate, then set him down and let him race ahead. He made a beeline for his new besties, Lady and Tramp, over by the big tree where Jamie and I had first met.
I followed at a slower pace. Jamie was standing beneath the tree, talking to a guy. I didn’t think much of it at first. Jamie was handing him a dog biscuit, so most likely he was just giving out samples. He’d been building up a nice little stream of customers before even starting a business. It was pretty smart. He was testing the market, fine-tuning his recipes, and building a database at the same time.
Then the guy, a slim man with blond hair, reached out and put his hand on Jamie’s arm. He smiled at him, and there was no mistakingthatsmile.
Iola had just told me about the match, though. Surely, they hadn’t already met up?
Jamie’s been waiting a long time, though, so maybe…
“Hey, Jamie,” I called as I jogged over. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
I slung my arm over his shoulders, pulling him in for aside hug. Jamie came easily enough, though he cast a surprised smile up at me.
