Hence the reason he was there.
Stone set the box on the floor, leaned it against the wall, and then balanced the drill on top before knocking on the door. He waited until Stevie called out from the other side.
“Careful,” she shouted. “Don’t let—”
Stone slipped inside, keeping Jäger from sneaking out.
“Oh, hey,” she greeted, leaning back in her chair. “I didn’t know you were comin’ by.”
“I brought a gift,” he told her as he scooped Jäger up and carried him over to her. He set the puppy in her lap, then leaned in and stole a quick kiss from her utterly kissable lips.
“A gift?”
“Yep.” He turned back to the door. “Hold him.”
“That’s easier said than done,” she called from behind him. “He’s squirmy and curious and gettin’ more so by the day.”
“I’m about to solve that problem,” he informed her as he stepped out into the short, narrow hall that separated their offices from the rest of the space.
It took less than a minute to open the box and pull out the child gate. With drill in hand, he moved to the outermost point of the hallway before installing it with a few screws.
“What is that?” Tara asked from her desk. “Never mind. I see it now. That’s smart. We should put one on the front door.”
Stone looked up at her. “I was thinkin’ maybe a glass storm door for there. That way, you can see who’s comin’ in before they get there.”
Her eyes widened. “That would be awesome. Then he won’t have to be locked up in there all the time.”
“And when he has to be, this’ll help with that,” he told her as he stood up and pulled the retractable gate closed, hooking it so it would keep Jäger in.
Stevie came out of her office, still holding the squirmy puppy in her arms.
“He’s good now,” Stone assured her. “This way, he can go back and forth between your office and Nico’s whenever he wants.”
“That’s … wow. I didn’t even think of that.”
“Tell her about the storm door idea,” Tara shouted before answering the phone with, “Good morning. D and S Landscaping Solutions. How can I assist you today?”
“A storm door?” Stevie asked.
“Yeah. The glass kind. That way, Jäger can look out.”
Stevie laughed. “You told Tara it was so she could see when someone’s comin’ in.”
“Gotta know your audience to get ’em on your side.”
She smiled and it triggered the warmth in his chest as it always did.
For the past few days, Stone had been spending quite a bit of time with Stevie and Nico. Ever since their declarations the other night, they’d taken to spending their nights together. He was bouncing back and forth between his house and theirs since it was easier to sleep at their place because Stevie insisted a girl needed her things.
Stevie had mentioned he should simply move in—though she’d said it in a roundabout way, not an actual invitation—but Stone wasn’t ready for that yet. Well, he was, but he wasn’t. Until he could figure out what his future held in terms of a job, he refused to become a burden on them. He intended to fully contribute to the relationship when he took that leap. And he also intended for that to happen in the very near future. No more procrastinating for him.
“I’ll gladly buy the storm door if you can find someone to install it,” Stevie told him as they watched Jäger sniff at the gate.
“I’ll pick one up in a little while. I can install it for you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
His phone rang before he could tell her he didn’t have anything else to do at the moment.
