He snapped off a green shoot jutting into the way. “I should have the landscapers trim this up next time they come. Maybe even lay some flagstone down for the path.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “Making it official, huh?”
“Well, we do use it.”
She smiled. “Yes, we do.”
She opened the front door. “Come on in. I have to get his leash.”
Mitch followed her up the steps. Archie came out to greet them. “Hey, buddy.” He scratched the dog behind the ears. “Want to go for a walk?”
Instantly, his tail started wagging.
“Now you’ve done it,” Harper said. “That’s his favorite word.” She grabbed his leash and attached it to his collar, then handed it to Mitch.
“Me?”
“You still want a dog, right? Might as well get some practice.”
“Okay, right. Good.” He took the leash from her, unsure how to hold it properly.
As if sensing his uncertainty, Harper gestured at the leash. “Stick your hand through the loop, then grab it. That’s what I do.”
Mitch did as she told him. “All set.”
They went back outside. Twilight was settling over the neighborhood, bringing cooler temperatures and soft breezes. Streaks of pink painted the sky.
“I love this time of night,” Harper said. “Don’t you?”
Mitch nodded. His eyes were on Archie. “I do. Jeanie always loved the sunsets.” He sighed. “Sorry. I don’t mean to talk about her all the time, but—”
“You don’t need to apologize for that. You really don’t. I get it. Having Kyle and Ruthie in your house has to have stirred up a lot of memories.”
“It has. But it’s also underscored that life goes on. Whether you’re a part of it or not. And you already know that I’m trying to be part of it again.” He stopped, because Archie stopped to sniff an apparently important clump of flowering weeds. “Trying to figure out how to live again is not easy.”
“You did a great job of that tonight.” She moved closer to him, smiling oddly. “You don’t have to let him sniff everything. Because he will. Especially if he figures out you’re a soft touch.”
Mitch snorted. “Not sure I’ve ever been accused of that before.”
“Animals have a way of doing that to you if you let them. They make you feel protective of them. They make you do things you wouldn’t otherwise do.”
He looked at her. “I suppose the right person could do that, too.”
She met his gaze. “Yeah, definitely.”
The sunset’s soft pink light gave her a glow that mesmerized him. She looked like a painting. A beautiful, available painting. He leaned in and kissed her. A gentle, tentative press of his lips to hers.
Almost immediately, he pulled back. He shouldn’t have done that. She didn’t want it. Did she? No, he was supposed to be keeping things professional. He’d screwed up. He’d made a huge mistake, he could feel—
She tilted her head, closed her eyes, and kissed him back.
Chapter Forty-Six
Frankie went straight to the cabinet when they got home and took down a tall glass. She filled it with ice from the fridge dispenser, then water. She took a long drink, then set the glass on the counter by where she was standing.
Harper still had that weird, slightly spacey look on her face. Frankie couldn’t take it anymore. “Okay, out with it. What’s going on?”
Harper looked over with all the innocence of a sixth grader who was definitely up to something. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
