by Carrie Elks
“We wouldn’t advise that,” Brooke agreed. “The shelter prefers foster dogs to go to childless homes when possible. Dogs can be unpredictable.”
Lydia’s heart clenched. The pup was looking up at them, his melted chocolate eyes full of trust. “He’s such a beauty,” she whispered, running her fingers along his silky fur. It was stupid, but she felt responsible for him. She was the one who found him after all. But there was no way she could help. “I wish I could take him with me.”
“I’ll take him.”
Jackson’s deep voice took her and Brooke by surprise. They both looked up at him, their eyes wide.
“You’ll take him?” Brooke said, cocking her head to the side. “Seriously? I don’t mean to be rude, Jackson, but you can barely manage yourself. Ember told me the last time she was at your place your refrigerator was so barren it had sand in it.”
“I’m an adult. I think I can take care of a dog.”
“I can help while I’m here,” Lydia said, still stroking the dog’s warm fur. “I know a lot about dogs.” She could feel a rumble in his chest, almost like he was purring. Maybe he knew he was going to be taken care of. “It would be amazing if you took him home.” She ruffled the dog’s ears and he nuzzled against her. “Look, he already knows we’re going to take care of him.”
“He’s going to need a name.” Jackson didn’t sound so sure anymore.
“Eddie,” she said quickly. “We’ll call him Eddie.”
Jackson glanced at her. “Why Eddie?”
“It rhymes with Freddie the Teddy,” she said. Why were Brooke and Jackson looking at her as though she was from another planet? It made perfect sense, and was so easy to remember.
“If you want to take him home, I’ll keep his details on file in case his family shows up,” Brooke said, biting her lip. Her eyes were twinkling as she looked at Jackson. “And we can give you some food and the basics to start you off.”
Jackson looked from Lydia to Brooke, and back to Lydia again. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth, buyer’s remorse written all over his face. “Um…”
“That would be great, thank you so much,” Lydia said quickly. Maybe Eddie would be good for him. If he was as much of a workaholic as Griff believed, having something to come home to might make him happy. “Thank you for checking him over,” she said, giving Brooke a hug. “We owe you big time.”
“You’re welcome.” Brooke laughed. “And I’ll ask around about the owners. Who knows, you might only have to take care of him for one night.”
Jackson nodded, looking almost relieved.
It took them five minutes to get Eddie back out to Jackson’s car, and then coax him into the backseat, next to Freddie the Teddy. Brooke had given them a collar and leash, plus a box full of food, treats, and toys that made Jackson’s mouth drop open. “Do you really think he needs all this stuff?” Jackson muttered as he stuffed the box into the trunk next to Lydia’s suitcase.
“I guess so.” Lydia shrugged, tickling Eddie beneath his chin before closing the back door. “I mean, I’ve never had a dog before, but I figure they need a lot of stuff.”
“But you said you knew all about dogs.” Jackson lifted his cap from his head, raking his hands through his hair. “That’s what you said in there.”
“A lot of my friends have dogs. And I really like them,” Lydia said with a smile. “I mean, how difficult can they be?”
Jackson stared at her open mouthed, then slammed the trunk shut, shaking his head as he walked around to the driver’s side. “One favor,” he muttered. “That’s what he said. One damn favor. Griff owes me.”
Lydia felt bad for steamrolling him into this. But what choice did she have? The thought of Eddie all alone in a cage made her tremble. “I’m sorry,” she said softly as she climbed into the passenger seat. “I’d take him with me if I could.”
Jackson’s jaw was tight. “It’s okay,” he managed. “As long as we find the owners fast. I haven’t got time to take care of a dog and run a business.”
Lydia reached out to touch his cheek, because he really looked like he could do with some human contact right now. “Oh, you have a scar,” she said, noticing the shiny skin zig zagging along his jaw, between the dark shadow of hair. She traced it with her finger, and Jackson closed his eyes for a moment. “How did you get it?” she asked him.
“An accident when I was a kid.”
“Surfing? Griff told me you were all daredevils.”
“Scree skiing.”
“Oh.” She was still touching his jaw. It felt nice. Warm and bristly. “Sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine.” He sounded less tense now, thank goodness. Pressing his lips together, he blew out a mouthful of air. He had such a pretty mouth. On any other guy it might look out of place, but for him it fit perfectly. She’d wager a hundred dollars he was a really good kisser. It was impossible not to be with lips like those.
“So I should get you home now,” Jackson said, his voice low. From the back of the car, Eddie let out a bark, as though he agreed.
She nodded in agreement. “I guess Griff and Autumn are wondering where I am.”
“I already messaged them,” Jackson told her, turning on the engine.
“You think of everything.” She pulled her hand away from his jaw, so he actually had room to drive. “Thank you.”
“Sure.” His knuckles were bleached white where he gripped the steering wheel.
“I’m so glad it was you who picked me up today. Anybody else might have thought I was weird.”
His jaw twitched as he pulled out of the parking space, and drove to the parking lot exit. “Thinking you’re weird?” he managed to say. “Imagine that.”
4
“You got a dog?” Ryan Lewis, Jackson’s dad, asked, staring down at Eddie, and looked back at his son, his eyebrows raised. “Where the heck did he come from?”
“It’s a long story.” Jackson wasn’t sure he had the energy to go through it all, and he definitely didn’t have the patience to listen to his dad’s laughter. “I’m just looking after him until his owner is found.”
“But you’ve never had a pet.”
“I know, Dad.” He’d never wanted one, either. “And he’s not mine. I’m babysitting him.” He frowned. “Or dog sitting.” Whatever.
Ryan ran his finger along his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at Eddie. “What kind of dog is he?”
Jackson shrugged. “Some kind of crossbreed, I guess.”
“I hear they can be a handful.”
“Yeah, well he’s done nothing but eat and sleep since I brought him home. He’s not exactly hyperactive.” It had been two hours since Jackson dropped Lydia off at Griff and Autumn’s house. With Eddie in the back of the car, he hadn’t gone inside with her. Instead, he’d waved a hand and driven off, gritting his teeth together when he saw Eddie in his rear view mirror.
What the hell had he been thinking, agreeing to bring him home? Maybe he hadn’t been thinking. That was the problem. He was too busy looking at Lydia and wanting to make her happy.
So he’d offered to take the dog home, and now he was regretting it, because dogs and his lifestyle didn’t mix. Brooke hadn’t been wrong about the inside of his refrigerator. It was like the Gobi Desert. He could barely feed himself, let alone a dog.
“He got a name?” his dad asked, leaning down to inspect Eddie closer.
“Eddie.” When his dad started to laugh, Jackson put his hands up. “I didn’t choose it.”
“Who did?” Ryan tipped his head to the side.
“Just a friend.”
“Hmmm.”
Eddie lifted his head up to look at them both, and let out the most enormous fart.
“Damn!” Ryan said, screwing his nose up. “That’ll teach me about getting too close.”
“You want a beer?” Jackson asked him, inclining his head at the kitchen of his ranch house. For the past two years he’d lived on the cliff top overlooking Angel Sands. His hou
se was small, but perfectly situated, with stairs carved into the rock leading down to the beach. On the rare occasion he got to spend any time here, he loved it.
“Sure.” His dad followed him in, resting his arms on the granite countertop.
The whole place had been remodeled before Jackson bought it, including the kitchen he never used. He pulled open the doublewide refrigerator, and took two bottles from the lonely box of beer on the shelf. Popping the caps, he passed one to his dad, and lifted the other to his lips.
Eddie idled in, his tail down, and looked up at Jackson balefully.
“Sorry, man,” he told the dog. “No beer for you.”
“Does he have water?” his dad asked.
“Yes, he has water.” Jackson pointed down at the bowl Brooke had so helpfully given him. “And he’s eaten, too.”
“No need to snap. I’m just asking.” Ryan lifted a grey eyebrow and took a mouthful of beer.
“Sorry. It’s been a hell of a day. And I’ve got work coming out of my ears. I have no idea how I’m gonna juggle this dog and my job.”
“The same way anybody does.” Ryan shrugged. “You’ll muddle through.”
Jackson eyed him carefully. “Maybe you can help,” he said, his voice hopeful. “You’re retired. You can take care of him for me.”
“Oh no.” His dad shook his head. “This one’s all yours, son.”
“Thanks,” Jackson muttered, looking down at Eddie again. His eyes were so large and shiny, they looked like pebbles. He was still staring up at Jackson like he had all the answers.
Truth was, he didn’t even know the questions.
“Maybe I can dog sit occasionally,” his dad conceded. “As long as it’s not during my chess games.”
Jackson grinned at him. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You heard from your mom lately?” his dad asked, his voice casual.
“She called the other day. I haven’t had a chance to call her back yet.” Jackson looked at his dad, taking him in. At the age of fifty-eight, Ryan Lewis kept up a good appearance, his grey hair perfectly trimmed, his body lean and tight. Before Jackson was born, his dad had been a champion surfer, winning competitions both in the US and abroad. Once he settled down with Jackson’s mom, and they’d had him, he’d gone to work at Newton Pharmaceuticals as a book keeper.
And that’s where he’d stayed until he took early retirement last year. He’d worked through his marriage, and the breakup of it, when Jackson’s mom had left without a backward glance. Now he spent most of his days hanging out at the beach with his friends, or playing chess at the coffee shop.
“It’s okay. She needed a bit of help, I sorted it.” Ryan waved his hand.
“You gave her money?” Jackson’s chest tightened. “I thought we talked about this.”
His dad looked down at his beer. “She was short on cash, I had some. That’s all.”
A wave of frustration washed through Jackson’s body. This was so typical of his mom. She’d be silent for months, only contacting them when she needed money or some other kind of help.
It angered him that his dad fell for it every time.
“How much did she want?”
“That’s between me and her, son. There’s nothing to worry about. It’s all sorted now. You just concentrate on working out how to look after that damn mutt.”
“Why do you keep giving things to her?” Jackson asked. It was crazy. “She’s the one who left, Dad. More than twenty years ago. She’s not your problem anymore.”
His dad exhaled heavily. “She’s your mother. She gave me you. I owe her for that. And believe it or not, I loved her like crazy. She was this whirlwind twisting into my world and opening my eyes to what life could be like. You won’t remember what she was like then, but everybody wanted to be close to her. And I was the lucky guy she chose.”
“But then she left. And you never moved on. You haven’t even dated since.” As a kid, he’d loved that it was him and his dad. But now… he worried about him being lonely.
Yeah, he was the pot calling the kettle black.
“I tried dating. It didn’t work.” Ryan shrugged. “And excuse me if it’s rude, but I don’t need to take dating advice from you. It’s not like you’ve held down a relationship.”
“I was engaged once,” Jackson reminded him.
“Yeah, about a hundred years ago. And you haven’t had anything serious since.” His dad caught his eye. “Try not to worry about me and your mom. We’re old enough to take care of ourselves. And anyway, it’s not as though I’ve got anything better to do with my money.” He shrugged. “You’re doing well enough to not need anything from me.”
Jackson finished his beer, putting the bottle on the counter in front of him. “You’re right. We’re both big enough to take care of ourselves.”
“Amen to that.” His dad grinned.
“I’m not sure about taking care of a dog though,” Jackson admitted, as Eddie started to sniff around his ankles. “You wanna walk him with me?”
“Yeah, okay.” Ryan nodded. “As long as you’re the one picking up his crap.”
“Hurricane Lydia strikes again.” Autumn couldn’t stop laughing as Lydia recounted the story of finding Eddie in the brush above Angel Sands. “I bet Jackson didn’t know what hit him.”
“I can’t believe Brooke let him take a dog home.” Griff shook his head. “She knows better than that. Jackson can barely take care of himself.”
Lydia rubbed her face with the palms of her hands. “I feel terrible,” she admitted. “He looked like he’d been hit by a steamroller when we put Eddie in the car. I’m not sure he realized what he was getting himself into.”
Autumn and Griff exchanged a glance. “Well, maybe it’ll be good for him,” Autumn said, lifting Skyler into a comfier position. “He’s been living alone too long. The dog will keep him company. The responsibility might change him.”
“This is Jackson Lewis we’re talking about, right?” Griff asked Autumn. “Tall guy, dark hair, thinks he’s good looking. Always stressed and running from one place to the next?”
“Well, he is quite good looking,” Lydia offered. Autumn muffled a laugh behind Skyler’s head.
“And he does run his own business.” Autumn shrugged. “That’s a responsibility in itself. We should know that.” She glanced at Lydia and Griff. “Plus he’s going to be Skyler’s godfather. Taking care of a pet isn’t much different to caring for a child. I think he’s a good guy for volunteering.”
Lydia grimaced. “I’m not sure he quite volunteered.” Leaning forward, she took a sip of tea from the patterned china cup Autumn had given her. She loved this living room, with its soft cream leather sofas and hardwood floors. The walls were painted white, and the evening light bathed them in a warm orange glow. Since they’d moved in, Autumn and Griff had made this place feel like home.
It was probably the closest thing to a home Lydia had, too, since most of her belongings sat in storage while she traveled.
Autumn tilted her head to the side, interested. “So if he didn’t volunteer, how did he end up with a dog?”
Lydia bit her lip. “I kind of got upset and he offered to make me feel better. I don’t think he realized what he’d done until Eddie was in the backseat, ready to go home with him.”
Griff’s laughter was loud this time. He almost sounded like he was choking.
“You know, I used to like you, Griff,” Lydia told him. “You’re my almost brother-in-law. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Oh honey, I’m on your side,” he told her, walking over to give her a hug. He had big arms, and an even bigger chest. She loved how snuggly and lovely he was. “I just can’t believe you got him to foster a dog. That’s all. He can barely keep himself alive.”
“Griff, come on.” Autumn shook her head. “He’s not that bad. He’s a successful businessman. You have to be pretty good at organization for that. I’m sure he’ll be the same with the dog. He can pay for sitters and walkers if
he needs to.”
“Hey, I’m not doing him dirty,” Griff protested. “I’m just saying his track record isn’t good. And yeah, he’s great at business, because he’s good at it. It never lets him down. And when he’s knee deep in numbers and coding he doesn’t have to think about anything else.”
“Like what?” Lydia asked, intrigued. “What else should he be thinking about?”
Griff shrugged and looked out of the glass doors to the setting sun. Autumn squeezed his hand. There were words in their touches that Lydia couldn’t quite understand. “It doesn’t matter,” Griff said softly. “You’re both right. He’ll be fine.”
But Lydia felt terrible. She was the one who’d almost forced him to take Eddie home. She hadn’t thought about how busy his life was, or how he’d find time to take care of a dog. “I did offer to help,” she told them. “I’ll go and walk him and keep him clean and give him lots of attention.” She smiled at baby Skyler. “Just like I’m going to spoil my niece like crazy.”
“Why don’t you hold her for a moment?” Autumn stood and walked over to where Lydia was sitting. Gently, she laid her baby in Lydia’s arms. Skyler snuffled against Lydia’s chest, wriggling her body until she found a comfortable spot. Lydia dropped her head, feeling Skyler’s downy hair against her lips.
“She smells so good,” Lydia whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Skyler looked up, her deep blue eyes staring directly into Lydia’s. She blinked, her thick eyelashes sweeping down. “You’re such a beautiful girl,” she whispered. “You probably get that from me. I’m your Aunt Lydia, by the way. Your favorite aunt. I know your mom and dad will tell you that I’m your only aunt, but that doesn’t make it any less true. I’m going to be your godmother, too, and I take that very seriously. It’s my job to show you all the wonderful things life has to offer. I’ll teach you things like always having your passport ready, and a travel bag packed in case the mood to travel takes over you. And we can talk about boys and things, all the stuff your mom and dad won’t want to hear.”
“You’re not talking to her about boys,” Griff told her. “She’s never going to meet any.”