The Dalmatian Dilemma

by Cheryl Harper

  The gents all clapped their hands. The noise was startling to Reyna, but Dottie’s eyes were locked on her face. Reyna gave her the thumbs-up and watched Dottie transform back into a puppy. She cleared the three steps up to the gazebo in a single bound and headed directly for the man in the seersucker suit.

  “This is Dan.” Sean made all the necessary introductions, then said, “And you know Charlie.”

  “Did not expect to see you, Queenie.” Charlie pointed at Reyna. “This is the one who kicked me out of my town house.”

  Dan clasped her hand. “Oh, honey, thank you.” His face was completely serious. “If you’d waited even one more week, I would have missed him because I’m going home, and I cannot bear to think on it.”

  She met Sean’s stare. The minute shake of his head was enough.

  “Well, I hated to do it, Mr. Dan, so I’m relieved to find it’s working out.” She turned to Charlie. “How have you been?”

  Charlie raised his hand to show her that Dan had tangled their fingers together. “Doing pretty good, Queenie. I do appreciate the company, though. I’ve told all the stories I can think of about running into royals in London. You want to sit down and tell that one about line dancing in the bar in South Korea?”

  Everyone immediately turned her direction. “I could, or...” She grinned over at Sean. “I could tell you the one about how I learned how to do the hustle in Coconut Grove.”

  Dan clapped. “Both. I want both and I want them now.”

  Reyna sat down on the floor of the gazebo and did her best to embellish both stories with as many flourishes as she thought she could reasonably get away with. Some of the worry that had sat on her shoulders since her father had told her she’d have to send Charlie away evaporated. Dottie worked the crowd and made sure every person in the gazebo had a chance to admire her beauty.

  And Sean sat next to Reyna, his back against one of the posts, and he listened. He didn’t interrupt or protest any of her embellishments. Since he was the funny one, he could have told Mimi’s birthday party story better, but he let her continue.

  Eventually she realized she’d been talking for almost an hour. “And that’s how I learned that you can’t play ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ too many times for a South Korean country-western bar. They say ‘one more time’ every time.”

  “Listen to me, young lady. You have to come back. I will not take any answer but yes.” Dan shook his finger. “And if I’m not here, I’ll have my daughter leave her address with the desk. I want to see you and this beauty again.” He gave Dottie one more ruffle and checked his beautiful gold watch. “Almost lunchtime. Today is turkey clubs.”

  As the gents made their way slowly toward the building, Charlie stopped his wheelchair and glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. I appreciate everything.” Then he dipped his chin at Reyna and rolled away to join his friends in the dining room.

  “Thank you.” Reyna wasn’t sure how to put it all in words, but she owed Sean a lot for this visit. “For bringing me.”

  “We could have done that whole thing without you talking about my dancing abilities, but no.” Sean shook his head, one corner of his mouth turned up in the crooked smile that she’d started to associate with him at his sweetest. Other times, he might be wicked or teasing or happy. This smile was the softer side, the one he didn’t show to everyone. She’d seen it at Mimi’s birthday party and every time she’d pointed out his help.

  He didn’t see it—that strong, solid core that made him irresistible.

  A hundred different types of men could have landed at Concord Court and she’d have been fine. They’d have been great guys and good at their jobs.

  Why was he exactly the wrong kind of man for her comfort?

  “You could have talked over me or cut me off. Why didn’t you?” Reyna grabbed his hand as he moved to leave the gazebo. “They were your friends. You could have changed the subject pretty easily.”

  “Why would I do that?” Sean squeezed her hand with his. “You were having such a great time.” He shrugged. “My ego can take a pinch now and then.” A breeze stirred the trees shading the gazebo, the quiet rustle around them covering any other noise. Here, they were alone. When he shifted away from her, Reyna moved closer.

  “Are we okay?” Reyna asked. The distance she’d felt at the beginning of the day was gone, but there was still something there.

  Sean brushed a hand across her cheek. Their eyes locked.

  Kiss me. Reyna couldn’t say it. Would he answer?

  “You...” Sean tipped his head back. “We need to...” Then he shook his head.

  Reyna glanced at Dottie, who was sprawled in the shade of the cool gazebo, patiently waiting for them to work out their problems.

  “I like you, Reyna.” Sean rumpled his hair. “I shouldn’t. You can give me a list of reasons why this doesn’t make any sense, this...whatever it is I feel. Anyone could. It’s inconvenient. If you were smart, you’d put some space between us until it went away.” He held out both arms. “When you look up at me like that, like I’m the one who is special, I can’t...”

  He turned on his heel and headed for the front door. Had he muttered something about a kiss as he went?

  Reyna focused on the word smart until they were stopped in the shade at Heartfield Park. It was safer than kiss. No one had ever suggested she was unintelligent. It was the single thing she could always count on people to agree on.

  Since Sean hadn’t said another word since the gazebo, she’d had plenty of time to think on the way. Heartfield Park was a recently updated development with a nice kids’ playground on one end, the dog beach in the smallest cove and a wide public beach that spread for a couple of miles, most of it covered with people on that beautiful Saturday.

  Sean’s face was grim, determined when he stepped up next to her in front of the playground. She’d wanted to test Dottie around kids. This place had kids everywhere.

  This should be fun.

  The cold space between her and Sean was ruining the day. He didn’t want to kiss her. Fine. He had always been ready to help her, though.

  “Do you think this is too much for her for one day?” As the question left Reyna’s mouth, Dottie spotted the kids and her tail started to rotate fast enough for liftoff. “Okay. She answered my question and she couldn’t even hear it.”

  Sean laughed. It was a reluctant laugh, but he pointed at a water fountain. “I’ve got a travel bowl. We’ll get her a drink and she’ll be good for round two.”

  Reyna followed his lead. She liked following his lead. It was the smart decision here.

  “Here you go, girl.” He filled the dish and then shook his head. “Talking to them is second nature.” Dottie took rude gulps of water and splashed it on Sean’s jeans, but he wasn’t bothered by it. Why was that patience so hot? If anything about them was nonsense, being hopelessly attracted to him because of his patience and kindness and...

  Reyna rubbed her forehead. All of those things made perfect sense, even if he didn’t agree.

  “Don’t look now, but we have an audience,” Sean murmured.

  Reyna turned to see a long line of kids pressed up against the fence. A tall, thin boy in the front elected himself spokesperson. “Can we pet your dog?” he shouted loudly enough to be heard in Miami Beach.

  Sean pivoted. “Get permission from your parents and then make a line.”

  He might as well have said they’d get free ice cream. Every kid along the fence turned to run, the scatter immediate and fast.

  “Wow. You get results,” Reyna said, gratified when he chuckled. Whatever it was between them, this “inconvenient” thing, he still liked her. That was good.

  “When you’re working around kids, to protect your dog, you usually have to teach them how to approach correctly.” He stared up at her before standing and clearing his thro
at. “Even the calmest dog can get rattled by a group of kids running up on him with their high-pitched voices. Their parents haven’t always warned them not to reach out for the dog, and when the dog snaps to protect himself, you’ll be the one having to settle everyone down. Best to take charge from the beginning.”

  Reyna could understand that. “Sort of like dealing with new recruits. Tell them how to be successful before they can mess up.”

  Sean frowned. “Are you trying to make a joke?”

  Reyna wrinkled her nose. “I was. Someone has to because I can’t stand your cold shoulder. The joke was bad, huh?”

  His lips twitched. “It’s nearly impossible not to kiss you. You get that, right?”

  Impossible? Kissing her in the gazebo would have been easy, so very easy, but he’d had no trouble turning away. The flash of heat in her cheeks caught her off guard, but she didn’t have any time to set Sean straight.

  “We made a line!” The self-appointed spokeskid was front and center, one leg wiggling as if the strain of standing still for so long was getting to him.

  Sean waved a hand. “All right. Come meet Dottie.” He squatted down and placed his hand on the dog’s back in their normal spot to signal she was working and gave her the “watch me” signal. Dottie sat strong and tall and so pretty as the kid approached.

  “What’s your name?” Sean asked as he squatted next to Dottie.

  “Kevin,” the little boy said as he held a hand under Dottie’s nose. Someone had told Kevin how to meet new dogs.

  “Good job. Everyone see what Kevin’s doing? He’s holding his hand out. He’s moving slowly. His voice is low, and now Dottie can decide to say hello.” Sean gave Dottie the thumbs-up and she immediately licked Kevin’s hand to his elbow, sending the kid into a breakdown of giggles. It was adorable. Sean’s happy grin, as he watched, was one of those things that shot all the way through her.

  He was enjoying himself, and he was...too much in that instant. She felt the sting of tears and wanted to kick herself.

  The thump of Dottie’s tail against Sean’s shoulder didn’t faze him, even though Reyna could testify to the power of the dog’s joy-powered tail. She was either a large Dalmatian or a small Great Dane, so her tail was strong.

  They stayed right where they were until every kid had a chance to meet Dottie. The dog was a pro through it all, and Sean? His grin never slipped.

  She tried to imagine her father in such a situation and it strained her brain. The picture wouldn’t form. She couldn’t think of any other man who would squat next to a dog to introduce her to an endless line of kids on a Saturday afternoon.

  He was the only one.

  He was also the one who thought kissing was inconvenient, not smart.

  Why didn’t that surprise her more? Oh, yeah, a lifetime of dealing with others who assumed they knew how she felt.

  If she didn’t figure out how to handle this attraction, she was going to make a fool out of herself. He thought this thing between them was inconvenient, and she was starting to accept that it was like wishing on a star, never believing it would come true.

  “Okay, kids, thank you for helping Miss Dottie today,” Reyna said. “She’s going to be at a photo booth for the Back to School Blowout next weekend. Tell your parents to come by and have your picture taken.”

  She decided to get her head back in the game. Sean was right. Again. At this point, he didn’t need to be getting mixed up with her. There was still too much to settle, and his job would hang in the balance. Eventually she’d have to accept that Sean was always at least half a step ahead of her.

  Reyna paused as she watched the kids slowly drift away, and she realized that she trusted Sean.

  Whether it was all the things he did every day at Concord Court or teaching her to dance or helping her get the job she wanted by working with Dottie, she trusted him.

  If he believed they were wrong as a couple, she trusted him. It was easy enough.

  And if it hurt to think she might have found something better than a good friend, she’d adjust. Eventually.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  AFTER ANOTHER SLOPPY drink of water for Dottie, Sean and Reyna had walked across to the gated area blocked off for large dogs. He was going to be perfectly professional here because this was the last thing he’d agreed to help her with. Then they could go back to work, where he would be distantly polite until Reyna told her father about her new job and the change of plans for Concord Court.

  After the fallout, after he found a new job, after Reyna was settled in her new career...maybe he’d ignore everything Brisa said about the man Reyna needed and he’d open himself up to whatever happened when you put it all out on the line.

  Maybe.

  Until then, he’d watch Dottie.

  He’d be perfectly friendly, because he wanted the time with Reyna, but he would keep his hands and lips to himself. Easy.

  “It looks like there’s a snack shack over there. Want something to drink?” Reyna asked. Until she mentioned it, he’d been fine. “They have frozen lemonade.”

  Suddenly, he was certain he might die without frozen lemonade.

  Reyna nodded. “I’ll be right back.” Did she mutter something about “lots of space” as she went?

  She headed for the gate before he could stop her. Why did it feel like a total fail that he was letting her buy him a drink? They were coworkers, not dating. Friends, not dating.

  Dottie sat at his feet. Instead of bounding away as he’d expected, she’d sniffed once or twice and then snuggled in close to his side. Every now and then, she shot worried frowns at her feet, so Sean brushed away the sand. “You don’t know what to do with this stuff, do you?” He shook out the small blanket he kept in his truck for her to sit on.

  “Still can’t hear us.” Reyna held out a cup. “But I do think she might be learning to read lips.” When he took the drink, she turned aside to study the waves. It was a good demonstration of the cold shoulder.

  He hated it.

  “Whether she can or not, I can’t break the habit of talking to dogs. I’ll be the sad dog man when I’m eighty. Kids will ride by my house and find me talking to my collection of mutts as if they followed current events.” Sean realized what he was doing. It was that easy. He was talking like they were friends. It was a natural rhythm they slipped into. From awkward silence to this...comfortable pattern. How many times had he wished to find something like this before?

  He sipped his lemonade and immediately puckered his lips while pinching his nose against the brain freeze. Her reluctant chuckle reminded him they weren’t doing this, they were friends, not lovers, but the warmth that spread across his chest suggested only his brain had gotten the memo. The rest of him was still connected to her.

  He couldn’t help it. Making her laugh was like a drug.

  “She’s not a beach dog.” Reyna unhooked the leash. “Should we try walking down by the water? Let’s see if she likes that better.”

  “Can’t hurt.” Sean stood and brushed the sand off his jeans. Dottie immediately snorted. She’d made her feelings clear about the sand. “And then we’ll find a different dog park, one with lots of grass.”

  Reyna nodded and they slowly walked down toward where the waves wet the sand. Dottie perked up at the retreat of the water and followed it tentatively until the waves crashed back in. She ran away, her tail wagging wildly. She might hate sand, but she loved the new game she’d found. Sean sipped his sour lemonade and watched the dog chase the wave and then skip away before it could splash over her, and he definitely did not look down at his boss, who was dressed in shorts and a white tank top. A normal outfit a million other women could wear, nothing cute about it. Could he see her knees? Yes, but nearly everyone was equipped with a pair of knees.

  “So now you aren’t even looking at me.” Reyna’s sigh could barely be heard over the crash
of the waves, but Sean felt it. “Let’s call it a day. You’ve already done me a huge favor. Let’s wrap this up so you can get on with your afternoon.” She bent to attract Dottie’s attention, but the dog was busy, biting at the waves that chased her up the shore.

  “She’s having fun. There’s no rush.” Sean stepped farther away from Reyna, but she followed. If he was reading the look in her eye correctly, they were headed for a “conversation.” It wouldn’t be light and easy, about the weather or current events.

  “Not smart. Inconvenient. You said that.” Reyna shook her head wildly. “I reject that. If you aren’t experiencing this connection like I am, that’s okay, but you don’t get to tell me a relationship with me would be silly. There is nothing about me that is silly.” She pointed at him. “And you might deserve something better than what you could get with me. I can’t argue that, but there are couples all over this globe who have less between them than we do. So...” She held her arms out as if she was prepared for him to take his best shot.

  It took longer than he would have liked to close his gaping mouth. She was arguing for a relationship between them? He’d been doing the right thing for her.

  “What about our jobs?” Sean asked. He didn’t care about that, but watching her shoulders slump confirmed to him that Reyna did.

  Sean was ready to make the sacrifice to help her—the least she could do was join in.

  He didn’t need to go any further, but he wanted to go all the way. If he could convince himself they were truly only ever going to be friends, the rest of their time working together would be easier.

  “You know the charity dinner your father is hosting?” Sean asked.

  Reyna stumbled to a stop. She’d been stomping along behind Dottie, or doing the best she could while being barefoot in the sand. “Yeah. What about it?”

  “Who is your date for that?” If Sean could make her see what he meant, she would understand that he’d been right and could help cool this thing down. Honestly, the only way it would happen was if she pitched in. He’d been about to kiss her earlier today.