Truth About Men & Dogs

by Andrea Simonne

  In the middle of all the chaos, Sylvia’s phone rang. It had been ringing and then buzzing throughout the game, but she’d ignored it.

  “Who keeps calling you?” Philip asked her. “Maybe you should answer it.”

  Sylvia picked up her phone. “Maybe you’re right.” There was an odd note in her voice. “I need to take this outside,” she told everyone, getting up from the table and leaving.

  “Do you have any idea who that is?” Philip asked his sister before rolling the dice.

  Eliza’s eyes followed her mom onto the back deck. “No clue.”

  We played until it was Sylvia’s turn and then waited for her to come back. Philip and Gavin used up the time cracking jokes about the creature they claimed was living in the ceiling rafters. They named him Jocko the flying squirrel-bat. When Sylvia returned, she seemed more subdued than earlier.

  “Is everything okay?” Philip asked her. “Who was that on the phone?”

  She took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you, but don’t get upset.” She hesitated. “It was your father.”

  Philip froze beside me.

  Eliza’s eyes grew wide. “That was… our father?”

  “Why would he be calling you?” Philip’s voice grew deeper. Obviously he was upset. He and Gavin had been competing against each other throughout the game, but there’d been no doubt it was all in fun. The tone in Philip’s voice made it clear the fun was over.

  Sylvia licked her lips. “He wanted to talk to me. He’s been asking about you two.”

  “Why would you speak to him? He has no business calling here and asking anything.”

  “To be honest, I feel sorry for him.”

  Philip stared at his mom, and I sensed he was trying to control his anger. “Sorry for him?”

  “I know.” She laid her hands on the table in front of her. “I understand your animosity, but a nurse called me this morning from a hospital emergency room. She was calling because he couldn’t.”

  “He’s in the hospital?” Eliza’s voice was small. “Is he okay?”

  She nodded toward her daughter. “He’s fine. At first they thought he was having a heart attack, but it was only stress.”

  I glanced at Philip, his expression one of contained fury. “You think I care if he’s in the goddamn hospital? I don’t want you speaking to him again. Do you hear me?”

  Sylvia looked up at her son. “I’m not defending what he did.”

  “You and I both know he made his choice years ago. Now he can live or die with it.” Philip shoved his chair back from the table and abruptly left through the sliding doors onto the back deck. We all remained silent, listening as his heavy footsteps traveled down the stairs that led to the beach.

  Sylvia gave me a wry smile. “Sorry, Claire. We’re not usually this dramatic.”

  “It’s okay.” I smiled back.

  “Please don’t hold this against my brother,” Eliza said to me with concern. “Our father is a touchy subject for him.”

  I wondered what Philip’s dad had done that was so terrible.

  The four of us put away all the game pieces. Philip’s abrupt departure was still jarring, and things felt kind of awkward, but then Gavin spoke up. “At least there’s one silver lining to all this. I’m the winner by default.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Eliza turned to me. “My brother hates to lose money, even if it’s only pretend. And as you might have also noticed, he’s very competitive.”

  “Yeah, he is.” Gavin grinned. “But that’s what he gets for running out of here like a prima donna.”

  I figured it was time for me to leave and go home. I picked up my small cross-body purse, thanking Sylvia and Eliza for having me over. I told them I was going to find Philip outside. “I just want to talk to him and see if he’s okay.”

  “Make sure you tell him I won the game,” Gavin called after me. “Let him know I’m the winner and he’s the l-o-s-e-r.”

  I could still hear him chuckling before I shut the sliding glass door.

  Glancing around the deck, I let my eyes adjust to the dark. The night was warm and breezy. I took a deep breath, inhaling the rich salty air. So familiar. Everything about Truth Harbor was a comfort to me. I didn’t even want to think about all those rumors going around town, all the changes that might be coming.

  To be honest, I wasn’t sure why I was going after Philip. I knew I should go home. Go back to my cozy house, my birds, and my safe life.

  But there was an excitement in my veins compelling me forward.

  The night sky was clear and the moon bright, so I had little trouble making my way down to the water. It didn’t take long to find him, the lone figure on the beach.

  As I approached him from behind, I hoped this wasn’t a mistake.

  He stood with his hands shoved into his front pockets. Broad shoulders that tapered down. There was something unforgiving in his posture, and it struck me how formidable Philip was. Clearly he was loyal to those he loved, probably to a fault, but I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side.

  He must have heard my footsteps, because he turned to face me.

  Neither of us spoke. Under the moonlight, his eyes appeared silver beneath those black brows.

  “Gavin wanted me to deliver a message,” I said, coming up to stand beside him.

  “What’s that?”

  “He said to tell you he’s the winner and you’re the l-o-s-e-r.”

  Philip chuckled, shaking his head. “That asshole.”

  “Apparently you hate to lose money, and you’re very competitive.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  I shifted around on the beach, taking in the mixture of sand and rocks. “That was an interesting Monopoly game.” I turned to him. “I have to ask—were you sneaking extra money into my stack of cash?”

  He glanced at me and then looked away, smiling a little. “Yeah, I was.”

  “Really? Why would you do that?”

  “Gavin and I have been doing it for years. My mom and Eliza always sell their properties too easily. And we’re both so aggressive that if we don’t add to everyone’s bankroll, the game ends.”

  “That’s crazy. I’ve never heard of such a thing. I guess it explains Jocko the flying squirrel-bat.”

  He chuckled. “I know. My mom and Eliza are both terrible with money and have no strategy. They miss every opportunity.”

  “It’s still cheating though,” I pointed out. “Reverse cheating, I guess. You’re controlling the game.”

  “I know.” He seemed embarrassed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted it to you. Between this and your phone, you probably think I’m a dick.”

  I thought about Saturday night, about the way he insisted on staying to help me with my drunken ex-husband. The way he reminded me I was better than all the crap Ivy and Ethan had put me through. “No,” I said. “I don’t think that.”

  “Because, I swear, I’m normally an upstanding and law-abiding citizen.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

  “It’s true.”

  The breeze blew my dress around, and I tried to tame it. Excitement flamed through me, and I tried to tame that too. Out here, under the night sky, there was an almost dangerous air about Philip, and it was easy to imagine he had an ancestor who was a pirate.

  “I should go,” I said, motioning in the direction of Sullivan House. Part of me wanted to stay, to see what might happen between us, but the other part knew that was a bad idea.

  “It’s late. Let me walk you home.”

  I glanced around. It was late. “All right. I guess you can try and convince me about what an upstanding citizen you are.”

  He chuckled. “I’m a regular Boy Scout.”

  We started down the beach together toward Sullivan House, neither of us speaking at first.

  Eventually I broke the silence and asked him about the phone call upstairs. “It seemed to really upset you. Are you okay?”

  “It
was nothing.”

  “Are you sure?” I didn’t know why I was prying. I wasn’t normally like that, but I figured he’d already seen all my dirty laundry up close and personal on Saturday, so why not.

  “Let’s just say I don’t have the greatest relationship with my father.”

  “I’m sorry. That sucks.”

  “Yeah.” He gazed out at the water. “I suppose it does.”

  Philip seemed so vibrantly male that I would have guessed he’d had a strong father figure, but then I didn’t know a lot about men. Besides my dad, I hadn’t grown up with any males, and I’d only had two lovers my whole life—the second of which was a blur since I had to drink two shots of tequila and half a bottle of wine to even get the deed done.

  I was wearing sandals with my sundress, and as we walked, tiny pebbles kept getting caught in them, so I stopped to slip them off.

  “Do you really think it’s such a bad idea if the downtown and waterfront are built up?” he asked, changing the subject. “It could be an improvement. It would bring in new jobs. In fact, it would probably help your maid service.”

  I considered his words as we walked again. “Maybe, but at what cost? I hardly think turning everything into condos with a big mall in the middle of town is an improvement.”

  He seemed to mull this over.

  “I don’t want to see our town destroyed,” I continued. “Eliza’s right. We have a lot of culture here, and it’s a great place to live.”

  “Culture, huh?” There was a subtle criticism in his tone, and I sensed he was thinking about his sister and that play.

  “I know it’s none of my business, but maybe you should stop giving her such a hard time. She can still finish college. It sounds like being an actress is what she wants to do with her life.”

  He snorted. “That’s because you don’t know about all the other careers.”

  “Other careers?”

  “Yes, let’s see… graphic designer, interior decorator, fashion designer, children’s book illustrator.” He paused. “There are so many, it would probably be easier if I alphabetized them.”

  “It sounds like she’s been searching for the right fit.”

  “Give me a break. She’s been searching for almost eight years. She could have two degrees by now.”

  “Maybe she—ow!” I yelped as I stepped on something sharp.

  “Hey, are you all right?”

  We both stopped, and I lifted my foot in pain, trying to see the bottom. “I don’t know. It feels like something sharp pierced my heel.”

  “Here.” He put his arm out. I switched my sandals to the opposite hand and grabbed a hold of his muscular forearm.

  Philip led me limping over to a group of fallen logs, where we both sat down.

  “Give me your foot,” he said. “Let me see it.”

  I scooted back a little and put my foot in his lap. “I hope it’s not bleeding,” I whined. All I could picture was blood flowing. “I wonder what I stepped on.”

  He pulled his phone out and turned on the flashlight. I watched his handsome profile as he gently brushed the sand off the bottom of my foot, examining it. I was in pain, but I couldn’t deny it felt nice the way he was touching me. His hand was warm. I tried to focus on that instead of the pain, which was diminishing.

  “Is it bad?”

  “No,” he murmured. “I don’t see anything.”

  “What do you mean?” I tilted my foot on his lap so I could see it too. To my relief there was no blood.

  “It looks fine. It’s red on your heel, but the skin isn’t broken.”

  “Gosh, that really hurt. I’m glad it’s nothing.”

  “Me too.” Philip turned his phone off, and we were thrust into darkness again.

  Moonlight shone above us, creating a silky glow. I could hear water lapping against the shore.

  My foot was still in Philip’s lap with his hand resting on top. He didn’t seem inclined for me to move it, so I kept it there.

  He looked down at my toes. “You have pretty feet.”

  “Thank you.” I was glad I’d painted my nails a frosty pink earlier.

  His hand slid over my skin, the warmth of his palm moving farther upward. “Pretty ankles too.” His voice sounded deep, an intimate rumble.

  I tried to steady my breath, to calm myself. I knew I should pull my foot away, should put my sandals back on and leave.

  “I should get going,” I said.

  “Probably,” he murmured.

  His hand encircled my ankle. I couldn’t believe how sensual his touch was. Strong hands. Masculine fingers. It had been a long time since a guy touched me like this. A long time since I wanted anyone to touch me at all.

  His palm slid farther up my leg, over my calf, until his fingers brushed the back of my knee. His eyes met mine under the moonlight, watching my reaction.

  A riot of emotions tumbled through me. I licked my lips, trying to steady myself. His fingers continued to caress my skin. The sensation sent shock waves through every limb.

  When a breeze blew my dress up so it covered only half of my thigh, I wondered if he’d try to slide his hand up even farther. I wondered if I’d let him. But then his thumb ran over the front of my knee, smoothing my recent calluses.

  “How did you get these?” he asked.

  It took me a second to compose myself. “Sometimes I forget to bring knee pads… when I’m cleaning a floor or a bathtub.”

  He ran his thumb over them again, and sparks shivered through me. “You work a lot,” he stated.

  “I’m trying to grow my maid business.”

  He nodded. I’d already noticed how he didn’t seem to think any less of me for being a maid. Unlike Ethan’s irritating pity, Philip seemed unfazed.

  “You need to pace yourself better. You don’t want to burn out.”

  “I can’t slow down,” I said stubbornly. “This is too important to me.”

  “How many days a week are you working?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do.” His voice was warm, as was his hand stroking my skin.

  I didn’t want to admit to him that I’d been working seven days a week for months. “You’re going to give me a hard time about this? The man who works so much his mother and sister had to trick him into taking a vacation?”

  He grinned a little. “All the more reason you should listen to me.” He ran his fingers gently over my calluses. “You don’t want to overwork yourself to the point of failure or an injury.”

  “I suppose not.” I could tell he was only looking out for me. I got the sense he understood what I was trying to do—probably better than anyone I knew.

  “So slow down a little, okay?”

  I nodded but didn’t say anything. The problem was the last guy who’d looked out for me was Ethan, and we all knew how that ended.

  He was still caressing my leg, and despite how pleasurable it was, I pulled away.

  In truth, I was scared.

  Not of Philip but of what I might be opening myself up to with him. That was why he was dangerous. It had nothing to do with pirates. He’d shown up here out of nowhere, but somehow he’d sparked something in me, and while a part of me was excited, the other part was scared.

  “I really should go,” I said. “It’s getting late.”

  He released me, and I put my foot back on the ground.

  I pulled my skirt down so it covered my thighs. “Will you thank your mom and Eliza again for me? It was nice of them to invite me for dinner.”

  “Sure.”

  I sensed his eyes as I bent over to put my sandals back on. “Doug called earlier today,” I said as I fastened the straps.

  Philip stiffened beside me. “He did?”

  I nodded, sitting upright again. “He was checking on the room. It’s almost done, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, the flooring just needs to be laid.”

  “Good. That’s what I thought.”

  “Is that the only reason he calle
d?”

  “No.” I gazed out at the water. There was a lighthouse in the distance. “He wanted to make sure he still had a rain check on our movie date.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  I shook my head. “I tried to tell him I don’t date, but he started begging me again.” I thought of Daphne and wished he was begging her instead.

  “And?”

  “I didn’t really give him an answer. For some reason he kept going on about how I should listen to you. Does that make any sense?”

  Philip went quiet for a long moment. “You should give Doug a chance,” he finally said softly.

  “What?” I stared at him in surprise. “You really think I should date Doug?”

  “He’s a decent guy.”

  I couldn’t believe I was hearing this. What did he take me for? Caressing my leg one moment and telling me I should date his cousin the next? “Really? Well, gee, maybe I should go out with him.”

  “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

  “I’ll just call Doug back and tell him yes.”

  “Good,” he growled.

  “Especially since you keep telling me he’s so decent.”

  Philip scowled as he glanced around at the empty beach. “Come on, let’s go. I’ll walk you the rest of the way home.”

  We both stood up. I was so angry I wanted to get away from him as fast as I could, but before I could take two steps, he grabbed my arm.

  “Let go of me!” I turned around, furious.

  His only response was to drag me closer. My pulse shot up. I could just make out his intense expression, those black brows drawn together over silvery eyes.

  “I lied.” His voice was low and fierce. “I don’t want you with Doug.”

  And before I could say another word, his mouth was on mine, kissing me.

  For a split second, I was too stunned to move or do anything. He tasted hot and delicious. Electricity skittered down my spine. His hands were on my lower back, pressing me into him while I grabbed his muscular forearms, his whole body hard and rock solid against me.

  I kissed him with abandon. I knew I shouldn’t, and I kept telling myself to stop, but it had been so long, and he felt so good.

  He broke the kiss. “Dammit.”