by Ally Roberts
The pavement would be hot, and my house was at least two miles away, but I’d suck it up and do it. I wasn’t going to wait around and ask someone at the funeral for a ride.
He glanced toward the parking lot and then back at me. “Why don’t I give you a ride?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t,” he said pointedly. “But I’m offering.” He rubbed at his chin. “Look, we got off to a bad start. And if I'm being honest, we don't have a lot of experience with murder around here, so I...probably did some things the wrong way.” He paused. “So let me at least give you a ride home.”
I hesitated.
He noticed. “I drive a Ford Explorer when I’m not on duty. And I’m not on duty.”
The relief I felt was palpable, and suddenly a lift from Chuck Robbins sounded okay.
Because it didn’t involve me getting into a squad car.
THIRTY FIVE
There was a knock at my door.
I almost didn’t answer it.
I’d been home for a couple of hours, and had spent the better part of that time decompressing from my eventful morning. The last thing I wanted was company.
The knock sounded again and I sighed.
Trixie was sleeping by my feet; the knock hadn’t even registered with her, which told me she was beat, too.
I got to my feet and Trixie reluctantly followed, yawning and stretching as she did so. She let out a perfunctory bark as she made her way to the front door but anyone listening could tell just how half-hearted it was.
I couldn’t hide my surprise when I saw who was standing on my front porch.
“Asher.”
He smiled.
“Duke.” I leaned down and scratched the top of the dog’s head.
“I hope it’s okay to stop by,” Asher said.
He’d changed out of his funeral clothes and was dressed in a pair of black athletic shorts and a Carolina Panthers t-shirt. With a baseball cap on his head and Nikes on his feet, he looked like he was out for a run.
“Oh, crap,” I said, suddenly realizing something. “I was supposed to come by and grab Duke for a walk, wasn’t I?”
I fumbled for my phone so I could check to see what time it was. Had I been zoning on the couch for longer than I’d realized?
“It’s one o’clock,” Asher told me. “It’s not time for his walk yet.”
I frowned, not fully understanding what was going on. “Okay.”
“I thought I’d take the rest of the day off from work,” Asher said. “Just didn’t feel like going back after the funeral and everything.”
I nodded. I could see that.
“You did good,” he said.
I glanced up at him. “I did?”
He nodded. “You figured out what happened to Caroline. And you stopped Amber.”
I looked pointedly at Trixie. She was sniffing Duke’s face, giving him an occasional lick. “I had a little help.”
Asher chuckled. “Yeah, she did good, too.”
We stood there for a minute.
“I heard the police department is a little short-staffed,” Asher said. He was quiet for a minute. “You ever think about applying? Especially now, since you pretty much solved the case for them…”
It was my turn to laugh. “Uh, no. I’m not interested.”
“No?” He raised an eyebrow so it was visible above his sunglasses. “Why not?”
I realized then that Asher didn’t have all the gory details about what I’d lived through during the past week. I’d bared my soul to Tate, and only because he’d caught me at a vulnerable moment.
I could have told him right then. Laid out everything that had happened, all the little things he hadn’t heard about. He knew the police had wanted me to stick around town, and that they had questions for me, but he’d had no idea just how close I’d been to being arrested for a crime I didn’t commit.
“I’m not interested in that kind of job,” I said.
“No?”
“No.”
Earlier in my life, I had been. Now? Not so much.
He cocked his head. “What do you want to do?”
I didn’t answer.
“For a job, I mean,” he clarified. “Have you given it any thought?”
I swallowed. I hadn’t.
He grinned. “I was sort of hoping you’d answer right away.”
“Why?”
“Well, I was hoping you’d say you wanted to keep walking dogs.” He glanced down at Duke. “Specifically, my dog.”
I blushed. “Oh, well, yeah, I definitely want to keep doing that.”
“Good,” Asher said. His smile widened and I felt it begin to work its magic on me. “He likes you.”
In answer, I reached down and stroked Duke’s sleek black fur.
“And I like you, too.”
My eyes flew to Asher’s. They were still hidden by those sunglasses he was wearing, but it wasn’t hard to see the warm, sexy smile on his face.
My heart slammed against my chest.
What exactly was he saying?
I didn’t know, but I could tell he was waiting for a response. I drew in a small, calming breath and hoped he didn’t notice.
“I like you, too.”
THE END
Thanks for reading ASKING FUR TROUBLE. I really hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please take a few moments to review it on Amazon. I would really appreciate it!
And are you ready for Wendy's next adventure? This time, she tangles with Poppy Ritter, who is convinced Wendy is trying to sabotage her business. When Poppy accuses her of murder, Wendy once again finds herself trying to clear her name. But this time, one of her new island friends is under the microscope, too.
And he has an awful lot to lose...
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