The Puppy Problem

by Katie Meyer

  “Why?” she blurted, confused.

  “Because I somehow upset you, and I didn’t mean to do that. I never meant to make you uncomfortable.”

  Her brain tried and failed to make sense of his words. “You didn’t do anything. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I was the one who made advances. And then I was so rude to you.” She shook her head, remembering. “You didn’t deserve that, I’m sorry.”

  “No apology needed, and I’m glad to know it wasn’t something I did.” He grinned that slow burn of a smile that made her insides melt. “For the record, I didn’t mind your advances one bit.”

  Her heart skipped a beat as his meaning hit her. “Then...why did you stop me?” She glanced around, making sure they were still alone.

  He stepped closer, lowering his voice so she had to strain to hear him. “Because it was either stop while I still could, or lift you onto that countertop and have my way with you. And as appealing as that was, I knew it wasn’t the right time or place.”

  * * *

  The expression on Megan’s face when she realized what he was saying told him the desire flooding his senses was far from one-sided. She could deny it, but words wouldn’t erase the dilated pupils and flushed cheeks, or the flutter of pulse he saw at her throat.

  Unfortunately, that was all the reaction he was going to get. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a giggling group of kids came around the corner, followed by the school’s PE teacher.

  “Coach Destefano.” He gave a small salute to the woman and received a wave in return. “Tennis today?” The courts and a small storage shed housing some sports equipment were the only things on this side of the school, other than the parking lot itself.

  “You got it. Got a few kids with a real decent swing. I’m thinking we might be able to put a team together this year.”

  “Great. Set up a meeting and we’ll talk.” He could probably find some funds somewhere for that. Maybe hit up the local tennis club for sponsorship. Florida had plenty of professional players; maybe he could get one to make a donation. Adding more fundraising to his to-do list wasn’t appealing, but he knew how beneficial afterschool sports could be. Making a mental note to look into it, he waited until the coach and her class were out of earshot before turning back to Megan.

  Too late. She was gone.

  Disappointment flared but didn’t diminish the triumph he’d felt when he’d seen her reaction. Nothing was truly resolved between them, yet he had a better feeling for where he stood. Where they would go from here, he didn’t know. There was a lot to consider. His job, for one. Maybe he’d take Grant up on his offer to look over the paperwork he’d signed with the school board. Nevertheless, even if he was in the clear legally, that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be ethical issues to consider. To say nothing of the optics of it all.

  Paradise was a nice town, but there were times he wondered why the place even had a newspaper since the rumor mill ensured everyone knew everything that happened to anyone well before it could hit the printed page. In a big city, no one would care about his dating a student’s parent. But in Paradise, it would be big news. Was he willing to deal with that? Was Megan? What about Owen?

  Luke shook his head, as if to physically shake the swirling thoughts into some kind of order. He was getting ahead of himself. Just because Megan felt some attraction to him didn’t mean she wanted to do anything about it.

  What if she does?

  That question circled through his head the rest of the school day. Somehow, he managed to get his work done, though his customary focus seemed fractured. Ms. White, with her usual directness, asked if he needed to take a sick day after he asked her the same question three times and still didn’t remember the answer. He’d assured her he was simply tired, and then gotten a lecture on the importance of sleep and the benefits of warm milk with a splash of bourbon at bedtime. She’d said that last part with a conspiratorial wink, warning him to keep her advice to himself as not everyone understood the medicinal benefits.

  Luke had agreed, struggling to keep a straight face. He’d heard stories about the amount of “medicine” consumed at the monthly card games she and the other grand dames of Paradise attended. He was pretty sure there were fraternity parties that were less rowdy. Still, her concern touched him, so he nodded with an appropriate amount of gravity and assured her he’d take her secret to the grave.

  He’d hoped to catch a few minutes with Megan in the cafeteria at lunch, but had been stuck dealing with a student found vandalizing school property. A bit of a harsh term for doodling a heart with a boy’s name in it on her desk, as he’d pointed out in a private email to the teacher who’d sent her to his office. The poor girl had been humiliated at having her crush exposed, so he’d just given her a warning and a bottle of all-purpose cleaner to remove her artwork. Not a big deal, but it meant he’d had to eat a sandwich at his desk instead of stealing a few minutes with Megan.

  Now it was almost time for the dismissal bell, and he wasn’t going to miss his chance again. Assuming things had gone well today, she wouldn’t be back in the classroom on Wednesday. Then who knew when he’d get to see her next. He wasn’t sure what, if anything, was going to happen between them but he knew for a fact that letting things drop, without any further contact, didn’t feel right.

  He made it to Owen’s classroom two minutes before dismissal, and chose to wait outside rather than to disrupt the class. His earlier visit had been explicable, but a second might arouse suspicion. Or maybe he was overthinking things. Either way, he waited and watched, the small glass window in the old oak door giving him a clear view. She’d moved, he noticed. Now Owen was at the first desk, closest to the door, with Lily between him and the wall. It made sense. Lily was now out of the way, where she wouldn’t be accidentally stepped on or tripped over by a distracted student, and boy and dog had easy access to the exit.

  He was wondering whose idea it had been to switch when Megan looked up and caught him watching. She started. For a moment, he was afraid she’d be upset at the intrusion. But then a small smile softened her expression and he relaxed, nodded in return. Just then, the bell rang, and instantly the atmosphere changed. Children jumped out of their seats as if on springs, scrambling for backpacks and lunchboxes. Moving aside, he let the jostling herd pass through the open door. A few students said hello to him, but most were too intent on making an escape to notice he was there.

  Once the initial chaotic flood receded, he cautiously poked his head through the doorway. “Is the coast clear?”

  “Mostly,” Ms. Feltz answered, a grin on her face. “I suppose I should try to get them to be more civilized at dismissal but—” she shrugged “—I figure as long as they behave themselves during class time, I won’t fault a little extra enthusiasm when it’s over. Some days I kind of feel like running and shouting myself.”

  He chuckled, picturing the fortysomething woman with the beginnings of gray in her hair scrambling with the rest of them in the mad dash for daylight and freedom. “I know exactly what you mean. And,” he reassured her, “don’t worry, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to check in with our furry friend here to find out if we should expect her back tomorrow.”

  Megan looked from him to the teacher and then at Owen and sighed, the sound carrying in the now quiet classroom. Something tightened in his gut. After seeing Lily in action this past weekend, he hadn’t expected there to be any problems. The look on Megan’s face seemed to say otherwise.

  “For the most part, things went very smoothly.” Ms. Feltz jumped in, her matter-of-fact tone easing the tension in the room.

  “But?” he asked. Megan wouldn’t look so concerned if there wasn’t more to the story.

  “We had a bit of trouble with figuring out the best way to handle her potty breaks.” Megan answered for her. “Owen’s not quite comfortable taking her on his own yet.”

  “I was busy!” Owen
insisted defensively. “The other kids might finish while I’m gone, and then I won’t know what to do.”

  Ah. So the issue wasn’t Lily, it was Owen. That was something he’d failed to consider and, from the look of frustration on Megan’s face, he wasn’t the only one. Even the normally steadfast Ms. Feltz seemed at a loss. “I told him I wouldn’t penalize him if he needed extra time to care for Lily but...”

  But given Owen’s rigid thinking, that hadn’t done the trick. “I see. So, if we set aside that issue for the moment, would you say Lily was otherwise helpful?”

  His question, meant for all of them, was answered by Owen himself. “Yeah. When my pencil broke, I got mad. It was the new red one. My favorite,” he explained. “I wanted to throw it, but Lily told me not to.”

  “Um, okay.” Luke looked to Megan for help. He’d learned that service dogs could perform some amazing tasks, but he was pretty sure the ability to speak English wasn’t one of them.

  “I think what Owen means is that she nudged him, or put her head in his lap. She’s trained to distract him when she senses he’s getting upset.” Megan reached down and stroked the big dog’s head. “It’s pretty effective.”

  “Right, that’s how she tells me. And when Jake was standing too close to me in line, Lily got between us so I didn’t have to push him away.”

  “No pushing,” Megan replied automatically. “Use your words. If someone is in your space, you need to ask them to back up.”

  Good advice. He imagined Owen did his best to follow it, but given the number of times the boy had been sent to his office for discipline issues, he hadn’t been very successful. If Lily was helping with those issues, she deserved to be there. “So the only issue is the bathroom breaks, is that right?”

  Three heads nodded in unison. “Okay, so what if he took her... I don’t know, when there is free time or something?”

  “What? I don’t want to miss recess,” Owen objected.

  “Oh, right.” It was a logical solution, but from a kid’s point of view, it probably seemed like a punishment. Not what he was going for. “Sorry, just trying to brainstorm.” He absently scratched his head. There had to be a way around this. “How often does she need to go out?” he asked, trying to grasp the scope of the problem.

  “During a school day? Once, maybe twice, to be safe,” Megan responded.

  “It doesn’t take long, right? I could ask around. Maybe one of the staff would be willing to do it.” Hell, he’d do it himself if need be, although how he’d find the time to duck out twice a day, every day, he wasn’t sure.

  “No.” Megan shook her head. “The staff here works hard enough, and I’m pretty sure their job duties don’t include walking dogs and picking up poop.”

  Luke rocked back in surprise. Megan was the last person he’d expected to object. After all the effort she’d put in to making this happen, he couldn’t believe she was giving up now. He was about to tell her so when she made him an offer she couldn’t refuse.

  “This was my idea, so I’ll do it. Like you said, it won’t take long, and one of the benefits of working from home is being able to set my own hours. I’ll just run over and take her out myself. If that works for everyone else, I mean.” She turned to Owen’s teacher. “I promise, I won’t do anything to disturb the class.”

  The woman smiled, obviously relieved to have a possible solution. “That sounds fine to me.”

  Now all eyes were on him, waiting for his final decision.

  A chance to have Megan on campus every day? Hell yeah, that worked for him. He only had one question.

  “When can you start?”

  Chapter Nine

  Megan couldn’t believe how easily they’d fallen into the new routine. She’d drop Owen off in front of the school each day and he’d proudly walk Lily into the building and on to class. Then, about two hours later, she’d come back, pick up her visitor pass at the front office, and quietly sneak into the classroom to get Lily. Five minutes later, she’d return and leave. A few hours later, she’d repeat the process, and then finally come back to pick them both up.

  So far, the strategy was working. Owen hadn’t had any more trips to the principal’s office and, even better, the other kids were warming up to him now that his behavior was more predictable. For the first time he was making friends. In fact, the only hitch in the system was the hit to her work schedule.

  She hadn’t quite anticipated how much her concentration would be affected by the constant stopping and starting. And even though nothing on Paradise was particularly far from anything else, four round trips added up to hours being cut from her work day.

  She’d taken to working in the park across from the school to save the drive time, but using her phone as a wi-fi hotspot wasn’t ideal, and the weather wasn’t going to hold out forever. Fall was well upon them, and although the temperatures didn’t drop drastically this far south, the periodic cold fronts could trigger nasty thunderstorms. The weather had seemed okay when she’d left the house this morning, but now angry dark clouds raced across a slate-colored sky. Hesitating at the front door to the school, she considered her options.

  “It looks pretty miserable out there, doesn’t it?”

  She turned, grinning when she caught sight of Luke approaching. Over the past few weeks, she’d gotten used to him popping up out of nowhere. She didn’t see him every time she came to the school, but often enough that she no longer thought the run-ins were accidental. He was seeking her out and, despite herself, she was flattered. Besides, she honestly enjoyed his company. There had been no more talk about the night they’d kissed. Instead, they had fallen into a comfortable friendship, sharing funny stories about their day or commiserating over the stresses of their very different but equally demanding careers.

  She still felt a tingle in her belly when she was around him. But he was a handsome man; she’d have to be dead not to feel some attraction. And unlike in her empty kitchen, there was no risk here of her giving in to temptation. As long as they were in public, she was safe to enjoy his company. After all, no matter how hot he looked or what his deep voice did to her insides, Megan wasn’t going to accost him in the middle of a school hallway.

  So she let herself enjoy their little encounters and refused to feel guilty about it. What she was feeling less than thrilled about was the current weather. “Yeah...that wind is vicious, and I didn’t think to bring a jacket.” She looked down at her T-shirt and jeans and shrugged. “I guess I’ll work at the diner today and hope I don’t wear out my welcome.” She had done it a few times when rain had driven her indoors, but hated taking up a table for hours during the lunch rush. The library and coffee shop, while quieter, were on the other side of the island.

  “Or you could just work here. The coffee at the diner is better, but our prices can’t be beat.”

  He’d offered to let her camp out at an empty desk in the administration suite before, but she’d always turned him and his offer of free coffee down. Everyone had already made so many accommodations for Owen; she didn’t want to be even more of a burden. Besides, she wasn’t sure how much work she’d get done with Luke around. Her thoughts tended to drift to less than professional topics in his presence.

  Still...she did have a lot of work to do and a bustling restaurant wasn’t a distraction-free environment, either. As she considered, a clap of thunder shook the building and the heavens opened up. The world outside shrank; her view of the park across the street now blocked by a solid wall of water.

  “Unless you’ve got a snorkel in that bag of yours, I think you’re staying here for a while.”

  “Just a phone and my laptop, so I guess I’m stuck.” She watched the storm for a moment; awed by its power despite the inconvenience it created. “But just for today.”

  “Whatever you say,” he agreed. Too easily. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was glad she was stuck here for t
he afternoon. The thought made her nervous, which was silly. He was just being nice. Friendly, even. That was all. He wasn’t going to make a move on her in his place of business. Unbidden, her mind returned to the first day she’d brought Lily to school, when he’d told her he’d wanted to have his way with her. A shiver that had nothing to do with the weather ran through her.

  “You’re cold,” Luke said, noticing. “I’ve got an old sweatshirt in the office if you want it.”

  She didn’t correct him. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. I just need a place to sit, and maybe some of that free coffee.”

  “Right this way.” He led her through the outer section of the administration area toward the private space where his office was located. For a moment, worried that’s where he was headed, she considered turning around. Call her a coward, but she’d rather brave the storm than risk spending the next couple of hours only a few feet away from Luke. Thankfully, he continued down the hall and opened the door to a room she hadn’t noticed before.

  The walls were lined with bookshelves heavy with an assortment of supplies and textbooks. In the center of the room, taking up nearly all the remaining space, there was a long conference table surrounded by standard office chairs that, despite their blandness, still somehow managed to look out of date. A bank of windows on the wall opposite the door boasted old-fashioned roll-up shades, currently closed. Still, she could make out flashes of lightning behind them as the storm gathered steam.

  “What do you think? It’s technically our conference room, but as you can see, it’s more a storage area than anything. Most of the teachers prefer to meet with parents in the classroom and the staff meetings are held before or after school, which means it’s all yours whenever you need it.”