The Puppy Problem

by Katie Meyer

  “I lied.” He did it again and then, since he was already there, kissed her thoroughly. When he came up for air, she was plastered against him, as if she couldn’t get close enough. Stroking her back, he tipped his head so he could see her eyes. “Now that that’s out of the way, what brings you to my office?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “Other than this, you mean?”

  “Hey, if you just couldn’t make it through the day without touching me, I’m okay with that. I just was wondering if there was something else you needed.”

  She shrugged and laid her head on his shoulder, effectively hiding her face from him.

  “Megan, honey, what is it?”

  “Nothing. I just...well, you never stay in your office all day. I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”

  “What?” He sat straighter, shifting her so she was facing him again. He saw embarrassment but also fear in her eyes. Hell. Of course she’d think that. He’d been practically stalking her for weeks, and then today he’d gone MIA without any warning.

  “No! I was just busy. I thought if I buckled down, I could knock out enough work to justify an evening off. I should have said something.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She nodded but he could tell she wasn’t fully convinced. “I get it, work comes first.” She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and got to her feet, smoothing her clothes into place.

  “I was trying to clear my plate so I could spend time with you.”

  That got her attention. She paused, half turned to the door. “You were?”

  He nodded. “I was going to ask if I could come by tonight, after Owen’s asleep.” He let the implications of that hit her.

  “Oh.” She bit her lip. “What about the neighbors?”

  “I’ll park down the street and walk.” He would scale a mountain if it meant having uninterrupted time with her. “So what do you say, can I come over?”

  She grinned. “You’d better. How about nine?”

  “Sounds good.”

  She started to leave then turned back, one hand on the doorknob. “Oh...and, Luke?”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t be late.”

  * * *

  Megan practically sauntered back to her spot in the conference room. Not only was Luke not avoiding her, he was coming over. They were finally going to get some time together away from prying eyes. Anything could happen.

  And just like that, the confidence she’d felt a moment ago congealed into a thick layer of anxiety. What had she just agreed to? In the heat of the moment, it was easy to forget all the baggage she carried, but now, sitting in a borrowed chair staring at a computer screen, she felt the weight of it. She wasn’t some twenty-year-old, without a care in the world. She was a mom. She liked to think she still looked good, but pregnancy and nursing had changed her body. Motherhood had changed her soul. Dating, and all that went with it, had a whole different feel than before.

  If you could even call what they were doing dating. A few stolen kisses and casual conversation wasn’t exactly a relationship. That wasn’t his fault; she was the one that had wanted to keep things secret. She still did, for good reasons. But suddenly it felt weird. Like it wasn’t really happening. Once upon a time, she had shared the ups and downs of her love life with friends. But one by one they’d faded out of her life as her world shrank. At the time, she’d accepted it, maybe even embraced it. More people meant more complications.

  But now that she had her head above water, she could grasp all that she’d missed. Agreeing to see where things went with Luke was a huge step, but it was time to make another one.

  Picking up her phone, she found the number she wanted and called. Reaching out was scary, but she’d been brave enough to walk into Luke’s office and confront him, and that gave her confidence.

  “Paradise Animal Hospital, this is Olivia, how can I help you?”

  “Hi, Olivia. This is Megan Palmer. I was hoping I could speak with the doctor? Or leave her a message?”

  “Of course. Is everything okay with Lily?”

  “She’s fine. I was actually calling about a personal matter.” Feeling foolish, she continued. “It’s not urgent, but I don’t have her cell number, so...”

  “No worries. Let me just check if she’s available.” A click and then the sounds of classic rock and roll echoed over the line as she waited. A minute later the music abruptly ended and Cassie came on the line.

  “Megan. What’s up? Need me to drop off more dog food?”

  She smiled at the woman’s cheerful enthusiasm. “No, thanks. I was actually wondering if you had some time to talk.”

  “What kind of talk? I’ve got about ten minutes until my next appointment, or I could stop by on my way home.”

  “Well, remember how I said you’d be the first to know if anything changed...regarding a particular someone?”

  A pause and then a high-pitched squeal that had Megan holding the phone away from her ear. “Okay,” Cassie proclaimed, “that’s definitely an in-person conversation. I’ll be there as soon as I finish up. And I’m warning you, I’m going to want details.”

  * * *

  True to her word, Cassie arrived on Megan’s doorstep only a few minutes after the clinic closed. Still in her scrubs, she had a bottle of wine in her hand and a smug smile on her face.

  “I hope you like merlot. A client gave me this a while back after I helped deliver her dog’s puppies. I kept forgetting to bring it home, which works out, since this kind of news deserves celebrating.”

  Megan took the bottle and led Cassie to the kitchen. “It’s not like that, really. I mean, there isn’t anything official to tell you.”

  Cassie started opening and closing cabinets, her back to Megan. “So give me the unofficial version. I don’t care.” She reached up to a high shelf and pulled down two stemmed glasses. “But pour first. It’s been a long day.”

  Guilt had Megan pausing, corkscrew halfway into the bottle. “Are you sure you can stay? If you’re tired, we could talk another time. You’d probably rather get home.”

  Taking the bottle out of her hands, Cassie finished uncorking it and filled both glasses. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.” She took a deep sip of the ruby-colored liquid and sighed. “Besides, Alex is off tonight, and it’s good for him to have some alone time with the kids.” She took another, smaller sip. “And it’s good for me to have some time where I don’t have to be the doctor or the boss or the mom.”

  Now that, Megan could identify with, at least in in a theoretical way. She raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

  The wine was rich as it flowed over her tongue. But it was Cassie’s friendly smile that warmed her insides. She’d missed this and hadn’t even known it. Gratitude filled her. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m dying to hear the latest update.” She set her glass down. “I meant it when I said I want details. Remember, I’m a married lady, I have to live vicariously through you if I want some excitement in my life.”

  Megan raised an eyebrow. She’d seen Cassie’s husband, a deputy with the local sheriff’s office. Tall, dark, and handsome, he was the sexy cop fantasy brought to life. “I don’t buy that for a minute. In fact, I would bet money you’ll be creating your own excitement later tonight.”

  Cassie blushed. “Maybe. Still, I want to hear everything.”

  A glance out the glass door showed her Owen was still happily digging in the sandbox, his toy dinosaurs lined up beside him. Lily, a few feet away, had likely been assigned the role of assistant archaeologist. Confident her son was out of earshot and would stay that way for at least a few minutes, she motioned Cassie to join her at the kitchen table.

  “I’m not quite sure where to start.”

  “Then skip to the good parts,” Cassie suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Megan
chuckled. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was Cassie’s blunt personality, but somehow she wasn’t as nervous talking about this as she’d expected. “All right. So, since Lily started attending school with Owen, I’ve been going by there twice a day to take her out for her potty breaks.”

  Cassie made a face. “Please tell me that your dog’s bathroom habits are not the good part.”

  Laughing, Megan shook her head. “Be patient.”

  “Fine, but if this doesn’t get better, I’m going to need more wine.”

  “It does,” she reassured her. “Anyway, like I said, I’m at the school twice a day, plus pickup and drop-off, of course. And, naturally, Luke is there, too.”

  “Being as he’s the principal, that makes sense. Get to the part I don’t know.”

  “Well, we’ve been talking a lot. He always seemed to show up in the hallway when I was there, or have some reason to be outside at the same time I was walking Lily. At first I thought it was coincidence.”

  “Please—” Cassie pointed a finger at Megan “—tell me that man was stalking you in a good way.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. Probably. Either way, it was nice. He’s fun to talk to.”

  “Nice to look at, too. But you didn’t call me up because he’s a good conversationalist. So, out with it, what happened?”

  “Fine.” Talking quickly, Megan outlined the lead-up to her working in the conference room. Then, taking a big gulp of wine for courage, she got to the point. “And then I kissed him.”

  “And did he kiss you back?” Cassie smacked herself on the forehead. “What am I saying? Of course he did.”

  “He did,” Megan confirmed. “In fact, if the entire staff and student body hadn’t been on the other side of the door, I think he would have done a lot more.” Heat crept up her cheeks. “It got pretty intense.”

  Cassie fanned her face with her hand. “Hot and heavy in the conference room. Please tell me you didn’t kick him out this time.”

  She shook her head. “No, but I made him agree to keep it a secret.”

  “Okay. I can kind of understand that, given how fast gossip flies around here.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So, now what? Are you two still making out on campus? Seeing each other outside of school hours? What?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.” She looked down at her almost empty glass and considered a refill. “But he’s coming over tonight, after Owen goes to sleep. It’s the first time we will actually be alone and I’m not sure what he’s expecting to happen.”

  Cassie considered that for a moment. “Well, unless you think he’s going to try to force you into anything—”

  “Never.”

  “Then the real question is what do you want to happen?”

  “I don’t know.” And that was the reason she’d called Cassie. “I haven’t dated in years. I don’t know how to do this.”

  “If you mean the mechanics, I assure you nothing has changed,” Cassie said with a smirk. “It’s still insert tab A in slot B, if you know what I mean.”

  “You’re terrible,” Megan protested, laughing despite herself. “I mean I don’t know if we are moving too fast, or if that’s even a thing these days. We’ve never even gone out on a date and yet...”

  “You don’t think you can keep your hands off him.” Cassie smiled. “Been there, done that, have the maternity clothes to prove it.”

  “Yikes.”

  “Yeah, that was my reaction, too. Alex and I hadn’t been together long, sort of like you and Luke. I didn’t plan for us to sleep together but...well, you’ve seen him.” A dreamy smile briefly softened her expression before she turned serious again. “Obviously you’re smarter than me, since we’re having this conversation now instead of after seeing two pink lines. But I’m going to ask anyway. Have you thought about birth control?”

  “Um...” Megan swallowed hard. She hadn’t, not really. “I’m not on the pill or anything, but I assumed we’d use a condom if things got that far.” Was she really having this conversation?

  Cassie nodded in approval. “Always a good choice, especially since you don’t know his history. Do you have any?”

  She shook her head. She’d had no reason to buy such things until today.

  “Well, if he’s a typical guy, he’ll come prepared. But make sure he does, before things get to the point of no return, if you know what I mean.”

  “Got it.” Practical stuff covered, she drained the last droplet of wine. “But it probably won’t come to that. I mean, I don’t even know if he wants to sleep with me. Maybe he’s expecting to come over and just watch a movie or something.”

  “Maybe, but I doubt it. If you’re at this point, I can only assume he is, too. But if it doesn’t feel right, put on that movie and wait until it does.”

  “How will I know if it’s right?” She knew how to work with data and numbers, but this was unfamiliar territory. How was she supposed to make such a big decision without any kind of objective information to base it on?

  Cassie laughed and stood, gathering up her purse and keys. “Oh, you’ll know. And when it is, it’ll be amazing.”

  Megan walked Cassie to the door and said goodbye, grateful for her new friend’s advice even if she wasn’t sure how helpful it was. Apparently, there was no metric to rely on, no set timetable or clear signal to say when it was right to move to the next phase. Instead, she’d have to rely on her instincts, which, when it came to matters of romance, were rusty from years of neglect.

  Still, despite her confusion, Megan had little butterflies of anticipation swirling in her stomach. Maybe Cassie was right, and she needed to just go with what felt right. Wasn’t Luke always telling her she was overthinking things? What worked for her on a coding project or when creating a grocery list might not be the best approach for a romance. She just didn’t know if she could turn off that analytical side long enough to try to find out.

  Over the next few hours, she somehow managed to get Owen fed and bathed and ready for bed, even with her brain in overdrive. It got even worse after she tucked him in. Standing in front of her closet, she realized she had no idea of what to wear. Was a dress too formal for what wasn’t even really a date? Jeans and a T-shirt didn’t seem right, either. Exasperated, she considered calling and telling Luke not to come.

  Except then she’d have to give a reason. He wasn’t likely to accept her inability to choose an outfit as a valid excuse. Mostly because it wasn’t.

  She could text Cassie. But that was ridiculous. She was a grown woman and fully capable of dressing herself.

  Marching back to the closet, she grabbed her favorite skinny jeans and a coral scoop-necked blouse. Turning back to the dresser, she dug through her top drawer until she found a matching bra and panty set. Maybe nothing would happen tonight, but a girl couldn’t be too prepared.

  She hurried through a shower and was almost finished with her makeup when her phone buzzed, signaling an incoming text message.

  I’m here.

  Her hands shook as she typed out a response.

  I’ll be right there.

  Quickly she brushed on light coat of mascara, and then tiptoed down the hall. She found Luke standing on the front step with a bottle of wine, and couldn’t help but laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” He glanced around. “Do I have shaving cream on my face or something?”

  She motioned him inside and shut the door as quietly as she could. “No. I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m going to start to get a complex if people keep bringing me booze.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Who else is bringing you wine?”

  “Why, are you jealous?” She took the bottle and carried into the kitchen, just as she had earlier that afternoon.

  “No.”

  Considering his scowl said otherwise, her confidence shot up a notch. “I think you are.
But,” she added, taking pity on him, “you have no reason to be. Cassie Santiago had some a client had given her and shared it with me.”

  “I see,” he said, the muscle along his jaw visibly relaxing. “That was nice of her.”

  “It was,” she agreed. “And, for the record, you’re the only man making late-night deliveries.” Might as well get that out in the open. They’d never actually said they were exclusive, and she wasn’t going to take things any further without knowing.

  “Good. I didn’t really think otherwise. But I’m afraid I don’t share well.” He took her hand and pulled her to him. His embrace was possessive—she could practically smell the testosterone—and despite her independence, she’d always been a sucker for an alpha male. Looking up, she sought his eyes. “Me, either. And I know we said we would just see what happens, and we aren’t officially dating, but if there is anyone else—”

  He shushed her with a press of his lips to hers. “There isn’t. And there won’t be, as long as we’re still...involved. Promise. I’m old fashioned that way.”

  “Not too old fashioned, I hope.” She licked her lips where the taste of him lingered, just enough to whet her appetite. She wanted to feast on this man. All of him. Her earlier worries were burning away from the heat he ignited in her. One small kiss and she felt the fire building inside, demanding she feed it. And just as Cassie predicted, she knew exactly what she wanted, and she wanted it now. “Because we don’t have a chaperone.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” he muttered, leaning down to kiss her again, slowly, thoroughly, exploring and teasing until her knees weakened.

  She gripped his shoulders, letting his strength support them both, and gave in to the sensations washing over her. Time and space collapsed to this moment in this man’s arms.

  “Hold tight.” His breathless command had barely penetrated when she felt her feet leave the ground. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist for balance, keeping them in place when he set her gently on the kitchen table.