“Yeah. The sooner I can put this behind me, the better.”
The atmosphere shifted, and he frowned. “So you want to celebrate later? Maybe have a drink at End Game when I get off work?”
“Maybe. I’m going to try to meet with Rachel to finish the details for the wedding. Everything is coming together. We could get married next week and get it over with, as well.” She laughed at the idea, even as she was half-hoping that he would agree.
“Olivia, is this really something that you want to do?”
Tucking a flyaway hair behind her ear, she shifted uncomfortably. What was happening here? “Buy the brownstone? I know I’ve had issues with it in the past, but it’s time to quit worrying about it. It’s not like I think I’m going to regret the decision, but I need to go ahead and sign the papers before I talk myself out of it. You know how I am.”
“I do,” he said softly. “Maybe that’s the problem.”
She tapped the heel of her shoe impatiently against the sidewalk. “You’ve been pushing me to take this step for the past couple of months. I thought you’d be happy.”
“Is this what you’re doing with our wedding?”
“What?” Her whole body froze. “What are you talking about?”
The blood roared in her ears as he continued to study her. “You’ve been rushing the wedding plans, ignoring our budget, ignoring what you said you wanted. It didn’t make any sense to me, but now . . .” his voice trailed off. “Are you doing this so you can’t back out?”
Helplessly, she closed her eyes. “The wedding isn’t a big deal to me, Andrew. I just wanted to get it over with so that we could be married.”
“And before you changed your mind?”
“Okay, I know what you’re thinking,” she said, as her voice grew desperate. “But it’s not like that. I love you, Andrew. I want to marry you.”
“I’m not certain that you do.”
“Me? I’ve been gung-ho about this from the very beginning!”
“No,” he snapped suddenly. “You haven’t. I know that the only reason you were investigating Yvette’s murder was to put off my proposal. Do you think I’m blind?”
“If you knew that I wasn’t sure about it, why did you propose in the first place?”
“Because you never know what you want until it’s put right in front of you! You don’t plan for anything, Olivia!” He ran his hands through his hair. “I wanted a long engagement so you could get used to the idea. It never occurred to me that you’d back out, but I know that you don’t adjust to change quickly. But this? God, Olivia. I feel like you’re just marrying me to prove something.”
“That’s not true,” she said. She hated the way that her voice shook, but she couldn’t help it. “I mean, it’s true that I solved Lacy’s murder to prove that I’m not cursed, but I’m not marrying you to prove anything! I don’t understand what you’re so upset about. You asked me to marry you, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets and blew out his breath. “Yes,” he said finally. “I can see that. But I don’t want you to marry me just because I asked. I think that we need to take some time to think about this.”
Olivia was speechless. A thousand questions ran through her head. Was he talking about taking a break from wedding talk? Was he talking about taking a break from each other?
Was he breaking up with her?
Her heart pounded in her chest as Andrew gave her one last sad look before turning and striding out into the rain. She opened her mouth to call after him, but no sound came out.
“Olivia?”
Janelle’s voice barely penetrated her fear.
“Olivia, are you okay? Kristy and I are ready for you. Olivia? Olivia!”
Slowly, she turned around to face her sister. “Janelle,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I’ve done.”
End of “Till Death do us Bark”
HAPPY TAILS DOG WALKER MYSTERIES
PS: Book Three of Stella St. Claire’s, Happy Tails Dog Walker Mysteries, will be out July 2017. Win a free copy of Book 3 by signing up to her mailing list or visit her website to pre-order One Bark and Stormy Prom Night!
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Stella lives and breathes cozy mysteries! With her head always buried inside these books, it’s no wonder that she would put pen to paper to bring her own cozy mysteries to life. The words flew onto the page, and she’s already teeming with ideas for the next cozy mystery series.
With her trusted canine by her side, it seemed only natural to be inspired by her beautiful beagle Doogle and the many hours they spent walking through scenic New England villages. When Stella’s not reading books, she’s off on road trips, exploring every nook and cranny in neighboring towns, seeking inspiration for her next book.
She’s keen to see what her fellow cozy critics think of “Happy Tails Dog Walker Mysteries,” so please leave a review and share your thoughts on Stella’s Website, Facebook or Goodreads!
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He's quite a talker, so I’ll let him introduce himself...
“I’m no Sherlock Bones, but when it comes to Cozies, I know my stuff. Every plot pawblem Stella has, she comes to me. She talks, i listen and before you can say *Labracadabrador* she's off typing again. Stella and I are a pretty good team—even if i have to do all the hard work…”
Till Death Do Us Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 2) Page 16