Pawfectly In Love

by Stephanie Rowe

  She nodded. "So, that's a no."

  "I guess. What's your point?"

  "I'm not moving to Boston."

  Luke gritted his teeth. "I didn't ask you to move there. I just asked you to come with me for a week." But even as he spoke, he knew it was a lie. He'd seen an opportunity, he'd hoped maybe it would work, that maybe if she came with him, she'd want to go with him when he moved back there.

  She narrowed her eyes. "No, I guess you didn't ask me to move there, did you? So, I guess I'm getting all worked up over nothing. So, it doesn't matter if I'd go anyway, or if you'd move here."

  Luke ran his hands through his hair in aggravation. "Will you please tell me what you're talking about? Why are you so upset?"

  "I'm not upset."

  "Liar."

  "Will you just go? Go to Boston, to your dinner. I'll see you when you get back."

  Luke decided that maybe she was right. It would give them both some space to process. "I wish you'd come with me."

  She held out the roll. "See you in a week."

  "Fine." He gave her a quick kiss, then grabbed his car keys. "I'll call you."

  "I'm not sure there's a point."

  Luke's stomach thudded like a lump of clay. "What?"

  She just shook her head. "We'll talk when you get back. We both need the week to think."

  It was not the sweetest goodbye he'd ever had. There was something much too permanent about it, which bothered him for the entire drive to Boston.

  Chapter 22

  Ten days later, and Paige hadn't heard from Luke. He hadn't even called to check on his dog. It was better this way, though it hurt like hell.

  Refusing to wallow in misery, she'd accepted a dinner invitation from her mom, for a girls' night out. Only, when she arrived, there were two familiar men sitting at their table.

  Paige stopped in her tracks, forcing Louise to bump into her from behind. "Mom. What did you do? I thought it was just us for dinner." Louise dug her knuckle between Paige's shoulder blades. "Ow!"

  "Keep walking, sweetie. Walt Jr. showed up unexpectedly today, and this was the only way Walter would keep the date with me tonight."

  Paige ducked to the right, out of range of her mom's deadly knuckles. "I can't do this. Not now. Not after Luke and I..."

  "Paige. Luke's been gone over a week, and you haven't heard from him. He hasn't even checked on his dog."

  "So? Maybe he's been busy." Paige stole a glance across the restaurant. Walt Jr., who she used to think was someone she might be interested in, now just looked nerdy and annoying. His hair was slicked sideways across his head, a weak attempt to hide his premature balding. Why hadn't that bothered her before? "I'm not eating with you guys."

  "Too late. They see us." Louise waved across the restaurant, and both Walters stood up. "Smile, hon. It's for the good of your mom's social life. Surely you can suck it up for one night. I really like the man."

  "Trying to buy your way into his heart by pimping your only daughter?" Paige reluctantly let her mom push her toward the table. She did want her mom to find a man who treated her well, and Walter did seem like a nice guy, but she couldn't even manage to make eye contact with him. She missed Luke so much, and she was terrified by the long silence from him. It wasn't like him, it wasn't the relationship they'd already established over the last few months. "Aren't you guys old enough to date without having to bring your kids along?"

  "Well, hello, Louise. You look lovely this evening," Walter gushed, his bald head blushing when Louise beamed at him.

  "Hi, Paige. So good to see you again." Walt Jr. sidled up to Paige and tried to kiss her in greeting. All he received was a head-butt when she ducked her head to avoid him.

  She darted past him and grabbed the seat farthest away from him. "Boy, am I hungry. Let's order right away."

  She tried not to feel guilty about her mom's sigh as she sat down. It was her mom's fault that she was there against her will. She'd stay, but she didn't have to prolong it. She should find a way to enjoy it though. Things with Luke obviously weren't going to work out. Yeah, right. Walt Jr. held as much appeal as wilted cabbage in day-old tap water.

  Then her mom whispered, "Thank you," and Paige's tension faded. Her mom had done so much for her, and been through so much. Even if Paige couldn't have love, at least one of them could. She nodded and squeezed her mom's hand. "You bet," she whispered.

  By the time they'd ordered their dinner, despite her resolution to support her mom, Paige was feeling sick to her stomach. She couldn't take any more of Walt Jr.'s attempts to brush her hand, or engage her in private conversation. She wanted to be home, with Muffin and Bandit, trying to talk herself out of Luke, not here, avoiding Walt Jr.’s overtures.

  "Excuse me." The maître d' tapped on Paige's shoulder. "Paige?"

  She whirled around. Relief? "Yes? Is there an emergency? Did someone get bitten by their dog?"

  The poor man took a step back. "Um, I don't know anything about a dog. There's a man here to speak with you." He pointed toward the front of the restaurant.

  Paige leaned to her left to peer around the man, then caught her breath. It was Luke, in a suit, and he looked irritated. Her heart leapt, and she suddenly felt so much better. Luke.

  "That man has a way of interrupting our dinners," Louise said, but her eyes were twinkling. "Find out what he wants and send him on his way."

  "Sure, Mom." With a nod of apology to Walt Jr., who was eyeing Luke nervously, Paige carefully set her napkin on her chair and stood up. Squaring her shoulders, she quelled the bubble of excitement at seeing Luke again. After such a wonderful day of lovemaking, the man had utterly disappeared. He didn't deserve a warm welcome, even if she was so desperate to see him that she could barely keep herself from racing across the room and throwing herself into his arms.

  She reached him, and stopped. "Hi." God, he looked handsome. She'd missed him so much.

  "Hi." He glared at her, then meaningfully looked over her shoulder and scowled at her date. "I'm gone for less than two weeks, and you're already picking up with your lumberjack again?"

  Paige smiled at his jealousy, her insides dancing at the sight of him. She'd really begun to think he wasn't coming back. "You don't really think he's a lumberjack, do you? I think a chainsaw weighs more than him."

  Luke's scowl deepened. "You aren't denying that you're at dinner with him."

  "My mom digs his dad, and the only way his dad would go is if I went along, too. My mom trapped me into it," Paige said. "How'd you find me?"

  "There are only two restaurants in this town. It wasn't very difficult." He looked over her shoulder again. "Can we get out of here? Your date is irritating me."

  She hesitated, wanting desperately to leave, yet not quite ready to trust his reappearance. "I thought I'd hear from you while you were gone, especially after what happened between us."

  "I know. I'm sorry." Luke ran his fingers though his hair. "Can we go outside?"

  "Here is fine." Paige crossed her arms over her chest and waited. She hadn't really thought he was coming back, and now that he was here, she didn't want to trust him again. The fact he hadn't reached out to hug her was scaring her. "What's going on, Luke?"

  "Fine." He took a deep breath. "Listen, when I was back in Boston…"

  She lifted her chin. "What happened?"

  "I've got to move back."

  Paige felt a sudden lump in her throat. "What about your office here?"

  "They've picked up some new clients in Boston. They want me back there to handle them. I've hired a couple people here. If you'll just give me the name of that lawyer you know, I could round out the staff and be done with it."

  "Oh." Paige shifted her feet. "What about your dog?"

  "I work hundred-hour weeks in Boston, Paige. I can't do that to him. I was hoping you'd take care of him."

  She stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You're going to leave Muffin behind?" She'd thought he'd changed. She'd been so sure he'd falle
n love with the dog, with life in New Hampshire, with all of it…with her. How could she have been so wrong?

  "No."

  Paige furrowed her brow. "What? Didn't you just say you wanted me to take care of him?"

  Luke nodded.

  "What are you talking about?"

  He took her hand. "Paige, when I was in Boston, all I could think about was you. I missed your irreverence of me, and my profession. The way you challenge my beliefs. I want you to come back to Boston with me. My condo felt empty as hell, and I hated the thought of going home at night. I need you, Bandit, and Muffin in my life."

  For a split second, her heart leapt. He wanted her to move to Boston with him? He didn't want to leave her behind. God, she wanted to say yes, desperately, but she knew she couldn’t. There was no way she wanted to go back to Boston, even to be with him. It would break her. "Luke—"

  "I want you to marry me. Will you?"

  Her mouth dropped open, and she didn't know what to say.

  "I know I don't have a ring, but I didn't have time. I fought all week, trying to get them to let me stay up here longer but there was no way. I have to go back, and once I realized that, I knew I couldn’t do it without you." He took her hand. "What do you say? I know you're afraid of the city, but it'll be okay. You can set up a dog training business if you want, but you don't have to. I make plenty of money. You can be a lady of leisure, buy some nice clothes, go to fancy restaurants. You'll love it."

  "Fancy restaurants and nice clothes?" She closed her eyes, her heart breaking. "Don't you know that's not me?" she whispered, unable to keep the anguish out of her voice. "You can't turn me into something that fits your life." She held her arms out to the side. "Look at me, Luke. See me. This is who I am. This is me."

  He frowned "What? What's wrong? I thought you loved me?"

  "So you did overhear me talking to my mom?" She was only mildly gratified by the mortified look on Luke's face that she'd caught him. She sighed. "Luke, I told you on the island that I would marry only for love. And you don't love me. If you did, you would know I can't accept that offer, that it would make me miserable. You would see who I am, and love me for that."

  The muscle in Luke's cheek flexed. "But..."

  Frustration ripped through her, and heartbreak. She pushed at his chest. "You're an idiot, Luke! Look at me! I'm not your rich little Bostonian woman! I'm from a small town in New Hampshire and that's where I have to stay. I can't live your life!"

  He looked confused. "It's the lumberjack, isn't it? That's who you love. I misunderstood, didn't I?"

  "Good heavens, Luke! There isn't any lumberjack! I'm putting up with that loser because my mom has the hots for his dad. You're the one I love, but I'm not going to be stupid about it. I can't move back to Boston, even for you. And I can't marry a man who can't see and accept me for who I am, no matter how much I love him." Even Luke wouldn't be able to prevent a nervous breakdown if she returned to her old life. And he didn't love her.

  He stared at her. "You can't move back to Boston?"

  She waved her arms. "Look around you, Luke. The lake, the dogs, the paintings hanging in your office. I belong at The Mug now, and I love that feeling."

  "What do you mean, back to Boston? Have you lived there?"

  "Yo', kids. You're making a scene." Louise popped her head over Paige's shoulder. She eyed Luke. "You have a habit of interrupting my dates. It's rather irritating."

  "Sorry." Luke stared at Paige, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. "You know my past, Paige. Tell me yours."

  "Ohhh..." Louise put her arm around Paige's shoulder. "You haven't told him, yet?"

  Paige shrugged off her mom's arm and lifted her chin. "Luke, I appreciate your offer. I know that's as much as you can give, but it's not enough for me. Even if you did love me, which you haven't even said you do, I still can't move to Boston. I don't want to, even if I could." She turned to her mom. "I'm going home. Can you have Walter drive you home?"

  Louise grinned. "Yeah, but how am I going to get rid of Walt Jr.? Without you around to distract him, he rather cramps my style."

  "I'll get rid of him. Purely as a favor to you, Louise." Luke walked past the two women before they could stop him. He grabbed a pitcher of water from a startled waiter and headed for the table.

  "You've got to be kidding." Louise elbowed her daughter. "What happened out here?"

  "He asked me to move to Boston and be his live-in sex toy and dog sitter. I turned him down, of course."

  "Those were his words? Interesting approach. I wonder if it would work with Walter."

  "Please, Mom. The image of you being Walter's sex toy is too much for a daughter. Spare me the fantasy, will you?" She sighed. "He asked me to marry him, but he couldn't even say he loved me," she whispered. "And he said I could go to Boston and wear nice clothes and go to nice restaurants."

  Louise raised her brows. "He proposed?"

  "It wasn't enough, Mom."

  "No, it wasn't, but it's a good first step. He'll come around."

  Paige bit her lip. "I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know anymore."

  "I do." Louise grinned and put her arm over her shoulder as Luke approached the table. "What do you suppose Luke's going to do with that pitcher?"

  "Dump it on Walt Jr. hopefully."

  To her dismay, Luke merely filled the water glasses on the table, chatting amicably with the Walters. After a few moments, Walt Jr. stood up and walked toward them. He nodded toward Louise and Paige. "Business emergency. I'm afraid I have to leave."

  Then he continued out the door to the parking lot.

  Paige and Louise exchanged surprised glances, then looked back into the dining room. Luke was sitting opposite Walter, chatting casually. He looked relaxed and at ease.

  Unable to contain her curiosity, Paige led the way across the dining room. When she reached the table, neither man even bothered to look up.

  "Luke. Can I chat with you for a moment?"

  "One sec." He shifted in his chair, tugging his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled a business card out and handed it to Walter. "So, give me a call on Monday and we'll chat."

  Walter took the card and shook Luke's hand. "Glad to see we're getting some quality legal help up here. I look forward to working with you."

  Paige shook her head. Only at the table for three minutes, and the man was scoping for clients. Her mom's date, for heaven's sake. "Luke?"

  He stood up, flashing her an amused smile. "Nice to see you again, Louise."

  Paige grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the table. "What did you say to Walt Jr.? You didn't ruin my mom's chances with his dad, did you?"

  Luke grinned. "Not at all. I simply told Walt Jr. that you wanted to get cozy with him, but you were too embarrassed to do anything in front of your mom. He's going to meet you at your house in twenty minutes. That way your mom doesn't need to know."

  "What? Are you serious?" His smug grin told her all she needed to know. "You're a jerk."

  Not waiting for a reply, she sprinted for the door, praying she could catch Walt Jr. before he headed off to her house.

  Chapter 23

  Paige ran out to the parking lot just in time to see Walt Jr.'s sports car peel out onto the street, the tires squealing. She watched with dismay as he turned left, toward her house. Damn Luke. "I hate him."

  "Yeah, he did seem rather desperate," Luke agreed, his breath warm on her cheek.

  Paige jumped forward, away from Luke. She whirled toward him. "I meant that I hate you."

  "It is said that there is a fine line between love and hate."

  "Why did you do that? I had just told you that I wasn't here with him." Paige dug into her purse for her keys and stalked toward her truck.

  Luke grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "I figured you wouldn't go home if you knew Walt Jr. was waiting there for you."

  She twisted her arm out of his grasp. "And what's the point of that? Depriving me of my home?"

  "I thought we cou
ld go somewhere and talk."

  Paige clenched her teeth and unlocked her truck, refusing to look at Luke. "There's nothing more to say. You want me to be your kept woman, and I won't do it."

  She climbed inside and tried to pull the door shut, but Luke wedged his hip in the door. He absently patted his dog, who was poking his nose over Paige's shoulder to greet him. "Hey, Muffin. Paige, I asked you to marry me. What more do you want?"

  "I want to marry a man who loves me."

  "Maybe I love you. Did you think of that?"

  She sighed. "You don't even know me, so how can you love me? The fact you can even think that offering me fancy restaurants, nice clothes, and dinner with the partners in your firm shows how little you know about who I really am."

  Luke pulled her keys out of the ignition and shoved them in his pocket. "Then why don't you tell me?" Challenge flashed in his eyes. "Why can't you move to Boston, Paige? You know my past. Tell me yours. Instead of throwing up walls between us like you do every time I ask about your past, tell me. Don't run away again. Just tell me."

  Paige folded her arms across her chest. "Fine. You want to know? I used to be a lawyer at Black & Bonneau."

  His brows shot up. "You did? The firm that's in my building?"

  "Yep." She took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "I wanted to be the first female partner at B&B, so I worked my butt off. I slept at the firm most nights, and had no life outside. My fiancé also worked there, and we were hardly ever at home. I made tons of money, was about a year away from making partner, and then…." God, she didn't want to tell him. She didn't want him to look at her the way Howard had, the way everyone in her firm had.

  "Then what?" Luke's voice was soft, and he moved closer, running his hand down her arm. "What happened, Paige?"

  She raised her chin and met his gaze. "I had a nervous breakdown or whatever they're calling it these days. I collapsed in the middle of a team meeting and I had to be carted out on a stretcher. I spent a month in the psych ward at the hospital, and when they let me out…" she sighed. "A part of me was broken," she said softly. "My fiancé had already dumped me, and the firm had quietly asked me not to come back. My ex bought me out of our condo, and I moved up here to recover. I got Bandit a few weeks after moving here. That's when I discovered what life is about, and that's when I began to heal."