Ready for Love

by Jules Dixon

  I wanted to yell, “Just fucking leave!” but I kept my calm.

  “Okay, what’s up?” Kai spun her barstool toward me.

  “What are your parents like?”

  Kai leaned back. “Um. They’re parents.” She pushed a menu my way. “What are you thinking of eating?”

  “They live in Florida, right?”

  “I was thinking of getting the salmon salad. I love roasted red peppers.”

  I filed the peppers thing for the future, but was a little irritated by the lack of participation in conversation.

  Tad delivered her drink.

  “I’ll have my regular for dinner.” I closed the menu that I probably could recite from memory.

  Tad tucked the menu under his arm and looked to Kai. “And for you?”

  “What’s your regular meal?” Kai asked me.

  “The mac and cheese.” I sipped my martini.

  “Sounds good, but I’ll have the salmon salad, please.”

  Tad walked off.

  “So, if you could travel anywhere next, where would it be?” I hoped travel wasn’t a bad subject.

  “I’m going to Cancun next month, but I’d like to go to Europe next year.”

  “I love Mexico. Have you been to Ixtapa?”

  We got into a conversation about the places we’d gone and the tequila troubles we’d seen until the food arrived, and then we were quiet while we ate. I had a million questions to ask. I remembered last night when we were at the event and I’d answered every question she asked. I’d been so open. Why’d I let my guard down? Was it the safety of the event? Was it having my friends around me?

  Maybe.

  But more likely it had been her. She was genuinely curious about me.

  “Do you have any siblings?” I sipped my martini.

  “One brother. He’s living in Spain right now for work. I think he should be back by Christmas.”

  “Love the location of your house. Do you own or rent?”

  The food was delivered.

  She took a long drink of beer. “You interested in sharing dessert later?”

  I spun my stool toward her. “Why the avoidance when I ask some questions?”

  She huffed. “Because I’m trying to keep this in the friend zone, like you wanted. So nothing about family, future, or finances.”

  I crossed my arms and leaned back. “And what can we talk about?”

  “Food.” She held up a forkful of salad and shoved it in her mouth. She washed it down with a drink of beer. “And friends, and fucking.”

  I sat up straight. “So food, friends, and fucking?”

  Tad jerked to a stop as he walked by. “Anything I can help you with, ladies?”

  I glared out of the corner of my eye.

  He held up his hands. “Sorry, just thought—”

  “Wrong. Move on, cocky boy.” I shooed him away, and he chuckled.

  “So, you can flirt and banter with him, but I can’t?” Kai asked.

  I leaned into her. “I was jealous. I’m not anymore.”

  “Because?”

  “Because with a little encouragement in the bathroom, I decided to go for it.”

  She paused with a forkful of food hanging in the air. “Go for what it?”

  “Us.”

  The fork dropped to the plate. “Really?”

  The pulse point in her long slender neck pounded away and the sight made me smile.

  “Yes. Really. I like you, Kai. I was scared last night because I’ve been here before. I’ve tried hard with someone. I’ve put myself out there and had my heart stomped on.” I slipped my hand under hers on her thigh and gave a squeeze. “But I think you’re different. And special. And maybe you get me for who I am. And granted we are pretty fucking awesome at … well, fucking.”

  “Jaclyn Zelensky, I promise, you give me a week of you and of us, and I’ll make sure that we’re special together.”

  I kissed her cheek. I dug into my dinner and Kai scooted her stool closer.

  Tad wiped down the counter. “Can I get you anything else?”

  I gazed into Kai’s eyes. “I think we’re good.”

  Chapter Ten

  Kai

  The evening was about as perfect as I'd have ever wanted. Tad apparently knew what was going on, but he had a little bit of a troublemaker in him. Jace had known him in high school. She believed the fact that she would never be in his bed amused him and didn’t bother him.

  But she’s worth being bothered over.

  “Are you staying overnight?”

  The temptation was high but…

  “Sorry, Waffles has to go out and I have a client at five a.m. tomorrow. Promise that I really want to, but probably should go home to sleep.”

  “I understand. I get up at four in the morning most days, too.”

  Perfect.

  We stopped by my car.

  “Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?” I clasped her waist in my hands and the softness made me inhale deep and fast.

  Damn, I want to stay.

  “Yeah. That should be good.” She tensed. “Crap, I’m going to my boss’s house for early dinner tomorrow night. They have twins so they put them to bed early and then we do business and I leave.”

  I waited, hoping for the obvious solution to come to her, but she stared at the ground.

  “I can’t, Kai,” she whispered, her reticence clear to invite me farther into her life. “I’ll be back by about seven, if you want to come here or me over there.”

  It was a start.

  “My place, please. ’Cause of Waffles.”

  She pushed her hands into my hair, her manicured nails teasing across my scalp. “Are you bribing me with morning breakfast?”

  “Oh, you don’t want to see my breakfast, I can’t cook to save my life. Hence, the dinner … out. Waffles won’t even eat the leftovers of anything I make.”

  “Then maybe I should make you breakfast?”

  “I’d like that.” I lowered to meet her lips. That soft vanilla flavoring of her lip gloss coated my lips, and I savored the treat. Her teeth pulled at my lower lip, my body heating quickly. “It’s amazing the way my body responds to your touch.”

  “Mine, too. Never been like this with anyone else.” She sneaked out from under me, brushing her body along mine. “Okay, tomorrow, anytime after seven.”

  I blew out a long breath. The cool October air tingled on my warmed skin. “I’ll be here.”

  She kissed my cheek, and I watched her walk into the apartment.

  Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.

  ****

  Waffles already had cabin fever, and winter wasn’t even here. It had rained a good portion of the morning, but the sky cleared early afternoon, so I leashed him up and we headed off to the local dog park. The long walk would do me good. My body and brain wouldn’t shut up with how excited they were. I wanted to text Jace, but decided against it. Time. We’d get there.

  Presley, Jude’s fiancée and one of my training clients, was at the dog park with their white puffball of a dog, Foo-Foo. Waffles could eat Foo-Foo if he wanted, but of course he wouldn’t do that.

  “Hey, Presley, how are you?”

  “Doing okay. So, Waffles, you look like you’re in a good mood today.”

  “Waffles is always in a good mood.”

  “Foo-Foo ate some Twizzlers last night, so we’ve been here for forty-five minutes trying to make something happen.”

  I bent down and gave the white tiny dog some attention. Waffles wandered off. He was more of a Great Dane or rottweiler kind of guy. Little dogs seemed to annoy him.

  “Jude told me I shouldn’t ask, but I haven’t been able to get ahold of Jace all day. I’m dying to know. How are things?”

  I watched Waffles romp with a Boxer. “Really great. I hate to get my hopes up because I know things don’t always work out, but I really think Jace and I could be…” Forever. “We could be great together.”

  Presley squealed. “T
hat night at House of Loom, I knew it! She was doing that thing with her hair and you were leaning in and she was so intense and you were so sincere.”

  I laughed at her continued recollections of the night. “She’s coming over to my place tonight and honestly I can’t wait.”

  “This is so great.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket.

  Jace: My boss needs me to work on something with him here for a while. Tonight is off. Sorry. I’ll text you tomorrow to catch up.

  “She cancelled.” I stared at the message, disappointment choking my gut.

  Presley’s brows furrowed. “Sorry, Kai.”

  A past feeling engulfed me and the need to be in the comfort of my home rushed through me. I glanced around the park, spinning in a circle. “I don’t see Waffles, do you?” Then my gut clenched for a different reason.

  Presley picked up Foo-Foo. “Maybe he’s over in the doggie maze. I’ll go check over there.”

  “I’ll check the other end.” I jogged to the corner of the fenced-in park that had a small cement building in one corner. “Waffles?”

  A guy with a Doberman walked over. “Who are you looking for?”

  I pulled my phone out and held up the screen saver. “This dog. He’s about sixty pounds, furry.”

  “Sorry, haven’t seen him.” His dog barked and pulled on his leash.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance, and my heart squeezed in my chest. “If you do, please come find me.”

  “Will do, but it’s going to start raining soon so you might want to call the humane society right now and report him missing.”

  Chills spread through my body.

  Missing?

  Presley ran over to me as large drops fell and lightning cracked. “I’m sorry, Kai, I don’t see him.”

  The constant crack of the thunderstorm took over my brain. I turned every direction. The more I spun the more my stomach lurched into my throat. In minutes the park cleared as the rain started to fall.

  He’s gone.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jace

  I never heard back from Kai. I thought it was weird, but since I didn’t get back into the house until almost midnight I went to bed. The next morning I sat at the breakfast bar eating my bowl of oatmeal, and I texted her again.

  Jace: Good morning. Hope you got my message. Love to see you tonight.

  I headed to work. I stared at my phone as I walked into the building.

  Not like her.

  My phone buzzed on my desk before I had my first cup of coffee filled.

  Kai: Waffles went missing at the dog park yesterday afternoon. I’m spending the day looking for him.

  I slipped into a sweater hanging on the back of my chair. The room wasn’t cold, but the news chilled my body.

  I checked my calendar.

  Jace: I’m so sorry to hear that. I have meetings all day. Good luck.

  I stared at the message. It just didn’t feel right, but I sent it as my phone buzzed for my meeting reminder.

  My boss, Brock Hills, conducted the Monday morning team rah-rah session every Monday at seven a.m. He wasn’t a cheerleader, but he was good at keeping us informed and ready to meet the week’s challenges with a plan.

  I kept checking my phone, but no news. My head spiraled into the good and bad possibilities, and thinking of how much Waffles meant to Kai. He was a one of a kind.

  “Jace, can I see you for a couple after? Everyone else, good luck this week. I know we’ve all got a big schedule, but we’ve had worse. Let’s do it.”

  I tried to remember anything of what Brock had said in the meeting.

  Nothing.

  He pulled out the chair next to me and faced me. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Ready to dive back into that YO-LO vodka promotion.”

  Brock rocked back in his chair. “Not buying it. You were distracted during the whole meeting and last night was a complete mess.”

  My boss knew my sexual orientation, but I didn’t feel comfortable discussing Kai with him.

  “I’m a little concerned about a friend.”

  “A friend?”

  “Her name is Kai and she’s lost her dog. He went missing when they were at the dog park yesterday.” My chest tightened. “He’s such a great dog. He’s got this tail that I think wags automatically in his sleep. The way he welcomes a person makes them feel instantly loved.”

  Like dog, like owner.

  “And what about Waffles’ owner? Kai?”

  My phone lit up.

  Kai: Humane society called. A dog was found a few blocks from the dog park. They want me to come and verify if the body is Waffles. I think I’m dying inside.

  My eyes watered, and I pursed my lips to stop any escalation.

  “Jace, everything okay?”

  “They found a dog … deceased, she’s going to see if it’s…” My chest bounced up and down and I couldn’t stop it. “Waffles.”

  Brock’s warm hand landed on mine. “Kai means something to you.”

  I stilled.

  “She does, but I’m not very good at showing the people in my life that they are important to me.”

  “Last night, you were off. Distracted.”

  The truth was hard to say. Kai’s distraught message still ping-ponged around in my brain.

  “I was going over to hang out, maybe stay the night, and I blew her off to work, at least that was what I told her. I’m scared to try again.”

  Brock leaned forward. “Jace, even if you only worked thirty hours—or hell, even twenty hours—a week, you’d still be our best performing associate. It’s time you stop worrying about losing your job or not contributing enough, and start concentrating on someone important to you and contributing to your happiness.”

  “I want to go be with her.”

  He stood. “Then go. Not like you don’t have four weeks of vacation—take a week off, or two.”

  “But the—”

  “Don’t.” He held up a hand. “Go support Kai, and although I’ll pray it isn’t, if in the event the deceased dog turns out to be Waffles, please take a couple of days to help your friend through her loss.”

  It can’t be.

  I gathered my things, and for the first time in two years, I walked out the door during business hours for something other than a meeting.

  Jace: I’m on my way.

  I pulled up to the humane society, and Kai sat outside on a bench. I heard the gasping of crying before I got to her, a sound that could break my heart like I’d never experienced.

  “Kai, honey, I’m so sorry.” I sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her. She sobbed into my jacket.

  “I don’t know where else to look.”

  I pulled back. “It wasn’t Waffles?”

  She shook her head. “No, was hard to look, but definitely not Waffles. I cried for whoever lost their dog, but I just want Waffles back.”

  Thank God.

  “I have the rest of the day off, let’s go find him.”

  She calmed quickly. “You took the day off?” Her head tipped and eyes watered. “For me?”

  “Seems I might care more about you and Waffles than I do about my job.” I brushed her cheeks with the tips of my fingers, taking a moment to float them into her hair. “I want to help you find him.”

  “They have pictures of him here now, in case he comes in as a stray or drop-off. They said the best thing to do is to go back to where he…” Her chest bounced.

  She was strong and resilient, but this was chipping away pieces of her right before my eyes.

  “Back to the dog park, and then canvas out from there?”

  She nodded with a hiccupping sound.

  I pulled out my phone. “We’re going to need more than only us.”

  “I can call a few of the trainers who are off on Mondays.”

  “And I’ll call some people, too.”

  She stood and started toward the parking lot.

  I grabbed her hand to stop her. “B
ut first, I’m really sorry about last night. I have to find a better balance when it comes to work and pleasure. And believe me, you’re the kind of pleasure that makes me want to change my ways, Kai.” I threaded my fingers into hers. “I had a talk with my boss … well, it was more him talking to me about giving up a little of the crazy work schedule to be part of your life.” I stepped closer. “Our life.”

  She smiled timidly through tears. “Our life needs a dog in it.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Kai

  A dozen people showed up. Jace took over and managed giving everyone block sections to search.

  I walked the dog park from top to bottom, five times. The park filled with dogs, barking and making noise. There were only two ways in and out with a double gate system. Someone had to let him out or … took him.

  By mid-afternoon everyone had reported back from their search. Nothing. Not one trace of him.

  The humane society had been a sobering experience. They offered little hope and plenty of horror stories. Kidnapping and ransom? Selling dogs on Craigslist? Using him for breeding?

  That last one wouldn’t happen, he was not breeding-capable, I’d made sure of that. But the others weren’t out of the realm. I’d keep an eye out online and in the papers.

  Jace drove me back to my place. It was within the twelve-block radius that we’d searched, and the area that most dogs would stay to if they were trained. Waffles was a well-behaved dog, but I certainly wouldn’t call him obedience contest material. He still jumped on people when really excited and he ate toilet paper right off the roll. The vet said the first was normal and the last was semi-normal, and I remembered thinking that’s a perfect word for Waffles—semi-normal.

  But I wanted semi-normal back.

  “Hey, we’re here.” Jace’s soft hand caressed the back of mine on the console.

  “Thank you for driving me. I probably shouldn’t have driven this morning. I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  “Then you need to go take a nap. I’ll call some more people to come look this evening.”

  My heart sank. Maybe it was time to call off the search and pray. But I couldn’t. One more night. Jude had my clients covered for the day, but most rescheduled for later in the week.