Oh. Heeeeeeeell. No!
Leah had gone from zero-to-sixty in the split second it took those thoughts to race through her brain, and was now totally fired up to tell her side of the story, but Clancy said, “I’d love to talk to you on camera about the incident this morning.”
“This morning?” She’d kneed numb-nuts in the balls the night before, not that morning.
“Yes.” Clancy turned her phone around and Leah saw black and white footage of her street.
From the angle, it appeared to be Mrs. Daly’s security camera.
She saw Susan and Mason come out of their house. Susan opened the back passenger-side door of her minivan. Then, moving so fast it didn’t even seem possible given the size of his pudgy little legs, Mason dashed into the street.
It was only a second later that Mrs. Daly’s car appeared and there was a white flash of a dog running into the street, knocking Mason out of the way before Mrs. Daly hit him with her car.
“Holy shit!” Having only witnessed the aftermath of the scene, she had no clue that seeing it happen would be entirely different than just hearing it described.
The heroic dog had truly saved little Mason’s life.
The next thing she knew, she and Lance came rushing into the frame. In the moment the entire thing had been sort of a blur. Leah watching now, realized two things as she viewed the footage.
First, the quality of the video might be grainy, but it was clear as day that Leah was a woman doing the walk of shame. Her skintight, Bettie Page dress and bare feet at six o’clock in the morning were dead giveaways.
The second thing was how Lance immediately took control of the situation.
He bent down and checked the dog as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and told her to get the car. There was no audio on the footage, but obviously she knew what he’d said. As soon as he put his phone back in his pocket, he began performing CPR on the dog. At the same time, her SUV came into frame and Leah jumped out. She stood there watching Lance literally save the dog’s life.
After a few minutes, he picked the dog up and carried him to Leah’s car. The way he was cradling the dog in his arms, so gentle yet strong, caused Leah’s ovaries to explode.
She’d never been one of those women who had a ticking biological clock. Like the butterflies and weakness in the knees, she’d believed that it was simply not something that actually happened anywhere but romantic novels and overactive imaginations.
But, after seeing this, she knew that there had to be some sort of physiological occurrence that explained the whole ticking bio clock thing, because she instantly wanted to have Lance’s babies.
“Ms. Porter, I got your name and information from Susan Walters. She said that you and the gentleman in the video took the dog to the vet. We’ve contacted Riverwalk Veterinary Clinic but were unable to get an update. Would you be willing to speak to me on camera?”
“Where did you get this?”
“Susan Walters posted it on her Facebook. It’s already received over a hundred thousand views and twenty thousand shares.”
“It has?” Leah was truly regretting wearing her dress home. Bea’d offered to let her wear the sweats she’d borrowed to sleep in to drive home in, but Leah was trying to be more responsible, and the last dozen or so times she’d borrowed something from Bea, she’d never returned it.
And now over a hundred thousand people saw her in all of her morning-after-walk-of-shame glory—and the kicker was, she hadn’t spent the night with anyone. Well, Indy, but he didn’t count.
That’s what you get for trying to be responsible, her inner voice teased wryly.
Trying to look at the positive side of things, she supposed the silver lining was that anyone who picked up on her WOS vibes would think that her shame partner was Lance.
The camera only caught his back and profile, but it was enough to see that he was a Grade-A cut of beef.
“Would you be willing to speak on camera?”
“I guess, but I don’t really have much to say.” All Leah had done was drive the dog to the vet. Lance had given him CPR. He was the real hero, yet she doubted he saw it that way.
For some reason that man didn’t want to take credit for anything.
Chapter 13
Lance was in the zone as he put the finishing touches on the portrait of his client Emilio’s grandfather. The photo that he’d been working from was faded, making it difficult to capture the true features of the man, so it had taken his full attention. His mind had had little time to wander since he needed to focus so intently.
After he laid in the final shading, he sat back and meticulously examined the piece. He made several more adjustments before finally spraying and wiping down his client’s back. The tattoo was on the man’s shoulder blade.
Originally the client had wanted the photo on his ribs, but thankfully Lance had managed to talk him out of that placement. Doing a photo-realistic portrait on the ribs was nearly impossible and, to be honest, Lance wasn’t sure he was up for that task today.
Not to mention, this was the client’s first tattoo and the ribs were an extremely sensitive and painful area. If he were back home, he would’ve suggested completing it in several sittings, but since he was only here for a short time that wasn’t an option.
“Here ya go.” Lance handed the man a mirror and watched as he took in the work for the first time.
Lance always knew in the first second of a client seeing the tattoo if they really loved it or not. They could say whatever they wanted, but if their eyes didn’t light up or mist up in that first moment, he knew he hadn’t done his job, no matter how technically perfect the work was.
As soon as the man turned and saw the reflection of the piece in the handheld mirror, his lips flattened into a straight line and he lifted his hand to his face to wipe beneath his glasses.
“It’s fucking perfect, man.” Emilio’s voice wavered, overcome with emotion.
Today, he’d done his job.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“That’s insane. It’s even more realistic than the photo.”
The unique brand of pride that Lance had only ever experienced from tattooing swelled in his chest as he wrapped Emilio’s tatt, gave him the care instructions and cleaned up his station after he left. A quick glance at the time told him that the dog would be ready to be picked up in ten minutes.
His grandfather had given him the option of the dog remaining at the clinic overnight, but since there was not going to be any staff there, Lance decided he wanted to bring him home. He hadn’t had a chance to run it by Leah, but he knew that she wouldn’t mind. If anything, that would be her preference.
He’d gotten to know her a little better this morning as they’d sat in the waiting room and he wasn’t surprised at all to learn that she’d rescued animals as a little girl. Lance grinned as he pictured little Leah sneaking an animal into her playhouse. He could imagine her covertly bringing the dog, or cat, or squirrel food and taking care of it.
His phone buzzed and he answered it immediately when he saw that it was his grandmother calling. He’d planned on stopping by the hospital before he picked up the dog, but his session had gone over.
“Hello,” he answered.
“I saw you on the news!” she exclaimed.
“Are you sure it was me?” He knew that she was on a high dose of pain killers and he thought this might be a case of mistaken identity.
“Yes! Your grandfather saw it, too. Didn’t you, honey?”
“I sure did.” Lance heard his grandfather answer in the background.
“You’re saving that dog,” his grandmother clarified.
“Someone was filming that?”
“Eloise Daly has security cameras that recorded it all.”
Shit. Lance was a private person and he had a good reason to be. He wanted to keep his past in the past. He’d taken great lengths not to draw any attention to himself professionally.
He’d been offered gue
st judging spots on several tattoo competition reality shows, and he always turned them down. He never posted any photos on social media where his face was visible. And he never allowed his real name to be printed in any interviews he gave.
Part of it was for personal reasons—his past wasn’t his favorite topic. But more than that, he’d hurt people. A lot of people. He didn’t want to do anything that might make their pain any greater. He didn’t want them to see him on television or on social media and open up old wounds.
“I’m going to tell all the nurses my grandson’s a TV star and a hero.”
Please don’t.
Lance wanted to change the subject, and fast. “I was actually going to give you a call. I’m not going to stop by tonight because I’m picking up the dog—”
“Oh yes, your grandfather told me. He said you didn’t want to leave the poor thing at the clinic overnight all by himself. Usually, Meg or I spend the night there, whenever we have patients. But I’m in here and Meg’s eight months pregnant.”
“I don’t mind taking him home.”
“You’re a good boy.”
It was the same thing that his nonna said about him, even after everything that had happened. Both ladies were sweet, and well intentioned, but they were also both wrong.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay then.”
Lance grabbed his stuff and started down the stairs, then realized that he actually couldn’t pick up the dog. Not on his bike. He wondered if Leah was still in the shop, or if she was already home. If she wasn’t in the shop, he’d text her.
Once he got to the bottom of the stairs, he walked past the washer and dryer and entered the back of the shop. He passed two washing stations and a play area before entering the main retail space.
The shop was inviting, warm, and for lack of a better word…adorable. Lance couldn’t remember ever using or even thinking of using that word to describe anything before meeting Leah. But after meeting her, so much of herself, her house, and now her business was adorable.
He saw a woman at the front register. She had Leah’s face but she wasn’t Leah. The bone structure in each of their faces was identical. But that seemed to be where the similarities ended.
This woman had long dark hair that reached her waist. She didn’t have winged eye-liner and bright red lipstick—in fact, she didn’t look to have any makeup on at all.
He’d never met identical twins before. It was so strange. He was staring at someone who looked and moved exactly like Leah, but was a completely different person.
“Hi.” A friendly smile spread on her face. “You must be Lance.”
She sounded like Leah, too.
“And you must be Bea.”
She nodded. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Lance never wanted to know what people thought about him, and he sure as hell didn’t want to know what people were saying about him. So it surprised him that he was curious about what Leah had said about him.
“All good things I hope.”
Bea’s smile never wavered but she didn’t answer him. He liked her style.
“Um, I was looking for Leah.”
“You just missed her.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.”
He started to turn when Bea stopped him.
“Lance, where are you from?”
He shifted back to face her. “I grew up in Brooklyn but I’ve been living in Miami for the past couple of years.”
“And you’re only here for a week?”
“That’s the plan.”
“How has it been? Living with Leah.” Her tone was casual but the look in her eyes made him feel under scrutiny, which he understood. Lance didn’t have any siblings, but if he did and some stranger was staying in their house, he’d probably have some questions. “She can be a little…messy.”
“A little?” His brows raised.
“A lot,” Bea corrected as her smile widened.
“It’s been…” There were a ton of adjectives running through Lance’s brain. Amazing, torturous, incredible, frustrating to name a few. He settled on, “good.”
“Good?” Bea repeated, her brows mirroring his as they lifted up.
“Definitely not boring.”
“No.” She chuckled. “Living with Leah is definitely not boring.”
Thinking that the interrogation was over, he started to turn again when Bea asked, “How’s Kitty doing?”
“I just talked to her and she sounded good.”
“I was thinking about going by there tonight to see her.”
“I’m sure she’d love that.”
“Will I see you there?”
“No. I let her know I’d be seeing her tomorrow. I was actually on my way to pick up the dog from the clinic.” He was sure that Leah had filled her sister in on what happened. “But I realized that I only had my bike. That’s why I was looking for Leah. I was hoping she could give me a ride.”
A knowing smile spread on her face. “You were going to pick up the dog?”
“Yeah.”
“You know that Doc said he could stay there overnight?”
“Yeah, but, he’s been through so much. I don’t want him to be alone.”
“Well, you’re not the only one. Leah’s at the vet now to pick him up.”
“She is?”
“Yep. If you leave now, I’m sure you can catch her.”
He was already halfway out the door by the time she finished her sentence.
Chapter 14
Leah could not stop smiling as she pulled into her driveway. When Lance had showed up at the vet, it had been the emotional equivalent of her very own Debra Winger/Richard Gere, An Officer and a Gentleman moment. Sure, she wasn’t in a factory and he didn’t sweep her off her feet and carry her out of there, but he’d definitely come to her rescue.
Leah was standing at the counter listening while Meg ran down all of the medications that the dog would need for his recovery. She went over what symptoms were normal and expected, and what symptoms could be life threatening, meaning Leah should immediately bring him back in if she noticed them.
Gulp.
The poor guy’d had major surgery, and if Leah messed this up, he could die. She’d just been beginning to second-guess (third guess…maybe fourth guess) her decision to bring him home when Lance walked in. He’d spoken with Meg and, unlike Leah, didn’t seem the least bit daunted by the instructions.
Within five minutes, they were all piling into her SUV and headed home.
Just like that morning, he’d handled the situation with ease and confidence. He was just so damn capable, and even though her independent nature hated to admit it, that quality was hot as hell.
It might be what she was going to miss about him the most when he left at the end of the week.
Hell, she’d missed him today and she’d only gone twelve hours without seeing him. She hadn’t heard from Lance since Doc sent them home at eight this morning, and she had to admit, if only to herself, that his lack of communication had caused her more than a passing feeling of disappointment.
She’d thought for sure that, after the morning they’d had, he would’ve texted or stopped by the shop…but he hadn’t. Then, once they’d heard the good news that the dog was out of surgery and everything had gone well, she again hoped she’d hear from him—but, again, she hadn’t.
She wasn’t even sure why she’d expected him to reach out. The only explanation she’d been able to come up with was that something had transpired between them in the waiting room at the clinic this morning.
She’d felt a connection with him that was beyond anything she’d felt before. The closest thing she could relate it to was what she felt with Bea. Her twin, her best friend, her ride or die. She’d never expected to feel a fraction of the bond she shared with her sister with another human being. Ever. But she’d actually felt more connected with Lance.
And the real kicker was, nothing had happened between them. They hadn’t had
sex, or so much as kissed. And they’d only known each other two days. It was insane.
“We’re home.” She glanced into the backseat where Lance was seated beside the other hero of the day. “How’s he doing?”
“Good. Drugged. I’m going to carry him in.”
Seeing Lance carry the dog sent Leah into major hormonal overdrive and caused her heart to go pitter-patter. In fact, if things kept going as they were, her freaking heart was going to be sore from all the fluttering it had been doing since Lance had shown up in her life.
She couldn’t go ten minutes in his presence without her heartbeat flittering at something he said, did…or just how he looked. She was in a constant state of swoon.
As they walked up the path, Lance cradling the passed out pit bull in his strong, capable arms, Leah couldn’t shake a feeling that she’d never truly had before—coming home like this, together, felt right… right. Too right.
Closing her eyes and setting her jaw, she reminded herself that this was temporary. Very temporary. In a few days, Lance would be gone.
She unlocked the door and held it open as Lance carried the dog over the threshold. Once they were all safely inside, she rushed to Indy’s dog bed and grabbed the toys off to clear a space.
“You can put him here.” She spoke quietly since Lance had somehow managed to get him out of the car and into the house without waking the dog up.
He kneeled down with a grace and ease that someone with his frame and mass should not’ve been able to achieve. Once he settled the dog down on the large cushion, he leaned back on his heels. “I think we should name him.”
Forget fluttering. Leah’s heart did somersaults at his use of we. As in them. They were a unit.
Calm down, she chided herself. He didn’t ask you to marry him, just to name a dog you rescued together.
“Good idea,” she agreed calmly. “Do you have any ideas for nam—?”
“Casper,” he spoke before she even got her question out.
Just One Look - Leah and Lance (Crossroads Book 15) Page 12