Pookie approached Butch. She seemed more curious than mad. He leaned out to sniff her. And that scared her. She hissed. Her tail frizzed, and she took a swipe at his nose.
Butch sat up and backed away. Poor dog. He looked emotionally wounded.
“Pookie, be nice. Butch won’t hurt you.” I thought I sounded pretty convincing.
Sundance spotted Pookie and did a little jig.
Adam wrapped his arms around me from behind.
“Has he ever seen a cat before?” It took all my willpower not to scoop Pookie up and rush her back to my bedroom.
“Not since I’ve had him. Sundance thinks every living thing is another potential friend.”
Sundance jumped closer to Pookie, putting his nose to the floor. She hissed, and he jumped again, his tail whooshing back and forth. To Sundance, this was a game.
If I had to guess based on the extended claws, Pookie didn’t agree.
Getting away from Sundance, she ran closer to Butch. And he didn’t like that at all. In the blink of an eye, he jumped on the end table and knocked over my favorite vase, sending it and a dozen roses to the tile floor.
The loud crash sent Pookie tearing out of the room, every bit of her frizzed.
Adam grabbed Sundance before the dog had a chance to go after the cat. “I’m so sorry.”
I stared at the glass shards scattered across the floor.
After Adam barked a command, the dogs sheepishly lay down in their beds.
“You okay?” He brushed my arm.
“It was just a vase.” If I said it enough times, I’d learn to believe it. I squatted and began collecting the pieces.
“I’ll take care of that in a minute. Come here.”
Letting him hug me risked a chink in my defenses. But I didn’t want him to think I was mad at him. I wasn’t. But I was on the brink of getting emotional.
He wrapped his arms around me. In his calming voice, just like the one he’d used that day in the bathroom, he asked, “Where did you get the vase?”
“It belonged to my grandma. It always sat on her end table with these awful plastic flowers stuffed in it.” I laughed and sobbed at the same time.
He kissed the top of my head. “Those really stiff plastic flowers?”
“Yeah. Those. Even from far away, they didn’t look real.”
“I can bring you more roses, and I’ll do my best to find you another vase just like it.” He pulled back and looked me in the face. “But I know it won’t be the same. I’m sorry.”
“And they hate each other.” I’d had such high hopes in spite of my worry.
Sundance yipped, and without turning around, Adam said, “Stay in your bed.” He kissed my forehead. “They’ll need time. Let me get this cleaned up.” He sighed.
“I’ll help you.” I grabbed the broom and dustpan.
Adam gathered the roses. “I don’t get why Butch acted like such a big baby.”
“Because he got scratched on the nose.”
He gathered the glass into the dustpan. “But he should realize that he’s bigger than she is . . . by a lot!”
“Why do you sound irritated?” I admit it. I probably shouldn’t have laughed at that moment.
He scowled as he dropped the glass in the trash. “I’m not irritated, but it’s just silly.”
Butch whined, and we both turned around.
Pookie was curled up on his doggie bed, and poor Butch was still on his bed but not at all happy about the company.
Adam groaned. “Really, Butch? She’s little. I know the claws hurt, but that’s no reason to cry.”
“They aren’t fighting.”
“But I think she knows she’s torturing my dog.” Adam poked me in the side.
“She’s evil that way.” I sat on the sofa and patted the cushion beside me. “Come here, Butch.”
He ran across the room and jumped up next to me, glad that I’d saved him from the big, bad cat.”
“Be nice, Sundance. If you come on too strong, she’ll scratch you too.”
Sundance inched off his bed and closer to Pookie. She didn’t run away. Maybe this day wouldn’t end horribly.
“What do you say we watch a movie and let them hang out?” Adam plopped down next to me.
“I like that idea.”
Besides Butch being a bit skittish, they were getting along. What could go wrong now? I winced as the thought gelled. Why did I even think of questions like that?
Chapter 18
Holding up two shirts, I tried to decide which to take on my getaway. When someone knocked at the door, I tossed the clothes on the bed and ran down the hall. Adam must’ve cut his run short.
I pulled open the door. “Mom.”
“Don’t act like you’re unhappy to see me. I brought you dinner.” She carried a casserole dish into the kitchen.
“Just surprised. Usually you call first.” Maybe I should’ve left that last part off.
After sliding the pan into the oven, she turned it on. “It needs to cook for 30 minutes. When the cheese on top is melted, it’s ready. And I didn’t call because you’d have said you were busy, and I’m tired of not getting the whole story.”
“The whole story about what?” I had a pretty good idea what she meant, but asking the question gave me time to think of an excuse, a reason why I hadn’t talked much about Adam.
“You wouldn’t have met Adam if it weren’t for me. I think the least you can do is keep me posted on how things are going.”
Indignation clouded my judgment, and I had to count to ten before answering. “It’s going fine. I’m not sure what you want me to say.”
“Are you still seeing each other?”
“Yes. He’ll be here soon. I didn’t see the need to call you every time we had a date.”
Mom’s gaze swept over me. “You aren’t letting him see you like that, are you?” Her eye roll was a bit much. “If you want him to stick around—”
I put up my hand. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”
Mom woke up every morning before Dad was out of bed. She applied makeup before he saw her. Every. Single. Day.
I’m pretty sure the only time my dad had seen her without makeup was when she was . . . hmm—maybe never. I was not my mom.
She sighed a bit dramatically. “Well, at least now you’ll have something to feed him. But you should only have one piece. That baggy shirt already makes you look heavy. Guys don’t like that.”
All rational thought left, and my tongue started wagging. “Mom, you are not the reason, I met Adam. Mr. Raymond is. When that tree fell, I was taking a bubble bath and ended up trapped in the bathtub. Adam rescued me.” It was useless to stop talking now. “He’s seen me at my absolute worst. And he’s still here.” I propped my fists on my hips. “Any questions?”
Keys jingled and the front door opened. “It’s me. I brought dessert.” Adam walked into the kitchen and froze when he saw my posture. “Hi, Mrs. Taylor. How are you?”
Mom’s eyes widened. “He has a key?”
Adam paled. “I’m watching Pookie this weekend.”
“You don’t need to explain. Yes, he has a key. He rescued me from the bathtub, and he brings me sweets.” I marched over to Adam and clasped his hand. “What else do you want to know?”
He squeezed my hand and set a chocolate swirl cheesecake on the counter. “I’ll be in the living room. Y’all can talk.”
Pookie scampered up and started climbing Adam’s jeans.
“Don’t do that, kitty. Even through denim, your claws hurt.” He carried her out of the room.
Mom watched him leave then turned to me. “He got rid of his dogs?”
“No.” The less said on that subject the better.
“You said you’d never date a guy with a dog. Since high school, you’ve been saying that.”
“I changed my mind.”
Had she seen Adam? I’d have been stupid not to change my mind.
She pulled her keys out of her pocket
. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
“You didn’t bother me. I just . . . wanted to set the record straight.” I wanted her to stop acting like I owed her and that I needed to try harder to deserve Adam.
And like every other time I stood up for myself, I felt guilty because she acted so hurt.
“Have a good evening. Call if you have time.” She spun and walked to the car.
“Thanks for dinner.” I waved, determined not to let her get to me.
When I walked into the living room, Adam raised an eyebrow. “Cat’s outta the bag, I guess.”
“I didn’t intend to tell her. But when she started in on me about my figure and what guys like, it all just came tumbling out.”
A lopsided grin spread across his face. “I know what this guy likes, and your figure is definitely on that list.”
Heat flooded my cheeks, and he chuckled.
“How long until dinner is finished? I thought I saw the oven on.” He rested his hands on my hips and tugged me closer.
“Probably another twenty minutes or so. Mom brought it.”
“Let’s have dessert first.” His smoldering gaze made me wonder what he meant by dessert.
“Do you mean the cheesecake?”
He nodded. “What did you think I meant?”
I shrugged. “That looked like chocolate swirl, not plain.”
“I figure, since you gave me a chance in spite of my dogs, I should give chocolate swirl cheesecake a chance.” His hands glided over my hips and up to my waist. “I read in the manual that relationships are about give and take.”
“Have you ever tasted chocolate swirl cheesecake?”
“Nope. I liked plain. I didn’t see the need to branch out.” His breath tickled my neck as he dropped a few kisses below my ear. “But now I do.”
“I think you are seriously the most romantic man alive.”
Laughing, he continued dropping kisses. “Just don’t tell the guys at the station. I’d never hear the end of it.”
“Do they know?”
He trailed his fingertips down my arms and laced his fingers with mine. “That I have a girlfriend? Yes. They figured that out when I started slipping outside to talk on the phone.”
“What about the other part?”
“Harper knows.” He pressed a kiss into the palm of my hand. “But I didn’t see the point in mentioning it to the other guys.”
“I love you for that.”
Adam arched his back and whispered an obscenity. “Pookie, I’ve asked you not to do that.”
I unhooked her claws from his jeans and picked her up. “It’s my turn for cuddles. You already had your treats.” I set Pookie on the couch.
Adam rubbed his leg. “We should grab that dessert before dinner is ready. Then maybe you can show me what other kind of dessert you were thinking about.”
I swatted his arm. “I’m sure you’d love to know.”
Why did work always keep me late when I had someplace to be? I threw my purse in the car and dropped into the driver’s seat. I needed to grab my luggage and toss more food in Pookie’s bowl. I didn’t doubt Adam would take care of her, but I’d never left her for the weekend before.
I called him before backing out. “Hi. I’m just leaving the office. I’m rushing home, then Haley will be picking me up. I left her number on the fridge just in case you can’t reach me on my phone.”
“You sound nervous. Like you don’t trust me to take care of your cat.” His tone dripped with humor.
“I trust you. And I promise to call.”
“Eve, just go have fun. You know I’ll happily take your call anytime, but I don’t want to intrude on your weekend. I will miss you though.”
“When you check on Pookie later, please ask her nicely not to tear my house apart.”
“If you’d like, I can keep her at my place for the weekend.”
“I’m sure she’d be fine at the house, but if you don’t mind and if Javi doesn’t mind, I’d like that. I can pack up her stuff as soon as I get home.”
“I don’t mind, and Javi is gone for the weekend. But you sound like you’re in a hurry. Why don’t you give me a list? I’ll gather the stuff.”
“You don’t mind? I feel like I’m asking so much of you.”
“Not at all.”
“I can text you a list when I get home.” I tried to think of everything Pookie would need.
That same calming voice he used the first day we met floated through the line. “I have time and a pen. Just tell me.” I listed off what she’d need and where it was. “I’ll be home in two minutes, and if I think of anything else, I’ll call you.”
“All right. Love you. Have a great time.” The call ended.
I wasn’t going to be that clingy girlfriend who moped about spending time apart. But I would miss him.
We talked every day on the phone, and when he wasn’t working, he came over for dinner. He’d bring the dogs with him sometimes. I still wasn’t crazy about them, but they were growing on me . . . a little.
I turned onto my street and smiled as the house came into view. Adam’s truck sat in the driveway. But the cab was empty.
He stood in the doorway, grinning. “I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in.”
“Not a bit.”
“I stopped in to say goodbye and to pick up Pookie.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re going to miss me, aren’t you?”
“I already said I would.” He pressed a quick kiss to my lips then picked up a huge gift bag off the entry table. “Here. This is for you. For the weekend.”
More than curious, I yanked the tissue out of the top and grinned at the weekend survival kit—everything I’d need to pamper myself during the getaway. “How did you know I liked all this stuff? I mean, some of these I haven’t had since we started dating. And this is the brand of nail polish I use. How did you know?”
“Haley.”
“I just wrote the number on the fridge this morning.”
Twinkles danced in his brown eyes. “I know where she lives. I made sure to toss in a few things she likes too. I hope that color is okay.”
I usually opted for softer colors, ones that didn’t stand out. I had on occasion worn a vivid red. But never had I chosen a bright tangerine. After this weekend, my fingernails and toenails would be that color. “It’s gorgeous.”
“I know it’s not what you usually wear. I just thought it would look good on you.” He pushed the bag closer. “And I trust y’all will drink responsibly. I picked out a couple bottles of wine. A white and a blush. Blush just seemed like something ladies would drink on a girls’ weekend.”
“Smart man. I so want to drag you to the sofa and kiss you until my lips burn, but then Haley would be irritated with me for making us late. Raincheck?”
He rubbed at his stubble and flashed that lopsided grin. “Most definitely.”
Chapter 19
Haley curled up at the end of the sofa, cradling her glass of wine. “This stuff is great. I need to remember to take a picture of the label.”
“I still can’t believe you didn’t say anything to me about Adam showing up at your apartment.” I stacked dry salami and cheddar cheese on a cracker. “But he did a great job shopping for treats.”
“I’m glad he pulled off the surprise.” Haley twisted the glass in her hand, watching the ripples dance across the top. “You’re all in with him, right? I mean, it’s obvious he’s nuts about you. And typically, that leads to a question being popped. Are you ready to live with dogs?”
I wanted to be. “His dogs are nice. They usually listen when I ask them to stop licking or stay down.”
“That wasn’t an answer to my question.” She sipped her wine. “You realize that now that you’ve asked him to watch Pookie, it’s fair game for him to ask you to keep the dogs, right?”
I hadn’t exactly thought of it like that. “The dogs stay with Javi when Adam is working.”
“I get why you like
Adam. Gosh, all anyone has to do is look at him, and they’d understand that. But I know you. You don’t like dogs. How is this going to work? Really.”
To say I felt blindsided was a complete understatement. “Have you been talking to my mom?”
“No, I haven’t. And I’m not your mom. I’m your best friend. I want you to be happy. But I also don’t want you to break this poor guy’s heart.”
“Is this why you wanted to have a girls’ weekend?”
“Yes. And then he pulled that stunt getting you all the treats, which made it more imperative that I talk to you about it.”
“People can change their minds.”
“About whether they like asparagus maybe, but cat people don’t become dog people. It doesn’t happen.”
I downed the last of my wine and pictured Adam sprawled on the floor, playing with the dogs. No matter what scenario my imagination dreamed up, I couldn’t picture myself doing that. “I’m going to head to bed.”
“It’s not even ten. Don’t do that.”
I poured myself another half a glass. “Using small words, tell me what you think I should do.”
“You should stay up until at least midnight.” She flashed a teasing grin, but it fell away quickly when I didn’t react. “You should break it off before that man gets down on one knee. That’s what I think.”
“Are you offering advice because you want the best for me or because you’re jealous of my good thing?” I should never have asked that question, but pain could be funny that way. It prompted unbridled honesty.
Hurt flashed in Haley’s eyes. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. We should move on to a different topic. But before we do, I’ll throw this out there. Volunteer to keep his dogs. See how it goes. You’ll know then if things will work.” She leaned forward. “Eve, I want it to work out for the two of you. I really do. But I also want you to be happy, and not happy with a side of bothered.”
“I told Mom how Adam and I met.”
Haley flopped back on the sofa. “And?”
“I told her yesterday. We haven’t talked since.” I’d pushed the worry about that to the side, and though like a good dog, the worry stayed shoved to the side, it gnawed on that part of my brain endlessly.
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