The warm summer air sweeps over my face blowing my hair back from my forehead. It leaves sweat gathering at the nape of my neck as I walk Rosco toward Summer’s apartment. He trots ahead of me, tugging at the end of his leash, trying to hurry me along. I think he knows where we’re headed, though he was never this excited to go to Mrs. Donnell’s apartment when I would drop him off in the morning. He would be content enough, as he trusted Mrs. Donnell completely, but he didn’t seem particularly excited to go there.
I’d called the elderly woman this morning to see how her sister was doing, but so far there was little news. She was grateful that I’d checked in on her, and she even asked to speak to Rosco on speakerphone. Rosco had cocked his head back and forth, trying to figure out where Mrs. Donnell was hiding. It was sweet.
Again the trees rustle with the breeze, making Rosco’s ears prick. He glances over his shoulder at me as though to tell me to walk even faster. With a laugh, I hurry my pace. The sun has only recently risen, leaving the grass dotted with dew and flowers slowly blooming to greet the day. Though it’s early, I’m not tired. My pace is brisk and light, much more so than it typically is when I know I have a day of meetings ahead of me.
Usually when I’m heading to work, I march along with a purposeful stride, planning what to say to clients or investors and deciding what projects I’ll focus on. Today I haven’t even had coffee yet, but still there’s a certain spring in my step that carries me toward Summer’s home. I can’t quite put my finger on the feeling that’s rooted in me since meeting her, but it’s yet to dissipate. I can’t help but think she was named aptly, because I’ve been taken over by a warmth, like the season itself when I think of Summer. Colors seem brighter, the flowers smell sweeter, the breeze feels gentler. Maybe it’s just because I feel so glad to have found a new dog sitter who Rosco likes so much, or maybe it’s something else that I’m afraid to admit.
I’ve purposefully kept my life relationship free. Lord knows I don’t have time for that kind of drama. But I can’t stop thinking about Summer, and honestly, despite our rocky start, which was entirely my fault, she seems pretty drama-free.
Or is that what everyone thinks right before they leap into the pitfalls of relationships?
I have a hard time believing I’d been blinded, despite Summer’s effortless beauty. Years of dealing with my parents’ turbulent marriage has left me jaded and quite good at spotting trouble. But after a decade without a serious relationship, maybe I don’t know my heart as well as I should.
Either way, I’m glad Summer has become a part of our lives.
Last night as Rosco and I lay in bed, I stared up at the ceiling and tried to convince myself to sleep. It didn’t come easy, my mind drifting in one direction then the other. No matter how much I tried to plan my work day or think about what meetings I had coming up later in the week, my brain always somehow seemed to point the mast of its ship of thought back toward the beautiful, brown-eyed woman I’d stumbled upon.
When Rosco and I turn at the next block and Summer’s front door looms into view, my heart suddenly leaps into my throat. The unexpected thrum within my chest makes me choke in surprise, earning a confused look from Rosco, who pulls even harder at his leash now. He knows that door and is ready to get there.
What is this feeling? It can’t be nerves, can it?
It floors me that I’m this anxious to see Summer again. Like Rosco, I find myself eager to arrive. Hauled along by my beastly best friend, I move quicker. By the time we get to Summer’s, my chest is rising and falling rapidly as I pull in shallow breaths. As I step up to her apartment, adjusting my tie and running a hand through my hair, the door suddenly flies open. Summer stands there, eyes sleepy but bright, dressed in a pair of tiny denim shorts with a frayed hem and a blue shirt with the logo of a dog on it. Her long windswept hair is contained in a messy braid slung over her shoulder.
“Morning!” she says cheerily, holding Sadie and Lola back as the two dogs excitedly bark and whine behind her. “Sorry if I surprised you, the dogs were going crazy so I could tell you were here. Come on in!”
She turns, my eyes following the supple curves of her body as she saunters across the living room. Sadie and Lola greet Rosco. He waits patiently until I unclip his collar before taking off to chase the other dogs around the small apartment. They bark and play and romp, acting as though they hadn't seen each other in years instead of hours.
Inside, the apartment smells of maple syrup and coffee and the sound of frying eggs hisses from the stove. My stomach abruptly growls, reminding me that I had yet to eat breakfast.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Summer offers from the kitchen, returning with a mug before I can say anything. “I don’t have any milk but I put some creamer in it. It’s the real sweet stuff. I can’t help myself—I almost added whipped cream to mine. I only put in a splash for you so let me know if you need more.”
I chuckle and sip at the coffee, eyes closing in delight. It’s way better than anything I would’ve gotten in a coffee shop. Truth be told, I typically take my coffee black, but maybe I need to try some of this sugary stuff once in a while. It’s delicious!
“What are you making?” I ask, leaning against the counter as she returns to her work in the kitchen.
She marches back and forth, flipping pancakes and eggs and pouring herself more coffee. She turns back to me, shifting from foot-to-foot, anxiously gulping down another sip of coffee.
Is she blushing or is it just the heat of the stove reddening her cheeks?
“Well, I figured since you brought dinner last night, I should repay you. Though, I should warn you, I’m not much of a cook. But I think this turned out okay.” She smiles at me uncertainly, clinging to her spatula. “I know you have to get to work so I can just wrap it to go.”
Though I had planned to be at the office by the start of the hour, I make the rules—a perk of owning the company—so perhaps I have a few minutes to spare. “Actually, I have time. I’ll sit down and enjoy it here if that’s okay,” I reply. “Maybe you could join me?”
“That’d be great!” she says, eyes lighting up. “Go sit, I’ll bring it over.”
Instead of obeying, I join her in the kitchen. The space is small and warm, both of our bodies nearly taking up the entire room.
“Cooper,” she laughs, glancing up at me shyly from the corner of her eye. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not going to let you carry all this by yourself, let me help.”
With a laugh, she loads up the plates with all the fixings then hands them to me. While I take them back to the table, she grabs our coffee mugs and joins me. Together, we sit down at the table just like we did last night. It feels natural and is quickly becoming my favorite place to eat.
Normally, I just end up in front of my television with some leftovers or takeout that I grabbed on my weary march home after work. There’s something nice about eating at this table with Summer. Even a simple meal of fried rice or scrambled eggs seems special when we share it together.
“I don’t remember the last time someone cooked for me,” I muse, shoveling a bite of blueberry pancake between my lips. “This tastes amazing.”
“Well, I can assure you that you only think so because you haven’t had anything homemade in so long.” She grins back. “Believe me, I’m way better at hanging out with dogs than being in the kitchen. There’s a whole stack of pancakes I had to throw out because I burned them so badly the dogs wouldn’t even eat them.”
I laugh. “I still think it’s perfect.”
I lower my head closer to the plate so that I can eat more quickly. I’m not hurrying because I want to get to work, but because it’s all so delicious and I can’t get enough. Even as I start getting full, I can’t seem to stop.
When I feel Summer watching me, I look up, noticing that she’s blushing again. I force myself to stop eating like a caveman. Dabbing my mouth with a napkin I sit back from my plate.
“I’m glad you like it
,” she murmurs. “I usually only cook for myself so it’s really simple stuff like canned soup or sandwiches. It’s been so long since I got to make a real meal for someone else. It was kind of fun.”
“I’d let you cook for me every day.”
The pink of her cheeks glows brighter. She nibbles at her pancakes then gulps down some more coffee. A drop of it clings to her lower lip and suddenly I can’t help but imagine what the sweetness of her coffee would taste like on my lips.
Heat wells up in my core, crackling around us. Her mouth opens, brow creasing with whatever thought has come to her mind, but she shakes it away.
Summer clears her throat. “So, like I told you, I’m headed to that adoption fair today. Unfortunately, I’ll have to put Rosco in his kennel again while I’m gone. He’s doing so much better but I don’t want to set him up for failure. In a week or so we can start leaving him out just for short trips once I know for sure that there’s no tension between the dogs.”
Both of us glance over to where Rosco is laying on his back, paws in the air, while Sadie and Lola playfully bounce all over him.
Summer laughs and shakes her head. “I doubt that there will be any tension, but I want to be safe.”
“You’re the pro,” I answer with a nod. “I know you’ll do what’s best for Rosco.”
Her grin softens, her chin dipping in a nod. “I won’t be gone long today, and if it ends up being more than a few hours I’ll run on home just to make sure everything’s going okay.”
The way she speaks about the dogs is as though she’s speaking about humans who need constant attention and care. To her, I can tell that there’s no difference between her own needs and those that the dogs might have. They are equally important in her heart.
I’ve never once met anyone who feels that way beside myself. I know some people might not understand just how much Rosco means to me and how important he is in my life. Though I feel for the first time that Summer would have no issue grasping that. In fact, I can tell that Rosco and her dogs are the lights of her life.
“Call me when you’re ready to pick up Rosco and I’ll come back here to meet you,” she continues, taking a sip of coffee.
“Or, I could meet you at the fair?” I offer, noticing her eyes widen just slightly.
“Really?” she murmurs. “Are you sure? It’ll be busy and there’ll be a lot of dogs.”
“I want to. It’ll be fun. The last time I went to one of those events I met Rosco. I feel like I should pay it forward and maybe help some other dog find a new home.”
Summer sits back in her chair, her hands folding in her lap. Her head tilts slightly to the side, her eyes remaining on me. “You know what, Cooper? I think I might’ve misjudged you,” she muses. “I thought you were just kind of conceited, but there’s so much more to you, isn’t there?” She winks at me teasingly, bowing her head over her cup.
And I thought you were just beautiful, I start to say, though I bite my tongue.
I smile back, already counting down the minutes until I can see her again.
Chapter 10
Summer
Central Park is bustling with barking dogs ready to meet their new families and excited people just as ready to take them home. This adoption fair is easily one with the highest turnout rate that I’ve seen in a while, which I think must have to do with how gorgeous the summer has been so far. In their flip flops and shorts, parents herd their kids from kennel to kennel to inspect the little fluff balls waiting eagerly within.
I can’t help but to think back to when I met Sadie and Lola during one of these fairs. It’d been a rainy Sunday, the air chilled from the approach of an early winter, and Sadie and Lola were two tiny pups sharing a cage. I’d been assigned to their cluster of cages on the far side of the park where most people didn’t get to after being spellbound by the kennels closer to the entrance.
All day I’d watched them shiver and cuddle together, and when people did happen by, the two puppies did little to garner attention. While other dogs pressed their snouts through their cages and yapped at passersby in a plea to be taken home, Sadie and Lola didn’t so much as move a whisker. It was like they knew if they did, they might be separated. There are very few visitors to these fairs who are looking for more than one four-pawed addition to their family.
By the time our lunch break rolled around and hot cocoa was passed to every volunteer, my heart was aching for them. They looked so sad and lonely, I could hardly stand it.
When I walked back to their cage, I bent closer and stuck a few of my fingers inside, softly calling for them to come to me. They opened their glassy eyes, watching me uncertainly. It was Sadie, who was slightly pudgier and larger than little Lola, who protectively stood first. Keeping between my hand and her smaller sister, Sadie sniffed me. As if suddenly making up her mind about a decision I wasn’t privy to, she licked my fingers deliberately, gazing into my eyes. Lola joined her, the message slowly growing clear.
That day, I left the adoption fair with two new best friends.
It wasn’t me who truly picked them, they’d picked me. The papers were signed immediately. That day is still one of the highlights of my life. It’s impossible now to imagine who I might be without their constant company. It’s only been a few years since that fateful day, but it feels like forever. My dogs inspire me to be gentler and kinder in the way that I approach the world. They see only the best in people, and I try to live that way as well.
It’s the same way with Cooper. It’s been days and years all at once since he wandered into my home and caught me in the shower. Funny how in the moment I’d been terrified and furious, but now I think back at it and want to laugh.
“Summer, how’s it going?” Sam asks, yanking me from my reverie.
I clear my throat and beam at him. “It’s going well.”
I grin back at Sam, trying to focus on the adoption fair and not the handsome billionaire who’s captivated so much of my thoughts lately.
“I’m so pleased with the turn out,” Sam muses, looking around at the busy fair.
“Me too. Actually, I think this year might be a clean sweep,” I reply. “We’ve got so many people coming and going, and almost every single one I’ve talked to has taken a dog home. I’m hopeful that most of these dogs will find their forever homes today.”
“Fantastic! I knew recruiting you was a good choice. I’ve got to get back to my tent but I’ll swing by later to check on you again. Let me know if you need anything.”
I nod, waving goodbye as he trots back to his store’s tent near the front gates of the park. A few other local shops, as well as some veterinary offices, have small stands set up to help the new owners get settled with their pets. I’d even managed to find Rosco’s vet over there, verifying that the Husky had no known allergies.
Tonight, because I’m been so busy helping out here, I intend on making the dogs a nice feast. They’ll have some eggs and leftover steak from my freezer to top their kibble. It’s a rare treat since I watch my dogs’ health and diets carefully, but I know they’ll appreciate the reward.
I’ve been going back and forth to the apartment all morning, but so far the dogs have been perfectly behaved. I took them for a short stroll and made sure they had time to stretch their legs. It’s getting harder and harder to leave Rosco in that kennel every time I leave because I know Sadie and Lola want him free to play with.
Soon enough, we’ll be able to do just that.
I shield the sun off my face, watching a little girl nearby gently stroke her newly adopted pup—a tiny Chihuahua that made the child look like a giant. I could tell that they were going to be friends for life. There’s something magical about these pet adoptions. You find an animal that speaks to your soul, look into one another’s eyes and it’s just . . . love at first sight.
I’d never really believed in such a thing, but here’s honest proof of it right before me.
“Hey.”
The deep tenor of Cooper’s voice dri
fts over my shoulder, his breath warm on my ear. I jump, heart leaping into my throat as I spin around. He towers over me, his suit still perfectly pressed, his eyes as blue as a cloudless sky. My soul feels like it’s bottoming out, dropping to my toes and freezing me in place. His eyes have become my favorite shade of blue—deep and endless and enchanting.
You just look into each other’s eyes and . . .
I cut my rebellious thoughts off, swallowing hard. “You’re here,” I squeak out, voice strained.
A grin crosses his impossibly handsome face as his arms fold over his chest. “I told you I would be.”
“I just, um, I guess I expected you to change first.” I gesture at his suit and tie then at the dogs behind me. “I need help walking some of them and your suit might get dirty.”
He nods, smoothing his hands over his tailored suit jacket then deftly unbuttoning it. In a matter of seconds, he takes the fine fabric and folds it, tossing it into to the chair where my own purse sits as though the jacket is a dirty rag and not something I’m sure cost a small fortune to purchase and alter to his rugged frame.
“Are you sure you don’t want to change first? I might be able to find a volunteer shirt for you . . .”
“I’m sure, Summer.”
My name coming from his lips is almost too much for me to bear. I nod again, stiffly pointing toward where the leashes are stored in a large bin next to the kennels. “I need to take these Corgis out for a short loop around the park past Turtle Pond. It usually drums up a little interest in the pups. Plus, I’m sure these little guys would love some exercise. It’s tough on them to be stuck in a cage while all this excitement is going on.”
Cooper nods sagely, listening as he rolls up his sleeves and retrieves the leashes. I demonstrate how to carefully open the kennel and leash the dog before letting them free. In a few minutes, we have a small herd trotting in circles around our feet as we march toward the pond. The grass is lush and green under our feet, the faint smell of freshwater babbling from the pond.
Cooper: A Clean Billionaire Romance (The Billionaire Boyfriend Series Book 2) Page 7