She Found Him

by Cranford, B.

  Shaking his head to clear the thoughts he absolutely had no right to be thinking—because hell, it wasn’t like he had anything aside from his plans for Pupp’s mapped out—he made a noise of assent. Not wanting to think too deeply about why her answer was so unsatisfying, he decided to ask her another thing he’d had on his mind. “How do you feel about roller coasters and ghosts?”

  It was obvious that the change of topic surprised her when she said, “No. Wait, what? I–did you say roller coasters and ghosts?”

  Smiling at her stumbling response, he explained, “I did. There’s an amusement park near here that has a Halloween-themed event. It’s open regular hours during the day, but then they have, like, haunted houses and stuff after dark. And I thought maybe you’d like to go?”

  He frowned after he’d said it, because what if she didn’t like the idea? He hadn’t been to the park in years, but he’d seen an ad for it and thought it might be fun. And then came Rose, and fun turned into a good excuse to take her somewhere where she might need him to comfort her.

  Hold her hand.

  Wrap an arm around her protectively.

  That kind of thing.

  It might be a little cliché, but hey, if it worked . . .?

  Why not?

  “I’ve never been to an amusement park before.” She hummed in his ear. “I mean, not like the ones you have over here. There was a little one near us when I was a kid, but it wasn’t, like, Disney-ish or anything.”

  “This one isn’t Disney either, but it’s pretty fun. Or it was when I was a teenager.” He chuckled, feeling a little self-conscious. “As long ago as that was.”

  “Oh, right. You’re positively ancient,” she joked. “Bloody near dead, as my mum would say.”

  “Ouch, thirty-four is bloody near dead?”

  “BND for short, and yes. Hate to be the one to break it to you.” She made a “whomp-whomp” sound followed by a delighted-sounding giggle, and he found himself smiling, even though she was substantially shortening his lifespan.

  “It’s okay. It just means you have to go with me now. It’s my dying wish, you see.”

  “Oh, bugger off,” she laughed. “That’s total manipulation.” She tsked before putting him out of his misery. “Fine, I’ll go, but only because if you get scared, it’ll give me a good excuse to hold your hand.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Two things. One, I thought of something today.”

  Three days had passed since their first date, and as Rose propped her phone on the small green dinosaur-shaped phone stand that sat on her kitchen’s window sill, she marveled at the thought. She’d spoken or texted with him each of those three days and it was almost like she couldn’t remember what it was like before.

  Almost. Her transformation into insta-lovesick fool wasn’t one hundred percent complete yet. Bringing her mind back to their conversation, she jokingly asked, “Just one thing?”

  His answering laugh was quick and rich, and she raised her head from where she was chopping up fruit to make a juice to smile at him.

  He smiled back, the white of his coat making his blue eyes stand out all the more. He was still at his clinic but taking a quick break for dinner, and he was sharing it with her.

  With me. The thought made her entire being warm. “What did you think of?” she asked, reaching for a small Royal Gala apple.

  “You weren’t the only pretty girl I had an encounter with at the march.”

  She crossed her eyes and made a face, garnering another laugh.

  “I’m serious. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before now, but I saw a dog wandering around. She looked so much like your Wilby, I actually feel a little stupid for not remembering right away.”

  His words made her pause. Because she’d seen the dog too, although she hadn’t interacted with it at all. “Did you talk to her?”

  Talk to her? Smart, Rose. She sighed inwardly at the awkward question, but Liam seemed to understand it, understand her, in a way she didn’t remember anyone ever understanding her before.

  Which was probably why she was talking to him for the fourth day straight.

  “Well, it was a sadly one-sided conversation, but yes. I checked to see if she had a name, a tag, something, because she seemed to be lost. But nope. Nothing.” He shrugged, the shoulders of his coat making a slight rustle. “She ran off before I was able to find out more about her.”

  His eyebrow raised and a chuckle escaped, making her very aware of the fact that he was teasing her. Because she, too, had run off on him that day.

  “She ran off? Who would do such a thing?” Bringing a hand to her chest in feigned shock, she laughed along with him when his chuckle built to a long laugh.

  “Who indeed? I just wanted to get to know her a little. Maybe get a name. A number.”

  “I’m sure she had her reasons.” Rose picked up a slice of apple and took a small bite, enjoying both the conversation and the tart sweetness of the apple. “Did you see her again?”

  “Nope. Unlike you, she didn’t come into my office a few days later. But Wilbur did.”

  “Do you think they’re related?” She tilted her head and looked down at Wilbur, who was laying in a sploot on the floor beside her feet, furiously attacking his favorite toy—a colorful rope that was already starting to fray. Curious at the potential connection but thinking it too much a coincidence to be possible, she added, “Like, maybe his mum?”

  “Not his mom. I didn’t see signs of her having recently had pups. No way to know for sure if there’s another connection though. It’d be pretty crazy, right?”

  “Very crazy,” she replied, watching the way he leaned forward on his desk and smiled at her. Even through the phone, and though they still had only barely scraped the surface of getting to know one another, she felt that smile as it sent a tingle up her arms and right into her silly, pounding heart.

  Kinda like how I’m starting to feel about you. God, she was tempted to say it, but instead, she asked, “What was the other thing? You said ‘two things.’”

  “Oh, I got the tickets to the amusement park. Are you going to need one of the ‘No Boo’ necklaces?”

  She pictured the light-up necklaces she’d seen while Googling the Halloween event, knowing they were designed for little kids who didn’t want to be frightened by the actors dressed to scare park-goers. “Who, me?” She brought both hands to her lips and pretended to chew on her fingernails before rolling her eyes at him. “No way, bucko. I’ll be the one calming you down. You’ll see.”

  * * *

  Rose was still thinking about the dog she and Liam had both seen at the march a couple of days later when she sat down at her kitchen table, iPad propped on a blue ceramic jug that doubled as a vase. It was currently overflowing with a wildly colored, mixed bouquet of flowers, courtesy of Liam.

  The card that had arrived with them the day before had made her smile.

  Babe Ruth,

  I had no idea if you liked the flowers that shared your name or something a little brighter. I decided to hedge my bets.

  Liam.

  They’d been delivered in the morning—right before she’d left for work—and when she and Kassi had come home, a second bunch of flowers—roses, this time—sat on their front porch.

  There was no note, but there didn’t need to be. She knew he’d sent them, because he was “hedging his bets.” She’d taken the roses to her bedroom, leaving the first bunch in the kitchen to lighten the room.

  Lifting a hand to lightly touch a vivid pink gerbera, she smiled. And was still smiling as she waved at the screen of her iPad after answering the incoming FaceTime call. “Hi Mum.”

  Her mum’s face transformed into a warm smile. “Hi, bubby. What’s got you smiling?”

  Not quite ready to tell her mum about the flowers and Liam, she bent down to pick up Wilbur. He was keen to see what she was doing, if the way he was jumping up against the edge of her chair was any indication. “Sorry I haven’t called y
ou in a few days. It’s been a busy week.”

  “Evidently. Who’s this?”

  Rose lifted Wilbur’s little paw and mimicked the wave she’d just given. “Hi Grandma,” she joked. “I’m Wilbur.”

  “Wilbur. I like it. I’m picturing his full name to be something very distinguished. Wilbur Wendell Cornelius, perhaps.”

  “I like it. It’s funny, I actually half-thought of calling him Wendell when I was naming him. Whatcha think, mate?” She looked down at Wilbur, who yipped in response. Her mum always did have a knack for finding the right name for the right animal.

  “That has to be a yes, I reckon.” Mum’s laugh was followed by the familiar lowering of her eyebrows, which signaled a question was coming. “How’d you end up with a dog anyway?”

  “I found him on the porch. I think he might’ve been abandoned.” Rose frowned as Wilbur lifted his paws, trying to touch the screen. He was generally looking very interested in both her mum and his own image. Probably wondering who that cute puppy is. “I think someone must’ve dumped him nearby and he found shelter. I put up signs and stuff, posted on Facebook and at the vet, but nothing came from it.”

  “When was that?”

  “Last week,” Rose tipped her head back to think, Liam creeping into her mind, as he so often did. “Five, no, six days ago?”

  “There’s still time. You never know.” Her mum smiled, her eyes quite obviously on Wilbur as he panted and wiggled for the camera. He clearly wasn’t shy, which Rose found adorable.

  Then again, Rose found everything about him adorable. Which was why her mum’s words about his owners maybe still contacting her stung. It was a reminder that he wasn’t yet hers—not completely, anyway.

  Like Liam, her brain added, apparently wanting to kick a girl when she was down.

  She felt her frown intensify, which was no doubt why her mum asked, “What’s wrong, bubby?”

  The familiar, childish nickname made Rose’s heart stumble, a wave of homesickness washing over her. She smiled, but knew it wasn’t so sincere as to fool her mum. “I’d be shattered if someone called to claim him now.” She scoffed a little laugh. “Actually, I’d have been shattered if they’d called five minutes after I posted.”

  “He’s a cutie,” her mum replied. “But what’s the plan here? Are you going to keep him?”

  She outlined her thoughts on bringing Wilbur home, the research she needed to do into quarantine rules and whatnot, then shrugged. “I don’t know. Wilby is . . . I don’t know. He’s special.”

  “Wilby,” her mum repeated, as if trying the nickname on for size.

  Rose nodded absently. “Liam nicknamed him.” She paused, thinking about Liam and the way he’d walked her to her door after their first date a few days earlier. When he’d bestowed the nickname on her puppy, who had yipped happily as his tail had wagged double-time. She’d be lying if she said her own tail hadn’t done the same. Metaphorically speaking.

  It wasn’t like she’d stood there and shook her arse at her date, tempting though it might’ve been.

  “Whoa, whoa, hold up. Who’s Liam?” Mum’s face came back onto the screen—as always when they talked, her mum had been moving about, making the bed, folding laundry, starting dishes. Whatever early morning jobs that needed doing before her work day began.

  It was so natural to watch her move about work like that, setting the house to rights, the dressing gown she wore every morning belted tightly at the waist. Another pang of homesickness kicked in.

  God, how she missed home. “I miss you,” she said quietly, instead of answering the question about Liam.

  Rookie move. Her mum’s gaze narrowed, but not before she returned the sentiment. “I miss you, too. But don’t think you’re going to deter me from asking about this Liam.”

  Though she hadn’t consciously set out to do that, Rose still felt abashed. “I wasn’t,” she defended herself, knowing that maybe, just maybe, she was. After all, when she’d been preparing to leave for her two-year stint, her mum had quietly confided her biggest fear—that Rose would meet someone and decide to stay in the USA.

  But why should that have any bearing on her current conversation? She and Liam weren’t anything . . .

  Yet, her mind supplied. Because, yeah, they felt like something. That much she could at least admit to herself. Though, maybe not to her mum.

  “He’s the vet I took this one”—she cupped Wilbur under his front paws and stood him up while jiggling him to make it look like he was dancing—“to right after I found him.”

  She and her mum both laughed when Wilbur aimed a small bark at the screen, almost as if he wanted to dance a little more. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop her mum from asking, “You like him?”

  She considered trying to purposefully misunderstand, but decided against it. It wouldn’t hurt to get Mum’s opinion on whatever it was that they had. “Liam? Yeah. He’s a nice guy.” She shrugged, trying not to give too much away—like the fact that just being near him made her a little giddy and a little nervy and a lot interested in being around him even more. She didn’t want to give her mum any reason to worry that she wouldn’t be coming home when her visa expired. And still, “A really nice guy. We, ah, we went out a few days ago.”

  “Pretty sure there’s more to it than ‘he’s a really nice guy,’ but you can tell me more later. I have to head off in a few to get ready for the day.”

  Though she’d thought to perhaps seek some advice, Rose recognized immediately that Mum was giving her time to decide what and how much she was going to say, time to see if there was even anything to say.

  And maybe giving herself time to get used to the idea of Rose dating some unknown American dude.

  And, Rose found she was pretty bloody grateful for it.

  She smiled and nodded, then chatted to her mum for a few more minutes—generally keeping the conversation light and happy, even though, as they hung up, she suspected her mum was thinking the same thing Rose was.

  What happens if Liam becomes more than just “a nice guy”?

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I could get mushrooms, I guess. Or tomatoes. Or both?” Rose scrunched up her nose, and looked up at him. “What are you getting?”

  Liam shrugged. “I figured we could share, so whatever you want is fine.”

  “Ugh, you’re not supposed to say that.” She looked down at the menu for the small vegan pizza place Liam had found near Pupp’s and frowned. “There are too many options and I can’t decide.”

  “I hardly think a choice of”—he scanned his own menu—“fifteen possible toppings is too many options.”

  “Clearly you don’t know how hard it is for me to choose. I like two options. And even then . . .” She tilted her hand in a so-so gesture.

  “Indecisive, huh?” He smiled at the idea. It made sense, given what he’d learned about her so far. She’d pored over the menu on their first date, too.

  “I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not so sure,” she joked. “Can you pick? It’s too big a responsibility.”

  “Stay away from spiders then.” He turned to the waiter who was approaching and indicated they were ready to order.

  “Spiders?” Rose asked, picking up the conversation as the waiter walked away to place their order.

  “Spiderman? Great power, great responsibility?”

  “Oh, right. Yeah, I’d be a terrible superhero. Who do I save? Which cape should I wear? Should I put my Lycra knickers on first or second?

  “Definitely second.” Liam laughed at the face she made, then asked, “So, where’s your little friend today?”

  “Wilbur?” A soft look on her face said she was head over heels for her new pet. “Last I saw him, he was playing an aggressive game of rope with Kassi.”

  “Oh, yeah? Who was winning?”

  “Hard to tell. They were both growling when I said goodbye.”

  He couldn’t help but snicker at the visual. “Kassi’s not at work today?”

  �
�Oh, no. She is. And so is Wilbur. I’m thinking about getting him some ties to wear to the office so he meets dress code.” She smirked, then giggled sweetly.

  Adorable, he thought, not for the first time.

  “He comes to the office a lot then? Like, enough to need a wardrobe?” he asked, playing along with her.

  “Yeah, he’s there every day. I think he’s becoming the office mascot, to be honest. They seem to like him more than they do me.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, okay,” she replied, sarcasm heavy in her voice, delight evident in her eyes.

  Liam just shrugged. If she wanted to believe that he was joking, he’d let her. But as cute as Wilby was, he was of the firm opinion that Rose was cuter.

  It had been exactly a week since their first date, and although he’d made it a point to text or talk to Rose every day since—and send her flowers—this was his first time actually seeing her in person since that chaste cheek kiss and a reluctant goodbye. He’d enjoyed talking to her, over the phone or via text, but it wasn’t the same as seeing her and watching her face as they spoke.

  Which was why he decided to start asking her questions about growing up in Australia. The thought of hearing her answers tinged with her adorable and sexy—and yeah, it could totally be both—accent could easily turn out to be the highlight of his week.

  In fact, he was sure it would be. Unless he got to see her more than once, then it might not be so certain.

  “Okay, be honest, what’s the dumbest thing someone has asked you about Australia since you came here?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her when she waved both hands in front of her, a move he recognized as an attempt at deflection.

  She didn’t want to answer his question.

  “Nope, you can’t get out of it. You have to answer.”

  She shook her head, picking at the slice of vegan pizza she’d grabbed when they’d been served. Laughing, she said, “No, I’m not going to.”

  “Why not? Come on, you have to have some stories for me.” He laughed with her when she rolled her eyes and raised one eyebrow. Fuck, but she was so beautiful, her awkwardness over the question only making her more so.