by Noelle Adams
Jacob, Fitz, and Matthew were finishing up the work on the bathroom today. They’d just finished the painting. All that was left now was installing the flooring.
Fitz looked as he always looked. Too much hair and beard. Too wrinkled clothes. Same old Army jacket. Not the slightest concern about how his appearance came across to the rest of the world. “He getting into more trouble?”
“No. He’s good. Still working on the bone.”
“You sure you don’t want to rethink the name?” Fitz asked dryly, walking over to look out the window.
“Why should I? Theodore is a perfectly good name.”
“Maybe. But not for that dog. Theodore is far too distinguished and respectable for him. I was thinking maybe Chaos. Or Catastrophe.”
Matthew gave an indignant grunt even though he knew the other man was joking.
“Okay. Don’t like those. What about Loki?”
Matthew rolled his eyes.
“Or Lucifer.”
Unable to resist, Matthew choked on a laugh. “His name is Theodore.”
Fitz laughed out loud. “If you say so. When are you going to admit that you’re keeping him?”
“I can’t keep him. I’m sure I’ll find a good home for him soon.”
Matthew kept trying to convince himself that it would be best for the dog if he had a nice home with a nice family with a nice house and yard. He wasn’t really cut out for being a pet owner. He worked too much and wasn’t paternally inclined and lived in a no-pets town house. But the truth was he really liked having Theodore around. He was still a disaster a good portion of the time, but he was getting better. And it was nice to have someone around who clearly adored you. Who thought you were the best person in the entire world.
Matthew wasn’t used to that. And he’d miss Theodore when he was gone.
“This place turned out real good,” Fitz said with an almost indifferent casualness. “Skye’s really gonna love it.”
At the mention of her name, Matthew’s heart jumped in his chest. It was absurd, but for the past month or two, every time he heard her name, he kind of emotionally lurched toward it. He wanted to talk about her. He wanted to hear about her. He wanted to see her almost constantly.
Whatever had happened between them on the weekend of the reunion had changed him. Completely. Irrevocably.
And he had no idea what to do with it.
“Mm-hmm,” he muttered, since he couldn’t trust himself to voice anything more.
Fitz slanted him a quick look. “You should bring her by tomorrow so she can see the finished work.”
“I’m sure Jacob will do that.” Matthew was pleased (and a little shocked) at the calmness of his response.
Fitz chuckled softly.
Immediately defensive, Matthew asked, “What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Just kind of fun to watch someone tie themselves in knots over their feelings instead of... you know... doing something about it.”
“If you have something to say, just say it.” Matthew had discovered he’d kind of liked Fitz over the past month. The man was odd but interesting and intelligent and funny and kind at heart. But he had absolutely no business implying such a thing about Matthew.
Fitz put both hands up in a show of surrender. “Hey, sorry, man. I’ve got nothing to say about anything. In fact, my goal in life is to always get out of the way.”
“Good. Because a grown man who teases the girl he’s into like a schoolboy has no right to question anyone else.”
Unlike Fitz, Matthew did always try to stay out of people’s way. He never got involved in social drama, and he preferred to be left alone by most people. But he was annoyed at Fitz’s having recognized and mentioned his feelings for Skye, so he lashed out by alluding to something he’d noticed about Fitz.
Fitz froze for a moment, his blue eyes suddenly cool and hard.
And Matthew was immediately afraid he’d gone too far. It seemed like Fitz should be able to take as much as he gave, but Matthew didn’t actually want to hurt him, and for a moment he was afraid he had.
But then Fitz’s demeanor changed. Relaxed. He chuckled again. “Ah, well, I guess you don’t know me well enough yet. Pretty soon you’ll figure out that nothing is serious for me. That’s the only way I’ve been able to make it through life.”
There might have been the slightest hint of poignancy in the last words, but Matthew couldn’t catch enough to know it for sure.
And it didn’t matter anyway. Jacob stuck his head in the kitchen just then. “You guys gonna hang around staring at the dog all day, or are we gonna finish this work?”
They went to finish the bathroom.
THAT EVENING, MATTHEW took a shower, got dressed in a decent-looking shirt and trousers, and headed over to Ken and Madeline’s house. They were having a party/shower for Ria and Jacob tonight. Mostly a casual cookout, but it would include wedding shower gifts for the couple, who would be getting married next month.
Matthew was going over early so he could help Ken and his sister get things ready. Not that they probably needed his help. He was just bored and ready early.
He brought Theodore with him. Theodore had made friends with Ken’s lab, Marlowe, and the two loved to race around the yard together. As soon as the food came out, however, Theodore would have to go inside. Otherwise, everyone’s burgers and brats would meet a quick and inglorious end.
Theodore was so excited about the visit that he started whimpering in the car as soon as they were in sight of Ken’s house. And he was pulling on the lead frantically as they walked up to the front door.
Madeline let them in with a cheerful greeting, and Matthew kept Theodore on the lead until they went straight to the backyard. Marlowe, who was a much better behaved dog, was kept at Ken’s heel, quivering with excitement, until Matthew let Theodore off the lead in the big fenced backyard.
The dogs yapped with joy and started chasing each other around the perimeter.
Matthew laughed. It was nice that Theodore had a friend. “You need help with anything?”
His sister shook her head. “Not really. We’re in pretty good shape. It’s so cool this evening that we’re probably going to have to eat inside, so I think we’ll set up the rest of the food in there. We’re keeping it pretty simple. Ria and Jacob aren’t going to want a big, fancy party.”
“No. I wouldn’t think so.”
Madeline was quiet for a few minutes as they watched the dogs run. Then she finally asked without warning, “So will tonight be the night?”
“What night?” His shoulders stiffened.
“The night when you make a move.”
His lips tightened. He didn’t answer.
“Come on, Matthew. You’ve barely said anything to her for ages. And you can’t tell me it’s because you don’t feel something for her.”
“I kept hoping it would go away,” he murmured, growing warm at the uncharacteristic admission.
Madeline’s eyes widened. “Did it go away?”
“No.”
“Isn’t it time to do something?”
“Do what?”
“You know what. Talk to her. Kiss her. Tell her how you feel. Aren’t you tired of living in this limbo?”
“Yes!” he burst out, surprising himself with the vehemence. But he’d been in a state of anxious uncertainty for weeks now, unable to move on with his life or do anything but think about Skye.
“So do something.”
He hesitated briefly before he admitted, “You don’t understand. I’d do something. Anything. But I don’t know what to do.”
She surprised him by laughing gently and reaching over to give him a one-armed hug. “Oh my God, Matthew. You’re so clueless.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“You don’t have to do anything life changing or dramatic. Just talk to her. Resolve to talk to her tonight. See how it goes. After that, you might have a better idea what to do next. But right now she’s probably thinking you don’t even like
her.”
He blinked. “Why would she think that?”
“Why do you think? Something happened between the two of you, and then you’ve gone a month without even talking to her. What is she supposed to think?”
“Shit.”
He really was clueless. He’d always considered himself smart and responsible, but he had no idea what he was doing where relationships were concerned. He always overthought things and then ended up doing nothing at all.
But he couldn’t do that with Skye. If he did, he’d lose her for good.
He’d been waiting for a month for these feelings for her to go away. They hadn’t. They’d just gotten stronger. He couldn’t live like this for the rest of his life. He had to do something.
Which meant he’d have to summon the courage to talk to her tonight.
SKYE DID HER BEST TO act—and feel—natural at the party, but she was in a state of jittery excitement the whole time. She tried not to focus on Matthew, but it felt like he was always staring at her. And twice it seemed like he might come over to talk to her, but then something interrupted and he hadn’t after all.
Several times she resolved to just go over and talk to him herself, but it felt important to her that he make the first move.
Assuming he wanted to make a move at all.
So she was quivering with repressed feelings as she chatted with her friends and celebrated with Jacob and Ria as they opened their presents. It was fun. Really nice.
But she wished Matthew would come talk to her.
A couple of hours into the party, when a few people were starting to leave, she went back to the dessert table in the kitchen to get another sampling of goodies. She was picking out the best of the remaining mini-cupcakes when a voice came from over her shoulder.
“Hey.”
She was so startled she jumped. The refreshments on her plate bounced dangerously.
“Oh. Sorry,” Matthew murmured, looking sober and a little stiff. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She beamed at him, surprised and delighted that he’d come over and made a point of talking to her. “Oh, it’s fine. I just wasn’t paying attention. I was looking for some more desserts.”
“It looks like you’ve got quite a selection there.” A little glint of amusement awoke in his gray eyes.
She gave him an exaggerated glare. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. No problem in the world.” He laughed softly. “You should eat all the desserts you want.”
“I do.” She popped a little lemon cookie in her mouth to prove her point. Then regretted it because it took a while for her to chew it up.
Matthew watched her with interest until she’d almost dissolved into giggles.
“Anyway, someone with a plate full of meat shouldn’t be judging others for their food choices,” she said when she’d managed to swallow the cookie.
Matthew glanced down at his plate full of a burger patty and brat.
“Oh,” she said, realizing something. “It’s for Theodore, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. The poor fella has been trapped in a bedroom this whole time. I keep hearing him cry in there.”
“Well, let’s go give him a treat. Poor little guy.”
Matthew looked pleased at that suggestion, and they both went to the back of the house to one of Ken’s girls’ rooms, which was where Theodore had been banished. He jumped in joy when they entered.
Skye watched in pleasure as Matthew made him sit before each bite of the burger and brat he received.
“I think it’s great that you’re keeping him,” she said.
“I really can’t.” Matthew’s face twisted in obvious reluctance. “I just don’t see how it could work. He’s not allowed at my place, and I have to take him to dog daycare every day while I’m at work so he won’t howl his head off and get me in trouble.”
Skye frowned, looking down at the dog’s worshipful expression, focused unerringly on Matthew’s face. “But he loves you.”
He took a weird ragged breath. “I know.”
She didn’t know what to say, and they were silent for a while. If Matthew wasn’t even willing to commit to a dog—change his life in the ways that would require—she wasn’t sure whether there was any hope for a real relationship with him.
She’d thought she’d already given up on him, but it made her sad just the same.
“Hey,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes darted up. “For what?”
“For being weird. For not talking to you. It’s not because... I’m just... I didn’t know what to do with the way we left things. And so I clammed up. I’m sorry.”
She smiled at him, relieved to at least get this out in the open. “It’s okay. I get it. It’s an awkward situation. But we’re both adults. I think we can get through it and keep talking occasionally.”
His smile widened. “I think so too.”
Feeling better, more settled (and just a tiny bit disappointed), she added, “And isn’t it doggie daycare?”
“What?”
“You called it dog daycare. Isn’t it supposed to be doggie daycare?”
He arched his eyebrows. “Are you kidding? Theodore doesn’t go to doggie daycare. That sounds silly. He goes to dog daycare.”
She giggled at the lofty teasing of his tone. “If you say so. But to the rest of the world, dog daycare is the one that sounds silly.”
Matthew wouldn’t be persuaded, and Theodore obviously didn’t care one way or the other.
Seven
AN HOUR LATER, SKYE was helping Madeline clean up the kitchen. The party guests were all gone, and Ria and Jacob had left with their assortment of shower gifts (some good and some quite useless). Skye was exhausted but also wired—as if some kind of electrical current had awoken inside her and was buzzing beneath her attempt at composure.
Matthew hadn’t “declared himself” (as they called it in the historical romances she liked to read). In fact, he hadn’t said anything that should have given her hope. But he was talking to her again, and their conversation had felt significant in a way she couldn’t articulate.
She couldn’t help but be excited about it.
At the moment, Matthew was out back with Ken and the dogs. The men were picking up the remains of the party, and the dogs were playing. More specifically, Theodore had grabbed a paper plate that must have still smelled like hamburger and was racing around the yard with it while Marlowe was galloping at his heels, trying unsuccessfully to snatch this trophy away from his best friend.
Every once in a while, Skye would glance out to giggle at the dogs. This time, as she did so, her eyes shifted over to Matthew. She saw him looking through the window at her, and their eyes met with more intensity than the circumstances warranted. She flushed and smiled and waved and turned away quickly so it wouldn’t look like she was standing there gazing at him sappily.
Madeline laughed softly over the tray she was washing in the sink. She didn’t explain what she was laughing at, and Skye was too nervous to ask.
When the guys came in, the cleanup was complete. Skye didn’t really want to leave yet, but there was no excuse to keep her there. Ken and Madeline were probably ready to be alone. She couldn’t hang out indefinitely in the hopes of spending more time with Matthew.
“Matthew, would you mind walking Skye back to her car? She’s about a block away and it’s dark out,” Madeline asked her brother.
“Oh. I’m sure I’ll be—” Skye began.
“Of course,” Matthew broke in, leaning over to hook a tired and gleeful Theodore on his lead. “Happy to.”
Skye felt her cheeks warming again as she met his sober gaze. “Thanks.”
Madeline was laughing again as she, Ken, and Marlowe walked them to the front door. They all said goodbye, and Skye walked beside Matthew and Theodore down to the sidewalk that ran the length of the street. “I’m just over there,” she said quietly, pointing over toward where her car was parked on the curb, the
only one left on the block since the other partygoers had already left, and Matthew had gotten there early, so he was parked in the driveway.
They walked down the block in silence. Skye searched her mind for something pleasant and casual to say, but she couldn’t think of anything. At all. She was usually an easy talker, so she wasn’t used to this tongue-tied feeling, and she didn’t like it. When they reached her car, she leaned down to scratch Theodore behind the ears and tell him he was a very good boy.
“Thanks for walking with me,” she said, finding the courage to look up and meet Matthew’s eyes at last.
They were very dark and deep and serious in the low light. “You’re welcome.”
Her breathing had turned ragged. It looked like he was going to say something—something she really wanted to hear. She waited for it until the waiting stretched on a little too long. With a sigh, she clicked her car open and opened the driver’s side door. “Good night. I’ll see you later.”
It took longer than it should have before he answered. “Yeah. See you later.”
She let out another long exhale and got in. Turned on the ignition. Or tried to.
The car wouldn’t start.
She tried it again. Nothing but some clicking noises.
Matthew had started for the sidewalk, but he came back immediately. He opened the door and leaned in. “Sounds like the battery’s dead.”
“Why is it dead?” she wailed. “I know I didn’t leave the lights on or anything.”
“Could just be old. It happens sometimes. You want me to jump you? Or if you don’t want to mess with all that in the middle of the night, I could just take you home and we can get you jumped tomorrow.”
She peered up at him hopefully. “You’re not going to want to go way out of your way to take me home.”
“Why not? Anyway, it’s not that far. It’ll just take me a few minutes. Come on. Get what you need, and we’ll deal with your car tomorrow.”
That sounded like a good plan to her. She grabbed her purse, got out, and locked the car doors before falling into step with Matthew and Theodore as they returned to his SUV.