Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Half of me thinks it serves her right for adopting such an impractical dog, and the other half of me (the part still capable of human emotion) feels slightly bad that she’s injured.
I glance away, toward the checkout. There’s no one in line. I could pay for my shit and be gone in ten minutes, or…
“Adam?”
I whip my gaze back and see her eyeing me suspiciously. I realize I do look odd, hovering there at the end of the aisle, so I push my cart forward until I’m standing right in front of her. She briefly glances over my groceries. There’s a ton of fruits and vegetables, a couple pounds of lean protein. By comparison, her basket is filled with apples, ramen, and what looks to be dusty Valentine’s Day candy on clearance. Makes sense considering it’s mid-May.
“Oh…I was just going to tell the manager that these are probably expired,” she says, defending the heart-shaped Reese’s.
I look away so she doesn’t see my smile. “You don’t have to defend your groceries against me.”
She grunts under her breath, and it catches me by surprise. Every time I’m around this woman, she has a different personality. One second she’s hot, the next she’s cold. Last night when she brought me that beer, it almost seemed like she was trying to ingratiate herself to me. Now, she’s back to being cold, aloof.
I should turn around and go checkout. After all, I’m not in the market for female companionship, friends or otherwise. Yes, I am aware of the fact that if I were looking for a woman, Madeleine would be my exact type. I’ve always had a thing for brunettes, and she wears her long hair down, loose and curly down her back, wild almost. Her skin tone is warm and inviting, and there are definitely freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Her bare legs keep drawing my attention, and for some absurd reason, I can’t find fault with her mismatching toenail polish. It’s kind of endearing.
More than all of that though, she has an air of unabashed confidence about her, like she’s never spent a single day uncomfortable in her skin. It’s sexy as hell.
“You’re being weird.”
I look away from her legs and stare up at the Band-Aids. “What?”
“First I see you hovering at the end of the aisle, frozen in place, and now you’re here, completely silent. Are you about to have a breakdown or something?”
I frown. “No. I was just…thinking.”
She puts the carton of bandages back on the shelf and instead reaches for the generic box sitting beside it.
“I take it my suit wasn’t Mouse’s only victim?”
I glance up and see her eyeing me with barely contained disdain.
“Listen, can you please spare me the lecture about what a terrible mistake it was to adopt him? I would do it again without a second thought.”
I cringe. I suppose I have been a little tough on her, especially considering her intentions came from the right place.
“You’re right, no lecture,” I begin, offering an olive branch. “You clearly love him, so there’s no point in trying to convince you to give him up.” Her eyes widen at the absurdity of that idea, so I continue, “He’s your dog.”
She nods. “Yes. Exactly.” Then she glances down at her knees and sighs. “And yes, I’ve tried to train him to heel, but as soon as he sees a squirrel or a—”
“Well-dressed stranger,” I supply, and am pleasantly surprised when she shoots me a wide smile.
“Yes, exactly. Once he spots something he likes, he just takes off with no regard for the human he’s dragging behind him.”
I nod. “It’s not unusual. All puppies are going to do that. It just wouldn’t be as much of a problem if he wasn’t so big.”
She frowns and drops the bandages into her basket. “I swear he doubles in size every night.”
“It’s not completely hopeless. There’s a puppy training class starting at the YMCA tomorrow night.”
The words are out before I have time to consider them. Do I want her in my training class? Before tonight, I would have said no, but something about her sad skinned knees plays on my heartstrings—the few I have left.
Her brows shoot up in surprise. “Really? Do you think they’d have room for one more addition?”
Tell her no.
Nothing good will come from this.
You think she’s sexy, that’s why you care about her skinned knees.
“Yeah.” I nod, starting to back away. “It should be fine.”
Apparently my mouth isn’t connected to my brain anymore.
She nods, her smile doing something weird to my insides.
“Well thanks. I really appreciate it. I know we didn’t exactly start out on the right foot—”
I’m scared she’s about to go down a road I don’t want her to, so I nod and cut her off. “That’s why we have two of ‘em. See you around.”