furious. Told me if I go through with my insanity , it’s over.”
“Oh.” Jane tried to hide the joy that bubbled through her. “So what will you do?”
“I’m sticking with my plan. And Olivia will either adjust or move on.”
Jane nodded as her mind sang—m ove on, move on…to me!
Trip paced the hall. “It’s not just Liv. My decision has everyone pissed at me, but I can’t help how I feel. It’s my life, right? I have the right to be in control of it.”
“Yes!” Jane bounced on her heels. “You must…always follow your dreams.”
“Yeah! I refuse to quit living before I’ve ever even started. I don’t have to explain to people…it’s not like I have kids or a wife or…” He slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned.
“Worried about Ms. Higgins?” Jane offered. “I’m sure, eventually, that she’ll come to understand.” Or not. Hopefully the latter.
“No, not her. It’s Eve. Damn.” He tugged at his floppy blond hair. “How the hell could I have forgotten about Eve?”
“Oh, I see,” Jane answered, her heart sinking to her toes.
Chapter 2
Her spirits sagged as she looked Trip over more critically. Her brows knitted together as she tried to imagine him as a womanizer. He didn’t seem the type, but honestly, she had no record for comparison. She’d never, in her twenty-three years, been on a date. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the one in front of her, no man ever made her want to take the time. She picked at the chipped plum paint on her thumb nail. “So, you have another girlfriend?”
Trip’s look of surprise by the question was instantly replaced with a grimace. “No. Not a girlfriend. Eve’s my new puppy.”
Jane had to stifle a happy dance, but she couldn’t control the grin that spread from one ear to the other. “Ahh, you have a puppy?”
“Yeah, and I was going to ask Olivia to dog sit, but she took the first part of the news so badly, she’d probably take my head off if I asked her for a favor. But then I guess I have to ask her, I don’t really have any other…”
“Leave her with that witch? The poor creature.” The words tumbled from her mouth and only stopped when she clasped a hand over her lips.
Trip’s laugh came like rapid fire.
Jane felt the heat of humiliation from head to toe. She had been doing so well, playing the game of appearing neutral.
Trip gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Oh, hell, don’t look guilty, she deserved that.”
“I still shouldn’t….”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re just being honest. I admire that.”
Jane nodded, removing the hand that covered her lips, but her eyes remained wide.
Trip studied the ceiling a moment before speaking. His words didn’t really seem to be directed at Jane; it was more like he was thinking aloud. “I hadn’t planned on getting a dog, but one day I left for work and there was this little dog rooting through my trash. It was like she came out of nowhere. I gave her the sandwich from my lunch and left her sleeping on my porch. When I came home, she was still there waiting for me.”
“Aha…Eve.”
“Exactly,” Trip said. “And just like the original Eve, she is causing complications. I don’t know what to do with her while I’m gone. I’d ask one of my brothers, but they live out of state, and there’s no time. My mother’s definitely not a dog person. I could call a kennel, but she’s so small.”
“I could keep her, if you trust me,” Jane asked, her voice timid, with just a touch of anxious quiver.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Trip answered with a shake of his head.
“Really, it’s no problem. It’s what I do; I help people…here in the building. I mean I clean and get laundry; sometimes even groceries. It’s really no big deal.”
“But it’s a pup, not a load of laundry. Pups can be a lot of work.”
Jane waved off his concern. “I know dogs. I have a little white poodle dog named Frosty. I’m sure he’d love the
“Oh.” Jane tried to hide the joy that bubbled through her. “So what will you do?”
“I’m sticking with my plan. And Olivia will either adjust or move on.”
Jane nodded as her mind sang—m ove on, move on…to me!
Trip paced the hall. “It’s not just Liv. My decision has everyone pissed at me, but I can’t help how I feel. It’s my life, right? I have the right to be in control of it.”
“Yes!” Jane bounced on her heels. “You must…always follow your dreams.”
“Yeah! I refuse to quit living before I’ve ever even started. I don’t have to explain to people…it’s not like I have kids or a wife or…” He slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned.
“Worried about Ms. Higgins?” Jane offered. “I’m sure, eventually, that she’ll come to understand.” Or not. Hopefully the latter.
“No, not her. It’s Eve. Damn.” He tugged at his floppy blond hair. “How the hell could I have forgotten about Eve?”
“Oh, I see,” Jane answered, her heart sinking to her toes.
Chapter 2
Her spirits sagged as she looked Trip over more critically. Her brows knitted together as she tried to imagine him as a womanizer. He didn’t seem the type, but honestly, she had no record for comparison. She’d never, in her twenty-three years, been on a date. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the one in front of her, no man ever made her want to take the time. She picked at the chipped plum paint on her thumb nail. “So, you have another girlfriend?”
Trip’s look of surprise by the question was instantly replaced with a grimace. “No. Not a girlfriend. Eve’s my new puppy.”
Jane had to stifle a happy dance, but she couldn’t control the grin that spread from one ear to the other. “Ahh, you have a puppy?”
“Yeah, and I was going to ask Olivia to dog sit, but she took the first part of the news so badly, she’d probably take my head off if I asked her for a favor. But then I guess I have to ask her, I don’t really have any other…”
“Leave her with that witch? The poor creature.” The words tumbled from her mouth and only stopped when she clasped a hand over her lips.
Trip’s laugh came like rapid fire.
Jane felt the heat of humiliation from head to toe. She had been doing so well, playing the game of appearing neutral.
Trip gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Oh, hell, don’t look guilty, she deserved that.”
“I still shouldn’t….”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re just being honest. I admire that.”
Jane nodded, removing the hand that covered her lips, but her eyes remained wide.
Trip studied the ceiling a moment before speaking. His words didn’t really seem to be directed at Jane; it was more like he was thinking aloud. “I hadn’t planned on getting a dog, but one day I left for work and there was this little dog rooting through my trash. It was like she came out of nowhere. I gave her the sandwich from my lunch and left her sleeping on my porch. When I came home, she was still there waiting for me.”
“Aha…Eve.”
“Exactly,” Trip said. “And just like the original Eve, she is causing complications. I don’t know what to do with her while I’m gone. I’d ask one of my brothers, but they live out of state, and there’s no time. My mother’s definitely not a dog person. I could call a kennel, but she’s so small.”
“I could keep her, if you trust me,” Jane asked, her voice timid, with just a touch of anxious quiver.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Trip answered with a shake of his head.
“Really, it’s no problem. It’s what I do; I help people…here in the building. I mean I clean and get laundry; sometimes even groceries. It’s really no big deal.”
“But it’s a pup, not a load of laundry. Pups can be a lot of work.”
Jane waved off his concern. “I know dogs. I have a little white poodle dog named Frosty. I’m sure he’d love the
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