company.”
Trip’s eyes lit up. “You would seriously do this for me?” He barely waited for Jane to finish nodding her head before he added, “I’d be forever grateful, and I promise I’ll pay you.”
“No, really. We are now friends, no?”
“But it’s too much. This is definitely a family-level inconvenience I’m asking for. I’ll be gone three months.”
“Uh, well, I…I really don’t mind. I love puppies. Can you bring her by before you leave?”
“Well, she’s in my car, in the parking garage.”
“Oh, poor puppy!”
It was Trip’s turn to flush and look embarrassed. “She’s not been there long. I planned on bringing her up to L—”
Jane grabbed his arm to interrupt him. She didn’t want to hear the name Livia on his lips again. She was Olivia. Livia was a sweet person’s name…or a nickname given to a chum…and Jane didn’t want her to be either. “I trust she is fine. Can I meet her?”
“Yeah, I have to leave tonight. If that’s okay?”
Jane nodded. “Of course!”
“Man. Really?”
Jane nodded.
“Thank you.” He grabbed her hand and shook it. “You don’t know how much this helps me. And I mean it, I’ll pay you. Eve’s cute and all, but I know how much work she is.”
“I will enjoy it,” Jane assured. He kept hold of her hand, which made her heart beat quicker. And she would see him again! At least once, when he picked up the dog. Jane bit her lip to subdue a goofy smile. Her wild imagination raced as fantasies spun like cobwebs filling her eager brain. They would talk and laugh over stories about the dog. He would see how right they were for each other and see what a bitch Olivia was in comparison to her sweet self, and before she knew it, he would kiss her. A timid kiss, but one filled with passion. He would tell her how lucky he was to fall in love with her. Jane’s meanderings were interrupted when the hand he had latched onto was jerked toward the elevator. Her body followed.
As the doors opened, he dropped her hand and made the gentlemanly offer of letting her in the car first. The ride to the first floor was quiet. Jane pressed her body against the cool wall and wondered what it would be like if touching him was a natural condition, rather than a freak moment of emotion. She wanted that. She wanted to reach out and fix the piece of hair that was left sticking up after all his worrying.
But she couldn’t.
He wasn’t hers.
As the doors opened, he led her through the garage, telling her about his dog as he walked. How he called her Eve because she came out of nowhere.
“And I took her to the vet, but she’ll have to go back for the rest of her immunizations.” Trip’s pace slowed. “I never thought of that.” He seemed to lose some of his enthusiasm.
“If you have her record, I could take her to Frosty’s doctor. He is close by.”
Trip nodded. “Yeah, I brought it. And I mean it about the money. You won’t have to pay for anything. I really appreciate this. I’ve only had her a week, but she gets under your skin, you know?”
Jane nodded and felt her heart lurch. She completely understood loving someone you barely knew.
He unlocked his car door. Jane smiled at the Subaru sitting among all the Mercedes in the lot. Trip really did have his own humble style. As he pulled the door open, a wagging, whining bundle of fur wiggled its way from under a blanket. Trip scooped her up and turned her to Jane. She was a Beagle still young enough to have her puppy pot belly. From her floppy black ears to her black-tipped tail, Eve was adorable. No wonder Trip rescued her without hesitation.
Heck, Jane was already deep in puppy love at first sight.
Eve licked Trip’s cheek as he held her against his shoulder and scratched her ears. Looking down into the pup’s big brown eyes, he said, “Now, Eve, this is Jane. She’s going to take good care of you. What do you think of that?”
The dog whined and kept wagging her tail.
Jane reached out and
Trip’s eyes lit up. “You would seriously do this for me?” He barely waited for Jane to finish nodding her head before he added, “I’d be forever grateful, and I promise I’ll pay you.”
“No, really. We are now friends, no?”
“But it’s too much. This is definitely a family-level inconvenience I’m asking for. I’ll be gone three months.”
“Uh, well, I…I really don’t mind. I love puppies. Can you bring her by before you leave?”
“Well, she’s in my car, in the parking garage.”
“Oh, poor puppy!”
It was Trip’s turn to flush and look embarrassed. “She’s not been there long. I planned on bringing her up to L—”
Jane grabbed his arm to interrupt him. She didn’t want to hear the name Livia on his lips again. She was Olivia. Livia was a sweet person’s name…or a nickname given to a chum…and Jane didn’t want her to be either. “I trust she is fine. Can I meet her?”
“Yeah, I have to leave tonight. If that’s okay?”
Jane nodded. “Of course!”
“Man. Really?”
Jane nodded.
“Thank you.” He grabbed her hand and shook it. “You don’t know how much this helps me. And I mean it, I’ll pay you. Eve’s cute and all, but I know how much work she is.”
“I will enjoy it,” Jane assured. He kept hold of her hand, which made her heart beat quicker. And she would see him again! At least once, when he picked up the dog. Jane bit her lip to subdue a goofy smile. Her wild imagination raced as fantasies spun like cobwebs filling her eager brain. They would talk and laugh over stories about the dog. He would see how right they were for each other and see what a bitch Olivia was in comparison to her sweet self, and before she knew it, he would kiss her. A timid kiss, but one filled with passion. He would tell her how lucky he was to fall in love with her. Jane’s meanderings were interrupted when the hand he had latched onto was jerked toward the elevator. Her body followed.
As the doors opened, he dropped her hand and made the gentlemanly offer of letting her in the car first. The ride to the first floor was quiet. Jane pressed her body against the cool wall and wondered what it would be like if touching him was a natural condition, rather than a freak moment of emotion. She wanted that. She wanted to reach out and fix the piece of hair that was left sticking up after all his worrying.
But she couldn’t.
He wasn’t hers.
As the doors opened, he led her through the garage, telling her about his dog as he walked. How he called her Eve because she came out of nowhere.
“And I took her to the vet, but she’ll have to go back for the rest of her immunizations.” Trip’s pace slowed. “I never thought of that.” He seemed to lose some of his enthusiasm.
“If you have her record, I could take her to Frosty’s doctor. He is close by.”
Trip nodded. “Yeah, I brought it. And I mean it about the money. You won’t have to pay for anything. I really appreciate this. I’ve only had her a week, but she gets under your skin, you know?”
Jane nodded and felt her heart lurch. She completely understood loving someone you barely knew.
He unlocked his car door. Jane smiled at the Subaru sitting among all the Mercedes in the lot. Trip really did have his own humble style. As he pulled the door open, a wagging, whining bundle of fur wiggled its way from under a blanket. Trip scooped her up and turned her to Jane. She was a Beagle still young enough to have her puppy pot belly. From her floppy black ears to her black-tipped tail, Eve was adorable. No wonder Trip rescued her without hesitation.
Heck, Jane was already deep in puppy love at first sight.
Eve licked Trip’s cheek as he held her against his shoulder and scratched her ears. Looking down into the pup’s big brown eyes, he said, “Now, Eve, this is Jane. She’s going to take good care of you. What do you think of that?”
The dog whined and kept wagging her tail.
Jane reached out and
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