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He took a long breath. “I’ll owe you big time if you do.”
“It’s just a giraffe, Presley.”
He chuckled.
“What?” she asked, that smile still pulling at her lips.
“The only person who calls me Presley is my mother.”
“Do you prefer Pres?” she asked him.
“No, I like it when you say my name.”
Oh. Her heart did a weird flutter thing. “Then Presley it is. So are you going to give me your address or will I have to hunt you down? Because Lola is looking mighty angry right now. She needs her owner.”
There was that laugh again. She wished she was there to see it. But somehow it was easier to talk with him over the phone than face to face.
She got too discombobulated when she could see him. That was the problem. Men like him shouldn’t be so attractive.
“I’m the next street up from my parents’ place,” he said, reeling off the address. “Take the left before their house. We’re about halfway along the road. You’ll see my truck in the driveway.”
“The Beast,” she said. She’d heard Delilah calling it that.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Okay then. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She disconnected and took a deep breath. She shouldn’t feel this excited from just talking to him.
But that didn’t stop her from smiling as she locked up the dance school and headed back toward her car.
“Is that her? Is she here?” Delilah ran over to the living room window, pulling open the curtains and pressing her nose against the glass. When he’d told her that Cassie had found Lola, his daughter had insisted on coming down to wait for them. Pres walked behind her, looking over her head at the headlamps sweeping over the driveway.
Yeah, it was her. He ran his tongue along his dry bottom lip.
Cassie climbed out of the car. She was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a cropped hoodie, her hair loosely tied back from her face. She looked like she’d been dressed comfortably to hang out and watch tv at home, not perform a rescue mission for a stuffed animal.
She still looked good though. He had a feeling she’d look good in anything.
Or nothing.
He blinked that thought right out of his head.
“I’ll open the door,” Delilah shouted, running into the hallway.
“Wait!” Damn, he needed to teach her about stranger danger. “Don’t open it until I’m there.”
But she was already opening it and shouting out Cassie’s name. The poor woman was only halfway up the driveway by the time Delilah was jumping up and down in the doorway.
“Hey. Look who’s been missing you.” She wiggled the giraffe in her hand.
“Lola!” Delilah looked over her shoulder at him. “Daddy look, Cassie brought her home.”
“What do you say?” he prompted, because they hadn’t quite gotten the politeness thing right yet.
“Thank you!” Delilah took the proffered toy and hugged her. Then hugged Cassie.
“No problem.” Cassie stroked her hair then looked up at Pres. She smiled softly at him.
And yeah, he smiled back. No big deal. “Hi,” he said.
