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Mr. Brown pushes his silvery muzzle into a stand of reeds and comes out with a wet, grimy stick. I take it from him and chuck it far enough to give him a bit of fun, but not far enough to wear him out.
“Is that a good thing, that he won’t call?”
“Yeah. We went out a few times, but I’m not up for hanging out with him again. So, thanks. That was helpful.”
“What’d he do wrong?”
“Eh, not important.”
We amble toward the shoreline. The water reflects the colorful trees and the golden sky. Zoey drops her ball in the shallows so she can watch a row of ducks drifting in and out of the tan, leafy reeds.
She barks.
Mr. Brown stops gnawing his stick to see what the fuss is about. Spotting the ducks, he adds a low “woof.”
“You’re not gonna tell me how he messed up?” Brock says.
I shrug. “He didn’t mess up.”
Brock and I stop walking just before the ground gets muddy. I can smell the fall leaves, the clean air, the mineral-rich water of the pond.
“He must’ve. You didn’t look happy to see him.”
“He didn’t mess up. He didn’t do anything wrong, exactly. He just never really did anything all that right, you know?”
“What should he have done?”
“I don’t know…”
“I bet I know.”
I give him a quick smile. “Oh, come on. You don’t know everything.”
“He should’ve swept you off your feet. Right? That’s what you wanted.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Yeah, but I’m taking an educated guess based on how you sound. Plus, I have a decent idea about what women want.”
“Oh, I know.”
“You know?”
“I’ve read the articles, the social posts. Your sizzling love life is public knowledge.”
“Sizzling?” He chuckles.
“Scandalous, even.”
“Scandalous…” He strokes his chin and looks out across the water. “Ha. I think I like that. Jordan and Leo would love it. Maybe we’ll weave it into a podcast one of these days.”
“Brock Benson’s Sizzling, Scandalous Dating Life,” I tease.
“I don’t know if it would hold listeners’ attention.”
“Oh, I am sure it would. People love your tales of adventure. And you’ve got a reputation as quite the ladies’ man, so of course, people want to know all the details.”
He raises his brow. “You’re calling me a ladies’ man?”
