We laughed.
Dee pointed outside. “Let’s go talk to them. Maybe, if we sneak up on them, we can hear something juicy.”
“How old are you?”
Dee scratched the side of her face. “Mentally or physically?”
We both laughed again and then stepped outside, walking quietly toward them.
Nick pointed to part of the gazebo. “Tighten up that bolt there.”
“Got it.” Brandon grabbed the drill and tightened the bolt. “So, let me get this straight, you like her now?”
Like who? Like me?
“Hey, guys!” Dee said, even though she was only looking at Brandon.
I wished she had waited a little longer so I could have heard more and found out if Nick was talking about me. I guess I’ll never know.
“How are you two doing?” I asked. “Wow, this is coming along nicely. Not bad for someone who takes extended lunches.”
“I can skip my lunch tomorrow to make up for it.” He winked at me.
“You’re asking for trouble.”
“I’ll take your warning into consideration.”
I tucked some hair behind one ear and smiled. “You’d better. And thanks again for the sushi recommendation. We loved it.”
“We did.” Dee smiled at Brandon. “Have you tried it?”
Brandon shook his head. “No.”
“Oh—we should go some time, if you want.”
“I would love to.”
“Did you have questions about the project?” Nick asked.
I waved off his question. “No, no. I trust you with that.”
“We were just wondering what happened to Karma,” Dee said.
“I was going to ask you earlier and forgot. I assumed she was back with the owners since you didn’t bring her with you today.”
Nick nodded. “Yes, she’s back with them. She spent the night with me last night, which I admit I quite enjoyed, but the owners finally called me back this morning. Their daughter went into labor early yesterday and they all rushed to the hospital, leaving the dog in the backyard. They ended being at the hospital for almost twenty-four hours because of complications.”
“I hope everything turned out okay.”
“They had a little bit of a scare with the birth, but it looks like mom and baby are going to be just fine after some recovery time. As for what happened to Karma, someone was supposed to stop by the house a few times to check on her while they were at the hospital, but there was miscommunication, the gate was left open, and then the dog escaped. Luckily, I found her, and nothing happened.”
“I agree, and the good thing is that she’s back with her owners, safe and sound.”
“Although she may not be with them for long. Because of the complications, the mom and newborn are going to stay with her parents for a while after they release her from the hospital. The problem is, the new mom is allergic to dogs. Anyway, I offered to take Karma.”
“That was sweet of you.” I squeezed Nick’s arm. He glanced down at it and then locked gazes with me before I slowly pulled away.
I glanced over at Dee to see her reaction on the matter, but to my surprise, she and Brandon had moved away from us and were talking over by the planters.
