“What?” I asked with the phone about six inches from my mouth.
“Is this some kind of joke?” I had two choices. I could pretend I didn’t know or I could explain.
I decided on the latter, he seemed pretty freaked. “I came into some money, and I shared it with you and the girls.”
“What the fuck,” Scott said. My eyes closed and my chin hit my chest. He sounded frantic, which technically pleased me. The puffing of breath though might mean he was hyperventilating. “Brooks, I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”
“Did you get the information on the girls?” I asked.
“What about the girls?”
I decided to let him figure that out on his own. “Lee, you’re the best friend a guy could have. You make me feel like I’m family.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Scott replied with anger, making me chuckle.
The doorbell rang, causing me to glance at the time. I’d scheduled a mobile dog grooming service to come by every Saturday around two in the afternoon. It was noon now, making them unusually early. Both dogs ears popped up again, and theycame to my side of the small table. I pushed my laptop lid closed and rose.
“Then the only thing left to say is…I win.” I couldn’t contain my laughter. I was barely able to say, “Someone’s at the door. I’ll call you back.” Duke and Dixie followed at my feet, ready to accompany me to the door to greet whoever was there. Generally the person on the other side of the door panicked when my good dogs tried to give their happy kisses to strangers.
“Place,” I called, stopping them in their tracks. Based on the way they didn’t immediately still, they weren’t happy with my command. “Place…” I said again, firmer this time. They knew that meant they had to stay where they stood, no matter what happened from this point on, until I released them. The whining they were doing now meant they knew who was on the other side of the door and wanted to greet them.
That was a little weird. They weren’t usually happy to see the groomer. They didn’t like being separated to have their baths and de-shedding treatments. Without looking through the peephole, I pulled open the front door.
Dash stood there, a large suitcase at his feet and a garment bag hanging over his shoulder. He didn’t wait to be invited in, rolling the suitcase over the threshold, while glancing around the townhome.
“It’s pretty. I like the old meets the new. You decorated it nicely. Bohemian. I thought this would be how you made it.”
The townhome wasn’t that big. He kept going a few steps further, fully into the living room where the dogs were better able to see him. They whimpered in earnest as their bodies wiggled, tails wagging, but stayed where I’d left them. In the last year, I’d never seen them behave this way.
“What’re you doing here?” I asked, once I found my voice.
Dash tossed the garment bag over the only chair in the living room as he started for the backyard. From inside his sportywindbreaker, he produced two large treats, taking them to the dogs. Prancing in place was the only way I could describe how they greeted Dash.
“Can you release their hold?” Dash asked, dropping to one knee in front of them to give each a treat.
“Release,” I said, and they did instantly. Dixie leaped forward, knocking Dash to his butt. Duke was right there behind her, making sure Dash couldn’t easily get up. Before I had time to give another command, Dash started laughing a joyful sound, taking Dixie in his arms. Duke had left the scene to grab my sandal by the door, carrying it in his mouth as he trailed back and forth between me and Dash. “They know you?”
“I saw y’all jogging one evening and set out to get to know them.” Dash lifted a hand and arm to Duke, drawing him over for the same greeting he gave Dixie. “I only brought my necessities. Most of my clothes are at the office. I wasn’t sure how much extra room you had,” Dash explained, finally getting to his feet to face me.
“Are you saying you’re moving in?” I asked, completely confused. We had only ever discussed dating once the year was up. I looked forward to the magic of being out with the one you loved, wooing them to your side of thinking.
“I waited a year,” Dash said, coming closer to me. “This is the day you left me one year ago. The second worst day of my life.”
“I meant we’d try to date again after a year,” I said, still clutching the door. After watching him with my dogs, I wanted to shut the door, and lock him inside here with me.
“Oh, I misunderstood,” he said, glancing all around the living room and into the kitchen. “You’re letting the air conditioning out. Close the door.”
Since the air conditioning wasn’t on, I doubted we were losing any of the cool air inside the house but followed his instruction anyway. I wanted us to be a family. Dixie, Duke, Dash and me.
“So this is the living room and kitchen. I like the open concept.” He turned to stare out into the backyard, both dogs at his feet as he rubbed their heads. “Is that fitness equipment for the dogs?” Dash gave me a cheeky grin. “Duke and Dixie. Great names by the way.”
If I didn’t love him so much, I’d question my safety with him here. Investigators had nothing on Dash’s stalking ability. I’d often envisioned him here with us. Mainly, I’d think of him talking about how small the townhome was. That he’d be able to walk the length of the living room in a few steps and complain, but that wasn’t what I was seeing now.
“Where’s the bedroom? Are there stairs I’m missing, or do we sleep on the fold-out couch?”
“The stairs are behind the kitchen. It’s one room with a bathroom up there. Their beds take up a lot of room. And you can stay. Move in,” I finally said, emotion clogging my words. I wasn’t sure if the runaway feelings churning through me were detectable or not, but man, my insides were freaking the fuck out. I’d been a fool. Who cared about making it on my own if it meant Dash stayed on the outside. I was one hardheaded guy. Dash stared at me as I stared directly at him. Slowly, he came toward me, moving around the suitcase.
“Please put your ring back on. For the rest of our lives, I promise to put you first above all else. We’ll make decisions together, live a more normal life that you’re comfortable in.”
