My throat burned. I believed him—I really did—but I also hoped I hadn’t held him back. I wanted to ask what happened between him and Jade. Had he planned to follow her? Had he wanted to? Is she why hedidn’t have timeto date.
But I didn’t ask any of that. Instead, I cleared my throat. My eyes flicked to the door, seeing Gran come in. It was hard to miss her with her bright-pink shawl, and relief washed over me. “Gran just got here,” I sighed. “Show me the dog you were looking at.”
Cooper picked up his phone and unlocked it just as Gran found us and slid next to me in the booth.
“Cooper and I are having his annualI might get a dogconversation,” I filled her in.
“Ah,” she said with a smile. “Let’s see.”
When Cooper turned his phone around, we were met with the sweetest face of a light-brown German Shepherd with pointy ears named Red. From Red’s description, he was just over three years old and came from a home out of state where he hadn’t been treated well. I knew without a doubt my brother would give this dog a loving, caring home.
“Oh my god, Cooper. He’s adorable.” I took the phone from him, bringing it closer to Gran and me. “I’ll be the best dog aunt ever. Youhaveto get him.”
“You’ve been talking about getting a dog for a while. Might be a good time to finally make it happen,” Gran encouraged.
Cooper took the phone from me. He took another look at the screen before sliding it into his pocket. “Maybe. We’ll see. I still have to figure out a few things at work to see if it’s possible. I wouldn’t want to get a dog and then never be around, but I think it’d be nice to get a dog who’s a little older.”
“Could you bring him to work with you?” I asked.
Cooper shook his head. “Occasionally, maybe. But notregularly. Only trained service animals and work dogs are allowed day-to-day.”
“You’ll know when the time is right. There’s no need to rush,” Gran assured.
“I’ll know when the time is right?” Cooper asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes. “Is your psychic going to tell me?” he teased, returning back to his joking, carefree tone.
“I bet she could. She hasn’t been wrong yet.” Gran looked at Cooper and then at me.
I parted my lips to ask Gran what she meant, but Teresa came to grab our order.
Gran’s psychic had told her that Cooper and I would be okay and that my curse would be broken. But she’d also said there would be a rainstorm, engagement, and a homecoming this year.
My cursewasbroken. For now, at least.
Was my walk home with Leo the night we first slept together the rainstorm? Or was there another one coming? June, which was only a couple weeks away, tended to be the rainiest month in northern Wisconsin. I normally loved the rain, but I had a strange feeling all of a sudden. A shiver ran up my spine, and I looked up to see if we were sitting under a vent.
“Are you feeling okay, dear?” Gran asked.
I nodded. “Uh, yeah. Just…felt a chill.”
Gran watched me closely before turning back to Cooper. They resumed whatever conversation they were having moments ago.
An engagement and a homecoming. I hadn’t thought much about those, but that uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach remained. I shook those thoughts away and returned to the easy conversation Gran and Cooper were having as we waited for our food.
As the three of us finished dinner and the pastries I’d brought from Purrfect Blend, my mind wandered back to Leo, wondering if he’d tried the food here yet, and if so, what his thoughts were. I wondered if he enjoyed eating at different restaurants or if he preferred to prepare his own food.
On my way to the restroom, I stopped Teresa. “Hey, could I get an order of the margherita pizza and spaghetti bolognese to go, please?”
“Why of course. I’ll add it to the check, and we’ll have it right now. I’ll throw in some extra bread for you, too.” She winked.
I grinned at her and handed her my credit card that I’d snuck away. “And I’ll take care of our check, too, while we’re at it. Save you the awkwardness of us fighting over who will pay.”
“Smart girl.”
With our check taken care of and the to-go food delivered to our table—which I’d lied and said it was for me to eat later—the three of us left the restaurant and were met with a cool, evening breeze.
“I gotta get going to Lake Ridge. I’ll see you both soon.” I hugged Gran and then Cooper.
“C’mon, Gran. I’ll drive you home.”
