“I’m proud of you even if you jump into a pool. Or knock someone in,” he whispers.
“Was that recorded too?” I ask, since I don’t think the phones were out tillafterthe splash.
“Nah, but I took a guess. I was right.”
“I admit nothing,” I say, holding my hands up like I’m innocent.
“I bet you had a damn good reason to knock the guy in,” he says, then wiggles a brow. “Was it about a woman?”
“It was,” I say, and once I say that, the hole in my heart deepens. I fucking miss her.
“Had a feeling. But first, let me ask you something else—this work you do. Does it make you happy?”
“It does.”
“Then what does it matter if you jump in a pool to save a dog? And really, shouldn’t we all jump in a pool to save someone else?”
I laugh, the ridiculousness of the other day hitting me all over again. “Words to live by.”
After another drink of coffee, he asks, “What’s really bothering you? Is it the woman?”
I meet his thoughtful eyes. “Yes, but it’s also…I didn’t plan to get involved. I didn’t come here to fall in love. I wanted to set a good example at work, and instead I got into a red-hot romance with a woman I’m working with, and all I can think is what if it goes wrong? How will I face my employees then?”
“The same way you do every day. You’ll walk in, you’ll say, ‘How are you?’ You’ll ask what they need, and you’ll pay the bills.”
I chew on that. Maybe I’ve taken everything too literally. Too seriously. Maybe some boundaries are good, but some can make everything—life, love—harder. “Maybe,” I admit, a little begrudgingly.
“You love this woman?”
“So much. And I’m pretty sure I’ve messed it all up.”
“Well, you were always good at telling businesses how to fix their problems. Maybe figure out how to tackle your own,” he says, then pats my knee. “I’m going to meet Latanya at the nail salon, and when she’s finished I’ll give her a tour of the town. Check into our hotel and all that. See you at the show.”
He leaves, and I sit with my own thoughts—but not for long. I do need to get to work.
And maybe there I can figure out the next steps.
* * *
Once I open the door and walk into Dog Tails, the answer is right before my eyes.
In the dogs.
In the pack mentality.
In the plans we have for tonight.
And in all my employees who turn to me and greet me like I’m—weirdly—their friend as well as their boss.
That’s new for me.
But maybe it’s not as uncomfortable as I’d once thought it would be.
Because if it takes a team to run this place, maybe a team is what I need to win back my woman.
She’s not here today, so even though this goes against my Virgo nature, it’s time for me to bend. To color outside the lines. To make a change.
I clear my throat and say, “I need your help. There’s a woman I need to fix things with. Who’s in?”
