“I’m sure,” I say. “We’ll follow you,” I add, already moving.
No time to ask Sawyer what the hell we’re doing in the middle of this dog training emergency—because we’re hustling to my car seconds later.
“Who’s the real efficiency expert now?” he asks as he opens my door, his tone laced with…innuendo.
“This woman,” I say, hopping in.
“And it’s hot,” he whispers, and so much for innuendo. He’s clear.
When he slides into the passenger seat, he gives me a look like hereallywants to fuck me again.
It’s a very good look.
When I turn on the car, I say, “Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it.”
His gaze holds mine and his eyes flash with warmth, something deeper than desire. “Like I said, I can’t stay away from you.”
My heart flips.
“And you owe me, Chloe. Ducks. You’ve got to juggle those ducks.For me.”
The organ in my chest flips yet again.
But I can’t get caught up in this feeling—not when I’m apparently the head of the emergency department in Darling Springs. From community theater chaos to dog drama, Chloe Rivers is the one to call.
Who would’ve thought the hot mess would be the problem solver?
* * *
“Shortcake needs to see you interact with another man safely and calmly. I want him to see that affection toward you doesn’t mean he’s losing you,” I explain in the living room of Veronica’s disgustingly adorable bungalow.
I feel like I’ve stepped into an Easter egg. Everything is mint green, robin’s-egg blue, and Barbie pink—from the couch to thechair to the pillows. The artwork is all serene line drawings of beaches, oceans, and mountains. A few scattered dog beds cover the floor.
“Okay,” Veronica says, focusing intensely on me.
I turn to Sawyer. “I want you to pretend to be her date while I watch and see how Shortcake reacts.”
Sawyer blinks. Furrows his brow. He’s not normally thrown off, but he clearly is now. “Okay, and that means?”
“I want you to knock on the door and come inside. Maybe even hug Veronica, if that’s okay?” I say, asking the two of them.
“Of course,” Veronica says.
“Sure,” Sawyer says, but he sounds a little stiff. Looks that way too. But he’s probably not used to dog lessons.
I open the door and shoo Sawyer outside. “Knock in ten seconds. And open the door like you normally would. I want to see his behavior.”
And right on cue, Sawyer knocks, Veronica swings it open, and seconds later, when his arms wrap around her, two things happen—Shortcake lunges at Veronica and tries to make sweet love to her calf and her thigh, and I become Gollum. Gollum is me, and the wordmineflashes bright and hot before my eyes.
But I am a damn good dog trainer, so I breathe out hard, let the jealousy go as best I can, then say, “Thanks, that’ll be enough.”
Oops. Did that sound snappish?
Hopefully they didn’t notice.
They break apart, and Shortcake dismounts as well as an Olympian. Gollum slinks away.
“Okay. He’s definitely staking his claim on you,” I say toVeronica, focusing on them now and ignoring this raging fire in my chest. “He might think he’s being replaced, so what we want to do is create a new greeting ritual. I want you to have treats ready. And as soon as Sawyer is about to hug you or kiss you,” I say, and my eye twitches at the thought, “you give Shortcake a treat and tell him to wait. Then you hug Sawyer,” I explain, and the twitching, it intensifies, starts again annoyingly. “And give Shortcake the treat. The goal is positive reinforcement for him not humping, but to get him to do that, you need to essentially reward him with a treatbeforeSawyer hugs you. It’s like a pre-ward fornothumping.”
