Page 4 of Freeze Frame

I wasn’t against dating, but I was against Violet having opinions about the men I dated. I loved her for all she’d done to protect me, but even now that I was an adult, she had a tough time turning that instinct off. Her reaction was always to protect first, accept second, and it got tiring to try and talk to her aboutany sort of relationship I had. No one was good enough for me in her eyes unless she got to vet them first. Like poor Marcus.

In my opinion, I wasn’t the only one our parents had screwed up, but that wasn’t a fight I was willing to pick. Violet was the only real family I had left, so even though she could drive me crazy sometimes, I cut her some slack.

“I’ll go to yoga with you this weekend. We can get breakfast after.”

Violet’s expression softened. “I’m sorry about Marcus. I really thought you’d hit it off.”

“No more meddling, Vi. I’m serious. You have to promise me.”

Violet let out another sigh, like it was such a big thing I was asking of her.

“Fine,” she relented, though I noted her reluctance. This probably wasn’t over, but I’d take the temporary victory. “But you’re buying breakfast. And we’re going to Bennett’s for waffles. No weird green smoothie things.”

“You have no sense of adventure.” I laughed.

“Maybe not, but I have a strong sense of self-preservation.”

“See you Saturday, pain in my ass.”

“Saturday. I’m holding you to that.”

If only it had been that easy to ask out Hottie McDogpark. I was on the way home when my phone buzzed with a text, and if my heart raced a bit when I saw David’s name flash up on the screen, then that was between me and Nitro, and no one else.

Doggy play date? I have Saturday afternoon free,David said.

You’re on. Nitro and I will be there,I texted back.

And maybe I could work up the nerve to ask him to lunch or dinner… or something even more appetizing.

THREE

DAVID

Truthfully,I don’t know where I got the guts to message Josh. After wrestling with myself about it, agonizing over the decision, picking my phone up and setting it back down no less than a dozen times, I finally caved. When Wally sneezed, it reminded me that I didn’t need to find a reason to text him. I already had one.

My next agonizing decision was what to wear to the dog park. And then I realized that I’d look like a fool if I dressed up in any kind of way so I wore the same faded jeans as I usually did. Shirts were a bigger decision, but in the end I decided to dress like I was going there alone. After all, Josh might not even show up.

But he was there when I arrived. I stopped on the way and grabbed a coffee for each of us. The drink tray also carried a few creams and sugars to go so he could make his the way he wanted. When I entered the gated space, I carefully bent, keeping the drinks balanced, and unclipped Wally’s leash. He wriggled as he made a beeline for his old friend.

“I know the feeling.” I muttered under my breath, taken aback by how gorgeous Josh was. He clearly spent time on his body, if the definition of his arms was anything to go by. He’d worn a sleeveless shirt today with an obscure band name on the front and a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips. The shirt was a little on the short side and it showed off a strip of skin and the dusting of a treasure trail.

“You brought coffee.” Josh’s smile was warm and full of amusement, and then he stepped aside, revealing a bench, where he’d set a nearly identical drink tray. “So did I.”

“Well, shit. Looks like we’re going to have to coordinate this in the future. You been here long?”

“No, we just got here like two minutes ago.” He took the tray from me and set it on the bench. Then he pulled a cup from his tray and handed it to me, and he took a cup from my tray for himself. “There, now we still bought each other a coffee.”

Josh was flirting with me.I think. It had been a while since someone flirted with me. Was this what it was like? I’d have to ask Jax. He’d torment me a bit, as kids often did, but he’d still help me navigate this… whatever it was. Friends? Potential date? Maybe more?

Not that I was old or anything—okay, I was definitely getting there—but sex wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when I thought about having a partner. Sex was great, sure. Lots of people liked sex. Hell, I liked sex. But I wanted someone to laugh with. Someone to share stupid jokes with. Someone to wake up next to. Someone to make plans with. If some of those plans included sex, that was cool, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. I had two perfectly good hands.

Hell, I hadn’t even made a new friend in years. That was the cost of getting older, I supposed. Forced socialization in public schools, and then college, was how most people formed theirfriendships. But as an adult, it got increasingly harder to make friends without those systems.

And suddenly it dawned on me that I hadn’t spoken a single word, and an awkward amount of time had passed since Josh had spoken. Heat flashed over my body, starting at my chest and radiating outward. My embarrassment hit me like a bomb.

“Sorry.” I rubbed at the back of my neck. “I’m about as socialized as Wally, I think. I’m a bit rusty at the whole small talk, let’s make a new friend kind of thing.”

“You and me both. My sister rags on me for it, but most of my social life happens at work.”