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“I was in a studio.”
“Well, you’re not in a studio now.”
His eyes narrowed on her. “That was two years ago. People can change their minds.”
“Fair enough. Have you?”
He glanced down at the dog then, and she knew there was no way the puppy was going back. “Look, Sam. I know I overstepped. Majorly. And I’ll take the little guy back if you want me to. But I think he’d be good for you.”
“Good for me?”
“You know. A buddy.”
“I
have a buddy. Liam.”
“Yeah. Because he’s cuddly.”
“I have you for that.”
But how long are you going to keep me?
She kissed her own puppy on the head before moving toward Sam and giving the boy puppy a matching kiss. She was rewarded by a gentle lap on the chin, and the sweetly instinctive gesture had her eyes watering.
Sam noticed. “Easy there, softie, you’ve got your own.”
Her eyes flicked up. “You’re keeping him?”
He ran a big hand over the tiny puppy as he studied her. “Tell me something, McKenna. That Thanksgiving two years ago … Why’d you remember my dog comment?”
Little alarm bells went off in Riley’s head.
“I don’t know,” she said with a careless shrug.
He didn’t release her gaze. “I think you do.”
She pursed her lips and focused on a spot beyond his shoulder while she considered her response. “My birthday four years ago … you got me concert tickets. Why?”
Sam shifted his weight, immediately wary. “Because you always liked obnoxious poppy boy bands.”
“No, I liked that boy band. Only. Back when I was nineteen.”
“Too old to be liking boy bands, by the way.”
“My point is,” she said with exaggerated patience, “I didn’t even know that they’d gotten back together for an anniversary tour, and yet you knew and bought me tickets.”
“So?”
“So you remembered my favorite band from years before. And sought out tickets. Want to talk about why?”
His jaw clenched. “Not really.”
“And I don’t want to talk about how I remember the dog thing.”
They stared at each other for a long minute in mutual understanding. In mutual fear.
“I’m no good at things like this,” he said as she started walking again and he trailed along beside her, staring in confusion at his new furry companion.
