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Funny how he was the entertaining guy from the store again and nothing like the one in her salon chair telling her that he was out of place there in more ways than one.
“Sorry,” he said. “I don’t get out much.”
“I kind of figured that from when you walked into my shop. Wait here,” she said. She wasn’t sure if he would or not but walked into her house and grabbed two bottles of water. When she came back, Brent had the hose in his hand and was drenching his dog who was hopping around and almost dancing with joy.
“She seems to like that.”
“Thanks,” he said, taking the water. “I’ll have to do that at home. As I said, I just got her yesterday. We are learning as we go.”
She was always good at small talk. It was part of her job. “So you’re new to the area,” she said. He lifted one eyebrow at her. “You said that in my shop when I asked.”
“Oh yeah. I’ve been here around seven months. I was trying to get through that appointment with the women all eying and laughing at me. Looking back, I might have appeared as if I climbed off a mountain after having lived in a cave there for a year when I walked in.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but you were rather scruffy.”
“That’s a good word for it. I work from home. I don’t see people much. When I went to the store it was after hours when it wasn’t busy, but most times I order in. You can get anything you want delivered nowadays.”
That was sad to her, but then she reminded herself there was a time in her life she didn’t want to leave her house either.
When she was recognized as her father’s daughter. The embarrassment and shame were hard for a teenager. It was still hard as an adult, which was why no one would ever know.
Living with her grandparents didn’t change much of it either. Her parents did the best they could to keep her pictures out of the news, but it wasn’t always possible back then.
When she arrived in Chicago, the first thing she did was dye her dirty blonde hair black, ditch her contacts and get glasses. It worked for a long time. Once she’d legally changed her name, she felt free to go back to her natural color, but being a stylist, she’d changed it over the years.
Maybe not as crazy as Cat did, but she’d played around from time to time.
“You can. I do order a lot myself. I have it shipped to the store since I’m there more often than not, but I do like to pick out my own groceries.”
“That’s because you were buying fresh fruits and vegetables,” he said.
She’d seen his cart. There wasn’t anything fresh in it. More like boxed and she’d bet he was going to the frozen section after he’d left her.
“Sammie looks like she is ready for her nap now,” she said, looking down. “I should shut off the hose too. Geez, I never leave it running like that.”
She wasn’t scattered but found she was around Brent.
“Thanks for the water,” he said when she came back. “I should get her home then. Come on, Sammie.”
The dog wasn’t budging. She laughed. “I don’t think she wants to move.”
He sighed. “She wants me to carry her,” he said.
“Are you going to?”
“I don’t think I have much of a choice unless I want to give her grass stains on her ass as I drag her home. Then I’d be reported for animal abuse and look like even more of a loser in your eyes.”
“Are you trying to not look like one in my eyes?” she asked, then laughed at how absurd that sounded. “Sorry. That came out wrong.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m not sure if I’m coming or going anymore. My comfort zone is behind computer monitors and now I’m letting a ten-pound dog control my life.”
“You never did say what you did,” she said.
“I’m an analyst for the government,” he said.
“I can see that,” she said.
He laughed. “I’ll try not to take insult to that. I looked it before, I know. Though my brother says I’ve got aGQvibe going now, thanks to you.”
