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“Benjamin.” Am I still salty about his behavior? Yes. Have I eased up on being sassy? No. It’s become our thing, even though he’s less of a dick now.
He grins at my greeting. “Which one is yours?”
“The black lab is Koda, and Luna is the husky mix.” The two dogs in question start wrestling across the grass, trying to nip each other. “Is the golden yours?” I ask because it’s what I’m supposed to do. I already know the answer. I saw the photos of her during my stalking.
“Yeah, that’s my Sadie.”
The way he says that hits me straight in the heart. He loves her like she’s a person, the way I love my zoo. They’re my family.
We stand by the fence, watching the dogs play together, joining the other two in the area. They have a blast wrestling and playing fetch. Koda and Luna are going to be exhausted when we get home. They don’t typically get this much exercise despite the regular runs I go on with Koda. To be fair, running sucks, so I only go a few miles unless I’m training for something.
Interestingly, Sadie has been helping Koda keep Luna from straying too far. I’ve never seen another dog help her out like that. They usually just let Koda keep her on track, waiting until they’re ready to keep playing.
I’ve been forcing myself to keep my eyes focused solely on the dogs. Otherwise, I’d be staring at Ben until it got weird. The sun has been glinting off his blond hair and making his blue eyes shine. He seems lighter today than I’ve seen him. I hope that means he’s settling into his new life a little better now than he was. I don’t want to ask. It’s not my place, and I don’t want to ruin the moment.
Instead, we talk about our dogs and the joys of being a dog parent. I tell him about Koda and Luna and how they came to be with me. It’s all very surface level; no groundbreaking information has been learned about either of us, but something in the air has shifted. We stand closer to each other, our smiles come more freely, and our teasing isn’t laced with anger.
Things just feel easier. I don’t know how much I trust it yet since a tiger doesn’t change its stripes. All I can hope is he’s finally realizing this place isn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
Luna starts to get tired and trots up to me, Koda staying right next to her. Both of their tongues are hanging out the sides of their mouths. Reaching into the bag I brought, I grab out the water bowl and place it on the ground to give them a drink. When they’re done, I leash them up, saying a quick goodbye to Ben and Sadie.
It takes about thirty seconds after we get home for the two of them to crash, leaving the house incredibly quiet. Walking over to the kitchen island, I flip through the mail I grabbed before we came inside. There’s an unaddressed envelope in the stack, so I quickly tear it open.
I had a great time today. You always make me laugh. —G
My brows furrow at the note. This is the second note I’ve gotten from someone named G, and I have no idea who they could be from. The first one said,I can’t wait to be together, which made me think it was for someone else since I’m not dating anyone. They’re never addressed or have a return label. It’s as if someone is writing a note to their lover.
It’s starting to make me uneasy. You’d think that the person who’s sending these would have figured out they’re going to the wrong person by now. And if they’re actually intended for me… A shiver moves through me at the thought.
I have no idea who could be sending me these things or why they would be sending them in the first place. It’s not like I have a guy in my life right now. I haven’t even hooked up with anyone in the last year. Going through the whole song and dance hasn’t appealed to me recently. And no one has piqued my interest enough to make me want to.
Benjamin has piqued your interest.
No. Nope. Not thinking about that.
I look down at the note in my hand. The two sentences are a mess of scratchy, handwritten letters, barely legible. None of this makes any sense to me, so I decide to throw it away like I did the other note. Maybe if I keep getting them, I’ll take them to Cooper since he’s the police chief in town.
Until then, I’ll try to put the whole thing out of my head.
While the dogs are napping, I head into my gym in the second bedroom to work out. Even though I’m not currently training for anything, I still like to keep up my routines. It makes it easier to train when I do decide to sign up for a tough mudder or a triathlon.
As my muscles burn, all the stress from the note slides away. This is why I love working out. It gives me something to focus on instead of allowing my brain to keep spinning in circles, looking for answers I’ll probably never find.
I wonder what Ben does for exercise. Lord knows that man doessomethingto get his muscles. He’s the size of a giant. At five-five, I barely come to his shoulder; add in the wide chest and thickly muscled arms, and he’s a mountain. It’s probably more than my high-intensity workouts. What I wouldn’t give to watch him lift weights.
I have got to stop thinking about my boss like that. It’s never going to happen. Norshouldit ever happen. It would end in disaster like every other relationship I’ve ever had. Then I’d be working in the clinic for an ex-boyfriend, trying not to stab myself in the eyeball with a syringe.
Okay…a touch dramatic, but the point is still valid. I should absolutelynotdate my boss.
Ever.
12
BEN
The loud hum of power tools is music to my ears. I am finally getting out of Mom and Dad’s house and into my own. I bought the first one that came even close to meeting my wish list, then promptly enlisted Levi Jackson’s construction company to make it livable.
And yes, the record-scratching, wait-a-goddamn-minute feeling is coursing through me as I stand here. I’m buying a fucking house in Sonoma. I’m officially taking over the clinic. And my life looks nothing like I expected or wanted it to.
