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“What are you trying to sell me?” she asked.
Bagel kept trying to stick her nose through the door, but Hannah was blocking her from doing so.
“Bagel, knock it off,” she said.
“I’m not trying to sell you anything,” I said. “I’m trying to inform you about Proposition 14, the… mountain lion preservation act, which will provide for—”
“I’m not interested,” Hannah said and began closing the door.
“Wait,” I said, “because there’s a rider on the act that also includes a tax break for homeowners in this area.”
“Excuse me?”
“Because the preservation area would technically be within this county, residents would receive a tax refund.”
Bagel’s ears perked up at something, and she ran to the back of the house. Leo had presumably made his way in. I just had to stall her for a minute or two more.
“How much are we talking?” Hannah asked.
“Could be as much as five percent,” I told her. “So the bill would protect the mountain lions and also decrease the amount you’d be paying every month on your house.”
“What proposition was this again?”
I didn’t remember what I said, so I just came up with another number. “Seventeen.”
Hannah nodded. “Well, you have my vote,” she said. “Thanks for coming by.”
She began to close the door. Not knowing if Leo had gotten out yet, I stuck my foot in the way.
“Can I get your email address and phone number to add you to our mailing list?” I asked.
“Of course not,” she said. “You got my vote. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was about to head out. Goodbye.”
This time she pushed the door shut and, had I not moved my foot, she likely would have broken a toe or two with the force.
I walked back to the car, checking the side of the house for any signs of Leo or Bagel. There wasn’t anything. Had he gotten out in time? I crossed my fingers and held my breath and sure enough, the two of them appeared at the side of the house. Leo put his index finger to his lips in a “Shh” gesture and shooed me back towards the car. When Hannah left again, Leo and Bagel ran towards the car and came inside.
“That was closer than I would have liked,” Leo said. “Let’s go.”
My heart was pumping as Leo drove away. He was quiet and pensive for a few seconds and then said, “You know you’re what I want, right?”
“Pardon?”
“We’re a good team,” he said. “Here.”
He unlocked his phone from his pocket and tossed it to me.
“I want you to block Hannah Donner and delete her number from my phone.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I don’t want her coming between you and me ever again. Whatever happens from here on out, I know I can count on you. I feel like Hannah was my old life, my selfish way of life, but I feel like a completely different person with you. Maybe I have changed. All I know is you’re unbelievably special, and that’s not something you find every day.”
I scrolled through his contacts and did as he told me, blocking her number from contacting him and then deleting her information. It felt like more than an empty gesture. Between the lines, it felt like a genuine commitment. And that, in conjunction with the adrenaline from the pseudo dog-heist, filled my heart with a warmth I’d never felt before. I leaned over and kissed his cheek as he sped down the street. I placed my hand in his and felt like everything was right again in the world.
CHAPTER18
***LEO***
