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Deek frowned. “A Toy Pomeranian? How the hell did Earl pull that off? He’s a Bull Mastiff. Maybe you need to get a paternity test before shelling out money for those vet bills.”
“Paternity test?” I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not. “For a dog?”
He nodded. “They have them.”
“How would you know that?”
He shrugged, then tapped the side of his head. “I know weird shit. Everyone wants me on their team for trivia night. You said the messages wanted you–or Danny–to take responsibility. I assume paying vet bills and all.”
I did pay for today’s vet visit, but Danny’d definitely be paying me back. But if little Fred–the Teacup Pomeranian–Harwood was two-timing, then maybe Melly had to go after a different baby daddy to pay the bills.
The thought of Melly looking at another man the way she looked at me earlier… the way she’d blushed? The way she’d smiled? No way. I growled as I took another swig of beer. She and those sweet glances were mine. My dick agreed.
I just had to apologize and not be an idiot. I could do that.
“Huh. Maybe you’re right,” I told Deek. For the first time all week, I had a task. Something to do. Hopefully,someoneto do. This was the in I needed. I had a reason to see her again.
“I should go over there and find out. Take Earl with me to prove there’s no way in hell he’s the dad. Sea Bass is still dog sitting, right?”
Sea Bass always volunteered to watch Earl for Danny. During the day, Earl snored away at the office, like he had this morning.
Deek eyed me, then smirked and nodded. He stood, took his plate to the sink, slapped me on the shoulder. “You do that. Give little Melly Harwood a piece of your mind. Or anything else you want to give her.”
5
MELLY
“I’m being ridiculous,”I said to Fred as I drove home. She sat in the passenger seat, eyeing me, listening intently. “I’ll never see Daniel again so these crazy feelings? Irrelevant. Drinks with Mallory? Not necessary. I just need some time with that new book I snagged from the romance section and my favorite vibrator. A few orgasms and I’ll be fine.”
I left work at the usual time and went to go to the grocery store. I knew the owner so Fred hung out behind the customer service counter while I shopped instead of waiting in the car. In the winter, it was often too cold and, in the summer, the opposite. She knew they had treats and was always more eager than me for my weekly shopping.
I knew the aisle layout and food placement and hated when they rearranged. With my list, I was in and out within twenty minutes with my loaded cloth bags–since I was wise to single-use plastic. With my full fridge, this was the night I usually meal-prepped for the week, putting together dinners and lunches that were ready to go, only needing to be heated in the microwave or baked in the oven. I would change into my comfy sweats and put on some music and cook. But Mallory’s forced night out changed my whole routine.
There would be no going braless or sloppy bun tonight for me.
“I made it twenty-four years in this town not laying eyes on him and now he, in all his lumberjack ruggedness, is in my finger vault.” I stopped at the intersection, looked both ways, then turned down my street. “I don’t need to see–”
I snapped my mouth shut as I slammed on my brakes harder than necessary because… yeah.
Daniel Pearson was sitting on my stoop, elbows resting on his knees.
Waiting for me.
My heart pounded and all of a sudden I was hot in my winter coat.
Earl, the horndog, sat beside him and perked up at the sound of my car.
I parked in front of a big pickup truck on the street–the driveway was out since it was half dug up. It had to be Daniel’s because it was as supersized as he was.
Shit.
Shit!
What was he doing here?
I looked in the rearview mirror to see what I looked like, my vanity making me do so. Who was I kidding? I looked like me, without lip gloss.
I took a deep breath because he was watching. I could feel the intensity of those dark eyes from twenty feet away.
