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But her perplexed look didn’t change. Isaac chuckled. “I’m sorry, did I forget to mention that he’s deaf?”
“Aw, poor buddy. How do I, you know, not startle him?”
“Just keep walking,” Isaac said. “He’ll sniff you out soon enough.”
A few cautious steps more and Louie’s nose began to twitch. His head lifted off the ground, and then he was up and half-wiggling, half-trotting as far as his lead would allow. Del laughed and knelt to greet him.
“Heya, Louie. How ya been, buddy?”
Wiggles turned to pawing and slobbery kisses, but Del didn’t seem to mind. Isaac watched the happy reunion for a moment, then gave Louie’s lead a gentle tug.
“Come on, big guy. Come get your bone so Del can eat her lunch.”
He waggled a large rawhide bone he’d found at Grissom’s the other night, and Louie trod back to the porch. But not without looking over his shoulder every few steps to make sure Del was following. It seemed both men of the house enjoyed having her around.
Del climbed the porch steps and took the open seat, then dug into her lunch. They sat in amicable silence for a moment, him finishing his sandwich while she quietly devoured hers. And it was…nice. When was the last time he’d been comfortable enough to just sit and be with anyone? Isaac took a long drink of his iced tea and savored the moment.
“So what’s your story, city kid?”
And the moment was gone.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“You know, where are you from, how’d you end up here, all that stuff?” She took a drink from her water bottle. “I’m guessing the mellotrumpaphoning didn’t pan out?”
He shook his head with a chuckle. Even subtly prying, she was still adorable. “Nope, my band days have long since ended. Not a whole lot of need for mellotrumpaphoners.”
Del laughed quietly, and Isaac found he was beginning to love that sound. Not because he was lonely and missing people, but because he was genuinely beginning to like this woman. Now he just needed to find a way not to scare her off with the truth.
“I grew up a few hours east of here,” he said. Not a lie. “Once I got to college, I traded marching band for computers.” Also not a lie.
“Oh,” she said with a mock sneer. “You’re one ofthosepeople.”
He laughed. “Yes, I’m one of those people.”
“Probably can work from anywhere doing that techie stuff, huh?”
“Exactly,” he said, grateful she was helping him fill in the gaps. “This seemed like the perfect place to work in peace and quiet.”
“Oh, you’ve got that right.” Del popped the last of her sandwich into her mouth.
Damn, even her chewing was kinda cute.Focus, Isaac. Focus.
“So, what about you?” he asked. “What’s your story? We’ve already established you weren’t a fan of band.”
“Oh, I was a fan, I just had zero musical talent.” Del laughed. “Hmm, let’s see. I’m sure this will come as a surprise, but I grew up a total tomboy.”
“What? No. I can’t picture it.”
“I know, right? My mother wasn’t thrilled about all the stains and tears in my clothes, but Pops seemed fine with not having a second ballerina in the house.” She grinned. “He joked when I came back from Purdue with a degree in horticulture that he knew all that time he let me play in the dirt had paid off.”
Isaac chuckled. “And your mom? Did she come to accept all that playing in the dirt?”
Her gaze shifted to the yard. “Mom passed a week after my twelfth birthday. Car accident, drunk driver crossed the centerline.”
“Oh, wow. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. Twenty years this summer, and I still miss the heck out of her.” She offered him a half smile. “I used to stand at the sink in our mudroom as a teenager, looking up at the ceiling while scrubbing grass stains out of my clothes and telling her, ‘Now I get why you always sighed so loudly when I came in with my clothes looking like this.’”
