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To my surprise, he grinned. “Thanks. I’m supposed to.”
“Hmm.”
We climbed the stairs to my porch. “Come on in and leave that stuff anywhere.”
He followed me inside, then glanced around and whistled. “Totally renovated?”
“Yes.”
“Plumbing and wiring?”
I nodded. “Since I wanted to live here, I needed to feel safe. It’s pretty much been complete rebuild from top to bottom. The wiring was old knob and tubing so I knew it had to go. I didn’t want to worry about electrical fires. Plus, this was my great-grandparents’ place and I knew I had to do it right. Lillian mentioned you were in the old Skaggs place. How far along are you with renovations?”
“Just started, actually. Seems like every time I turn around, I find a new problem.”
“That’s how it is with these old houses. I’d offer you a tour, but…” I shrugged.
Zack stepped back. “Say no more. It’s late. I’ll drop Baxter’s things over there and get gone.”
He set the bed, food, and bowls near the entrance to my formal living room and turned back toward the front door.
“Well, good night,” I said. “Thanks again for helping with Baxter’s move.”
Damn him. He smiled and brushed a wavy lock off his forehead. I felt a strong tug in my gut right behind my belly button. It took my breath away while waking up my lady parts that’d been dormant longer than I wanted to admit.
“You’ll do great with Baxter. Good night.” He turned the knob to open the door and looked back. “You look great, Andi. It was so good to see you again. Tell your sisters hello from me.”
As soon as he was gone, I locked up and reset the house alarm, all the while carrying Baxter in my left arm, which was beginning to ache from his eight-pound body.
“Okay, buddy. Let’s get you settled,” I said, putting him on his four legs. “No time like the present to get you settled.
I gathered up his bed and bowls and headed for the kitchen, assuming that making a place for him there made the most logical sense. I decided the perfect space for his meal area, then filled one bowl with fresh water and the other with dry kibble. Then I placed the dog bed near both.
“Okay then. This looks perfect, right?”
Baxter tilted his head as though thinking about my comment.
“Night, boy. See you in the morning.” I flipped off the light to head back to my bed.
A soft whimper stopped me dead in my tracks. I flipped the light back on. The poor dog hadn’t moved an inch. When I flipped the light off again, another heartbreaking cry of distress grabbed and squeezed my heart. I turned on the lights. Lillian never went anywhere without him, so he probably wasn’t used to being left alone in the kitchen.
With a resigned sigh, I hefted him back into my arms, tucked his bed under my arm, and headed to my bedroom.
“Just tonight,” I told him.
His answer was a long lick to my nose. I shook my head with a laugh.
In my room, I set his bed on the floor and Baxter on the soft cushion. Then I collapsed back into my sheets. As soon as I turned my bedside lamp off, darkness swamped every corner of the room. I heard a quiet plop on my mattress, followed by a slight movement. A tiny warm body curled into the small of my back, and Baxter let out a long sigh.
“Fine,” I muttered. “It’s only for tonight because I know you’re upset about Lillian.”
Baxter shifted up the bed and laid his head next to mine with another sigh.
Most mornings, I was up and in the shower by five-thirty. As Baxter and I had finally gotten to bed at close to four, I still had ninety minutes to nap.
Sleep didn’t want to come. I stared at the ceiling, my last semester at the University of Texas scrolling through my brain like a movie. That single night with Zack as vivid and real as though no time had passed.
Dallas was a huge city. Texas was an enormous state. The last time I’d known Zack’s whereabouts had been when he was in Philadelphia. I’d lost track when he’d left the team. I’d had no idea he was in Dallas. What were the odds that my once-in-a-lifetime fling, which had occurred two hundred miles and thirteen years ago would end up living across the street? And that he’d be a cop. I tried not to let myself relive that time with him very often. Those memories hurt. I know why I’d done what I had, but that didn’t make the memories easier. It’d been clear to me that I was facing a fork in my life. One way led to where I was today. The other? Who knows what that life would have been?
