Page 25 of The Love Shack

And alone. Far too often alone.

Had she ever had a meaningful romantic relationship? He opened his mouth to ask, changed his mind and affected a look of surprise instead.

Smiling, she shook her head. “The little thief even curled up on my towel.”

Lawson rubbed the bridge of his nose, then his mouth. The image remained, blunted only by the casual way she’d stated her relationship status.I was at home alone—I mean, I’m always alone, you know?That had to be by choice, and now he wondered if she’d said it like a warning, so he wouldn’t get any ideas.

Probably too late.

But the reality was, she’d been incredibly sad over losing an animal, and now she was smiling. He refused to ruin the shift in her mood by turning into a typical “sex on the brain” kind of guy. It was an effort, but he came up with a bland but suitable comment. “Wonder where she learned to do that.”

“I wish I knew. Cats are adaptable, and smarter than most people realize.”

He’d never really thought about the intelligence of cats one way or the other. “I’ve never had a pet.”

“Never?”she asked with disbelief, like he’d claimed to never bathe or sleep.

“Growing up...” He shook his head, glossing over it as best he could because she’d made it clear she didn’t want to reminisce. “I felt bad for the roaches that had to scrounge around our place.” Not a lie. His folks were not the domestic type. “I wouldn’t have left an actual pet alone with either of my parents while I was at school and work.” And he’d worked a lot, going straight from school to various part-time jobs. For him, any credible excuse to stay away from the house was a blessing.

And he’d needed the money. Saving up for an escape had become his obsession early on.

When she averted her face, he verbally pivoted to say, “Once I moved out on my own, I definitely wasn’t home often enough to care for a dog or cat, and then I started traveling...”

They sat quietly a moment, each of them snagged on that long-ago time and how utterly miserable it had been.

“I didn’t know I wanted pets,” she finally said. “Not until my mom passed away and I took over caring for her dog, Baby.”

His heart tripped at her softly spoken words. It was a connection, and it was trust. Until that moment, she hadn’t even hinted at their roots. Given where they’d come from, he’d understood.

Tentatively, he inched into the conversation with her. “I kind of remember that pooch. Bristly gray fur, like a schnauzer or something, right? I saw you out on the front lawn with him a few times.”

“I didn’t know you saw me. You never seemed to see anyone.”

He took that one on the chin, because yeah, he’d been deliberately aloof, his way of dealing with his circumstances. He didn’t do small talk, didn’t wave to neighbors.

Overall, he pitied or detested them. The only two emotions he’d allowed himself to feel back then.

Keeping it light, he said, “You’d be hard to miss with the way that dog yapped at everyone.”

Again she smiled. “I was probably letting him do his business. My mom...she got to where she couldn’t get out of bed.” A beat of silence passed, then another.

Lawson felt regret welling inside him. How hard was this for her? What could he do to make it easier?

Emotions shifted over her features, and her voice softened. “When I was away from the house too long, the stinker would go in the corner. I couldn’t blame him, since there was no one there to let him out, and he was getting older. Then I discovered piddle papers, these plastic-lined pads for dogs that had accidents, and he was pretty good about using them. I just had to remember to throw the old one away when I got home, and put a clean one out each morning.”

Meaning that turned into one more thing for her to do. Get to school, care for her mother and the house, do the shopping and cooking, and clean up after the dog. “Sounds like a lot of responsibility.”

“When you love someone, taking care of them is nothing at all. I was glad to do it.”

Were they talking about the dog—or her mother? Lawson couldn’t quite read her face, especially since she gave all her attention to Hero, who remained relaxed beside her.

So if the dog wasn’t worried, maybe she wasn’t too upset discussing this particular topic. He really needed to get his food home, but he couldn’t seem to force himself to stand. “I think I’d already moved away before you lost your mother.”

She pressed her forearm to her middle, as if she had a stomachache. “You were there for the headline news, right?”

Another shocker: she’d just brought up the scandal.

After a slow exhale, Berkley rolled her eyes. “Don’t expire on me.”

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