Page 41 of Gross Misconduct

“Still, she may feel safe with you.”

“Maybe.” We walked another half block, and Chloe got spooked by a car horn. Thankfully, Jeremy had a tight grip on her leash. The rescue warned us to keep her secure for the first few weeks while she adjusted. The last thing we wanted was for her to bolt on us.

“Did you call your mom?” Jeremy asked.

I groaned. “Yes. And it was as pleasant as I expected. How about your parents?”

“They were excited, although my dad is suspicious. Mom is all pie in the sky.” He paused for a second. “I’m going to ask you something and feel free to say no. They want to meet you and asked if you wanted to come to Calgary for Christmas.”

That sounded kind of nice. “Sure.”

He stopped walking and stared at me with his mouth hanging open in shock. “You do?”

“It’s not like I have anywhere to be. My mother is probably going to go on vacation with Rick. She does that every year.” I then told him about the fiasco from last year, and his shock turned to horror. I didn’t get why it was a big deal, but maybe I’d just become immune to it. I’d spent many Christmases with either Tangi’s family or Wolseley’s. That was my normal.

“You’re so casual about it.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “What am I supposed to do? Get angry? What’s the point? I spent a lot of years getting angry. Now I just don’t care.”

He nudged me, and I looked down to see Chloe doing apoop. We both silently celebrated, and when she was finished, we praised her and gave her a treat.

“Our kid is growing up so fast,” Jeremy said, picking up her poop and throwing it in a nearby garbage.

Chloe’s milestone was a nice distraction from the talk we were having. I didn’t want Jeremy feeling sorry for me, and I was getting the impression that he was heading in that direction at light speed.

We picked up our food and headed back home. I was ravenous and jumped right in, snapping up some tempura yams along with a dynamite roll, a dragon roll, and a few of the specialty rolls the sushi place had recommended. Jeremy wandered around the kitchen, getting a lay of the land while he put together Chloe’s dinner. Chloe watched his every move, wagging her tail every time he found something.

“This is good,” I said between bites.

He got Chloe’s food from the fridge and measured it out. Chloe yipped when he finally set it down on the floor for her. He then joined me and started piling sushi on his plate. He nodded in agreement after the first bite.

“I figured we’d wait a few days until we announce our engagement,” I said. “I’d like to let my staff know, and probably let Clay know. I do hope the rescue people will keep this quiet.”

“My donation says they will.”

I played with the ring on my finger for a second. “I should probably get this sized.”

“Or pick something else. We can do that before my next road trip.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

We finished up dinner and managed to eat all the sushi. Then it was time to hang out with Chloe. I sat on the floor with her playing tug-of-war while Jeremy sat on the sofaplaying with his phone. I didn’t realize that at some point he was staring at us with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“She loves you, and you’re a natural with dogs.”

That warmed my heart. “I’ve been doing some research, and I’ve always wanted to have a dog. And Chloe really is amazing.”

“I was thinking that when we went back to my hometown, we should probably drive so we can bring her.”

I could only think how long a drive it would be to Minneapolis. How long would it take to get to Calgary? I had no idea, so I asked.

“About ten hours,” he said, sitting down next to me. “And you know they’ll expect us to share a room unless you want me to tell them you’re saving yourself for marriage.”

He was biting back a smile.

“You’re goofy,” I said. “And I’m fine sharing a room. You can sleep on the floor.”

“How generous of you,” he said, as Chloe brought her rope toy to him to play with now.

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