Page 43 of Gross Misconduct

“Since it’s confession time, the last time I had a long-term girlfriend, I was in high school. Since then, I haven’t dated anyone longer than maybe six months.”

She narrowed her gaze at me. “Seriously?”

“Yup. I haven’t found the right person, and honestly, I’m not sure I’ve even looked. I liked the idea of not being tied down.”

“Since it’s confession time, what about Orla? Did you, or didn’t you?”

I felt my breath drain away. I thought of my two conversations with Orla since the video had come out. Then I thought of Lex in rehab somewhere. “I didn’t,” I said, hating the lie. “We fooled around a bit, nothing more. And he had a gambling problem long before that video came out.”

“You’ve got to stay away from her when she moves back.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to be in the same room with her.”

Chloe got a bit fussy, so it was time to take her for a walk. Jill got Chloe into her raincoat while I got her harness and leash. I was surprised when Jill got her jacket on too.

“You’re coming with me?” I asked.

“I could use the exercise,” she said with a smile.

We got outside into Vancouver’s misty rain. I put up my hoodie, and Chloe got straight to sniffing. A few people were milling around, which was usual for the neighborhood. Before I knew what I was doing, I grasped onto Jill’s hand. It felt natural, and when she didn’t pull away, we walked along her street, laughing each time Chloe stopped and looked miffed when people passing us didn’t stop to pet her.

“She’s a little social butterfly,” Jill said. “I should look into some dog parks in the area. I think she’d love playing with other dogs.

A couple with a beagle asked if their dog could meet Chloe. We let them know we’d had her just a day, and they agreed to take the risk. Within seconds the two dogs were sniffing and playing. Jill got to talking to the woman, asking her about dog parks and places Chloe could go play. The man looked at me a few times, then it clicked.

“You’re Jeremy Vaughn.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” I said, unsure of how he was going to react to me. Was he going to tell me I was a piece of shit?

“The Kodiaks are doing well this year. Too bad about the shit you went through. Donnelly sounds like he needs to get his life together. I hope you aren’t blaming yourself about that.”

“I try not to. I know no one wants to believe it, but I’ve moved on from this. By the way, this is Jill, my girlfriend, and our dog, Chloe.”

“She’s cute. We got our dog from the humane society.”

“Ours is a rescue too.”

Once Jill had wrapped up the conversation, we said ourgoodbyes and moved on. Chloe finally did all her business, and we headed back.

“Nadia was sweet,” Jill said.

“Nadia?”

“With the beagle. She told me there is a dog group on Sundays. She lives a few blocks away. I think I might do that. It could be my way of meeting new people.”

“Great idea.”

“And if you’re around, you should come to.”

“I like that idea too.”

We got back to the condo and Jill got to cleaning up. I noticed that about her. She was a neat freak, constantly tidying and cleaning up. I asked her if she needed help, and she shook her head.

“Nope. You can watch TV. I like cleaning. It relaxes me.”

I arched a brow. “It’s relaxing?”

“Trust me, I love it. My mother was a total slob, and it gave me satisfaction to put in my earbuds and clean. I felt like I was accomplishing something. I find cooking relaxing too, but in a different way. It’s like I’m creating something.”

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