Page 33 of Before You Go

“Don’t act like that. You remember Dayton.” She lifts him off his feet, and I rub the top of his head.

“Does he need to go out before we go upstairs?”

“Yeah, I’ll take him.”

“How about I do that while you get your stuff together?”

“I—”

“He’ll be fine,” I assure her when she gives me a nervous look.

“All right.” After she gets him on his leash, I take a few treats she hands me, shoving them in my pocket, and pick him up since it’s obvious he’s not willingly going to go with me without his mom. No matter how many treats I try to bribe him with.

Carrying him in my arms, I take him outside, down the block to the park, and put him down when we reach the grass. It takes him a few minutes to accept that he’s stuck with me and to start walking, but before long, he forgets about my existence and is just excited to be outside. As we walk, more than one person greets him by name, then asks about Franny when they see I’m the one holding his leash. It’s not surprising that she’s popular or that it’s mostly men who stop to say hello to PJ and know Franny by name. I imagine everywhere she goes, she draws attention to herself without even realizing she’s doing it.

After we make a loop around the park, I give him a treat and call for him to follow me, and knowing we are going back to his mom, he hurries his steps to lead the way. When we are halfway down the block, I notice a man standing in the doorway of Franny’s apartment with his back to me. It takes me just a second to realize that it’s Matthew, Franny’s ex, and seeing him in her space, looming over her, annoys me more than it should.

Hearing us coming up behind him, he turns to look over his shoulder, and his eyes narrow on me. Then, drop to the sidewalk when PJ brushes past him to get to Franny, ignoring him altogether.

“Hey, did you have fun?” she asks, picking PJ up, and he wiggles in her arms, licking her face. “Was he okay for you?” Her gaze meets mine.

“He was fine. A few people asked where you were.”

“We have lots of friends at the park.” She smiles, then looks at Matthew when he clears his throat. “Dayton, you remember Matthew.”

“What’s up?” I jerk up my chin

Giving me a tight smile, he dismisses me and turns his attention back to Franny. “Can we get dinner tonight? I’d like to talk to you about the condo.”

“What’s going on?” She frowns, unhooking PJ from his leash and placing him on the floor inside the apartment.

“I’ve been thinking about us renting it out instead of selling right now, and I’d like to go over the details with you.”

“Matthew—”

He holds up a hand, cutting her off. “I know you mentioned that you need the money so you can get out of here. I can let you borrow whatever you need.”

“I don’t want to borrow money from you. I want the money I’m owed from the condo.”

“If we wait four years, we will likely double our profit since they just announced they’re putting in more shopping and restaurants down the block from our building.”

“Then you buy me out and sell it in four years.”

“Francisca, be smart about this,” he says, and I watch her frame fill with tension. “We can discuss the details over dinner.”

“I have plans tonight, and we don’t need to talk about it. I’ve already told you what I want.” She looks at me, her eyes filled with frustration. “Are you ready?”

“Whenever you are.”

“I’m ready now.” She looks back to Matthew. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening at my parents’. Mom mentioned that you and your mother are coming to dinner.”

“Yeah,” he mutters. “Call me later.”

She doesn’t respond to that request but waits until he’s walking away to let out a long breath.

“Sorry about that,” she murmurs, then motions for me to come inside.

“You, okay?”

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