Page 59 of A Brambleberry Summer

And Wyatt. She brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. It was very possible that Wyatt was the most wonderful man she had ever met. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and not let go.

She could not, though. Rosa knew she could not have what she wanted.

She knew people who spent their entire lives wanting something other than what they had. Rosa tried not to be that person.

As a girl growing up with little in the way of material things, she had become used to that feeling of lack. Mostly, she had learned to ignore it, instead finding happiness with what shedidhave.

She was part owner in a business she loved running, she lived in a beautiful house at the seaside, she had cherished friends and a loving family. Most of the time, those things were enough.

Once in a while, though, like on moonlit summer nights, she caught glimpses of the future she might have had if not for a few foolish choices, and it made her heart ache.

Rosa sighed, a sad sound that seemed to echo in the emptiness of her apartment. Fiona nudged at her leg, resting her chin on Rosa’s knee and gazing at her out of eyes that seemed filled with empathy.

Sometimes the dog seemed to sense her emotions keenly and offered exactly the right thing to lift her mood.

“You want to go for a walk, don’t you?”

Fiona wagged her tail wildly in agreement. Rosa sighed again. She had let her dog out when she first came home a short time earlier, but apparently that was not enough for her, especially when the work day had been so hectic and she hadn’t had time to take her on a walk.

Rosa was tired and not really in the mood for a nighttime walk. Part of being a responsible pet owner, though, was doing what she didn’t always feel like doing when it was in the best interest of her beloved Fi.

“Okay. Let’s find your leash.”

Fiona scampered to the hook by the door of the apartment, where Rosa kept all the tools necessary for a walk. A hoodie, Fi’s leash, a flashlight, treats and waste bags.

A few moments later, she headed down the steps. They had just reached the bottom when the door to Wyatt’s apartment suddenly opened.

She gave a little gasp of surprise when he and Hank came out, the cute little dog all but straining on the leash.

“Oh,” Rosa exclaimed. “You startled me.”

Wyatt made a face. “Sorry. Hank was in a mood and nothing seemed to be settling him down. I was just going to take him on a quick walk. Are you coming or going?”

“Going. Fiona was in the same mood as Hank.”

“Maybe they’re talking to each other through the pipes.”

Despite her lingering melancholy, Rosa had to smile a little at that idea. Fiona was smart enough that she could probably figure out a way to communicate to other dogs inside the house.

She looked behind him. “Where is Logan?”

“He’s sleeping over at Carrie’s again. I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow so they offered to keep him after dinner so I don’t have to drag him out of bed so early.”

“That is nice of them. Your sister is very kind.”

“Truth. She is the best. I would have been lost without her after Tori died. Totally lost. She and Joe have been amazing, basically stepping in to help me parent Logan.”

The dogs seemed delighted to see each other, sniffing like crazy with their tails wagging a hundred miles an hour.

She knew it was impossible, but Rosa still could not shake the suspicion that somehow her dog had manipulated events exactly this way, so that she and Wyatt would meet in the entryway of the house.

He opened the door and they both walked out into the evening, lit by a full moon that made her flashlight superfluous.

“Want to walk together?” he asked after a moment.

His suggestion surprised her so much that she did not know how to answer for a moment. Intellectually, she knew she was supposed to be maintaining a careful distance between them. She did not want to fall any harder for him.

How could she say no, though? Especially when she knew her time with him was so fleeting?

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