Page 90 of Love Among Vines

“Obviously.”

He turned into his driveway and they crawled down the lane. It was shaping up to be a beautiful night. The sky was missing its usual scatter of clouds, and the sun and moon both hung low on the horizon. It was warmer than she had expected.

“Wait for me,” he said sternly as he pulled to a stop in front of his house. “I don’t want you to break your ankle in those boots. A trip to the ER is not on the agenda.”

“Fine,” she said with a smile. In seconds, he had opened her door and helped her down. He lingered a bit on the descent, far slower than he needed to. Her body slid down his, the hem of her skirt sliding up a little.

With her boots on, she was significantly closer to his height. Their lips were just a breath apart.

“Thank you,” she said in a whisper.

“You’re wel?—”

Jade’s arm nearly separated from her body as Penny tore off across the front yard. Rett caught her, and she managed to hold on to the leash. Penny came to a halt and looked disapprovingly over her shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Told you she can’t be trusted off-leash. She’s one errant rabbit away from ending up in Newfoundland.”

He opened the front door, and Penny dragged Jade inside.

Jade unclipped the leash and took off her shoes before following Penny deeper into the house. The kitchen smelled tantalizingly of vanilla and almond. Maybe they weren’t leaving at all? That would certainly make seducing him easier.

She followed the tip-tap of Penny’s nails into the kitchen, where a brand-new set of dog bowls waited. Penny lapped loudly. A small tote with toys was next to them.

“I thought you didn’t have any pets,” Jade said over her shoulder.

“I don’t.”

“So you just went out and bought dog toys and bowls? We could have just used a cereal bowl.”

“I told you, I want her to be comfortable while we’re gone.”

“About that. She won’t destroy anything, but she will almost certainly jump on your furniture while we’re gone.”

“As she should.”

Jade raised her eyebrows. “This couch probably cost more than my apartment.”

“And it should be used.” He glanced at his watch. “We better get going.”

“Okay. Bye, sweet pea.” She bent down and pressed a kiss to Penny’s furry face.

Penny immediately dove into the toy bin and came up with a tennis ball. She trotted over to the living room and hopped onto the couch, looking very pleased with herself.

Rett fiddled with the remote on the TV for a moment until a YouTube video of birds appeared. Penny sat straight up and tilted her head. He gave her a pat and then turned to Jade.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded and started to follow him. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Penny, who was happily sitting on the couch that probably cost $15,000. Her heart skipped a beat.

Rett was generous to a fault, sure. But he had picked up dog toys and equipment for a couple hours’ absence. Things were starting to feel a little…not fake.

She was reading too much into it. He was just being nice. This didn’t mean he was getting attached, or that feelings were surfacing. And maybe spending time with Penny had made him decide that he wanted to get a dog once Jade was out of his life. Even if Jade wasn’t the kind of girl you fell in love with, Penny definitely was.

“You seem quieter than usual,” Rett said after they climbed back into the truck.

She had never been good at covering up her emotions. “Oh, I was just disappointed that I didn’t find the source of the incredible smell coming from your kitchen.”

---