Page 128 of Hound Dog
I stared into the bucket of soapy water, the bubbles slowly evaporating. My rippled reflection stared back at me. “Forgive him? How could I forgive him? How could I trust him not to cut and run again? He said it himself… he doesn’t know how to love. How to be a partner. I’d have to be crazy to sign up for a relationship like that.”
“Crazy to try again at something worth fighting for?”
I shook my head and plunged my fist into the water, not able to stare at myself in the reflection another second.
“We’re arguing over something that hasn’t even happened.”And probably never would.“Finn hasn’t reached out to me in nearly a month. And right now, I just want to focus on saying goodbye to this house.” Goodbye to my mom.
A bloodcurdling scream came from the movie and both Maisie and I jumped at the sound.
Maisie muttered a curse and grabbed the remote, hitting pause on the movie. “Stupid freaking horror movies. You should get back together with Finn for no other reason than he likes these stupid movies, too.”
I smiled, remembering his arguments on behalf of kitschy sequels.
Maisie was asking me to give Finn a second chance.
But the truth was, this summerwashis second chance.
And he blew it.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Finn
I arrived just outsideof Lex’s bakery for my 6:00 p.m. appointment. Trotting just beside my heels was Lady, one of the rescue dogs I was fostering. She was one of the most well-trained, well-behaved rescue dogs I'd ever seen. And that said a lot.
Lady had an incredible way about her that I knew would make it that much easier to find her a home. She lived up to her name as a sweet, well-mannered lady.
Which was why I suspected she would be a great fit for my client today. Although I didn't know too much about this woman. Unlike most of my clients, this one didn't have a whole lot to say in her paperwork. According to her questionnaire, it had been eight years since her last relationship.
I'd seen clients like this before. In most cases, their last relationship had ended so traumatically that they were terrified to get back out there but also lonely enough that they were ready to risk the heartbreak once more.
But this client, Elle E., had made one thing very clear. She wanted to find a man who knew how to treat her like a lady.
And what better way to find that man than to see how he treats Lady the dog?
After grabbing a quick iced coffee from Lex, I sat on the bench outside and bent to give Lady a quick scratch behind the ears. She looked up at me, large brown eyes wide and wet, and I swear to God this dog had a smile on her face.
“What are you grinning about?” I asked.
But her puppy smile was infectious, and I couldn’t help my own smile as I continued to pet her.
“Don’t tell me you adopted another dog?” My mom’s voice made me jump which, in turn, made Lady flinch and hide behind my legs.
“Mom!” I glanced around, trying to spot if my client was nearby.
What the hell was my mom doing here? She was always busy on Thursday nights.
I cleared my throat, pulse jumping even though I didn’t see anyone else walking this way just yet. “No. Um, remember I told you I was fostering a couple dogs for Yvonne at the Animal rescue here in town?”
Mom nodded. “Oh, that's right.”
“Are you on your way to your, um, knitting club? Isn’t that Thursday nights?”
She scrunched her nose. “Unfortunately, theNew Hampshire Hookersmeeting tonight was cancelled. So, I’m meeting a friend here instead.”
I gulped. “Here? At Lex’s bakery?”
She shrugged. “It’s the only coffee shop in town that stays open in the evenings.”
