Page 19 of Hound Dog
“It’s not evenyour dogand you went rollerblading with him?”
Somehow, her eyes lowered into an even deeper scowl. And eventhatwas beautiful. More beautiful than I even remembered. “Like I said, I do it all the time back home and it’s beenfine.”
“Clearly.” I leaned over, starting to gather the business cards that had scattered in the lawn just as Ms. Louise, my seventh grade, now-retired, English teacher came strolling over.
“Finn! Honey, are you okay? That was some spill,” she said.
“I’m fine, Ms. Louise, thank you.”
“And what about you, dear?” She looked to Haylee, now kneeling and unbuckling her roller blades to take them off.
“I’m fine, too. Embarrassed,” she admitted, “but fine.”
“Oh, good. I was worried when I saw you two go down!”
I slid a look to Haylee just in time to catch the spray of pink blossoming across the bridge of her nose and cheeks.
Ms. Louise paused, bending down to collect some of my business cards that had blown a few feet away.
Fucking hell, just my luck.
I rushed forward, trying to gather the rest of the cards from her. “Oh, you don’t have to do that—”
“Hound Dog,” she read the card aloud. “What’s this, Finny? Are you starting a new business? F. Evans, Owner/Operator—”
I snatched the cards out from her hands and stuffed them into my back pocket. “Um, yep. I’m starting a new business. That’s what I’m doing.”
Ms. Louise blinked, not getting the hint that I didn’t want to talk about it. Or, hell, knowing her, she was probablyignoringthe hint. “Well,” she asked, “what is this new business of yours?”
Shit.“It’s…”Think, Finn, think.I can’t say it’s a bakery. We have too freaking many of those in Maple Grove as is, half of which are owned by members of my own damn family. It can’t be a bar… that’s my sister’s business. Hound Dog. What could Hound Dog be? “Um. It’s… a... hotdog stand.”
Ms. Louise’s face shifted, melting into confusion. Beside us, Haylee snorted a laugh, covering her mouth quickly with the back of her hand. “Hotdogs?” Ms. Louise said. “Well, that’s… interesting.”
It’s stupid is what it is. Hotdogs? What the hell is wrong with me?It was going to be spread all around town within the hour that little Finnian Evans is opening a fucking hotdog stand.
“I didn’t even know you wanted to go into the food business like the rest of your family.”
“Hotdogs?” Haylee repeated, her eyes glued to the business card in her hand that she had also picked up to help gather. “But it says here—”
I grabbed the stack of cards from her hand and shoved them into my pocket with the rest, burying the evidence. “Thanks so much for checking on us, Ms. Louise! I’m sure you have somewhere to be!”
My ex-teacher gave me a confused wave as she walked away, her phone already in hand, no doubt texting the gossip chain.
I spun on my heels, facing Haylee. “Well, thanks for that.”
“For what?”
“What do youthink?”For almost blowing my cover to Ms. Louise.“For… for slamming into me. For nearly hurting both of us…andyour dog.”
Fury twisted her features into a scowl. “You’re seriously going to givemeshit right now?You?”
Me? What the hell did that mean? “Well,Ididn’t knockyouover, did I?”
“Nope. You justscrewedme over. Oh, wait, no. The problem was youdidn’tscrew me.”
I pulled back, momentarily shocked, both at how raw and raunchy her statement was, and because I didn’t expect her to be mad about that night. Disappointed, sure. Maybe a little upset.
But I figured with enough time, she would have seen that I was making the right choice to not meet her on the roof. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.Wait. You’re mad about six years ago?”
