Page 31 of Hound Dog
Well, that was true. But this at least bought me time. “I’ll figure that out when the time comes.”
I pulled my phone out and noticed a text from Enzo.
If you hadn’t so rudely hung up on me, you would have heard me tell you that your twelve-thirty cancelled today’s appointment and rescheduled for tomorrow.
I rolled my eyes toward the sky. Enzo was a great partner… and she was right. I shouldn’t have hung up on her. But still, she could havestartedour conversation with that.
Way to bury the lead.
I could feel Haylee’s eyes on me as I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “Well? What’s it going to be? Because if the answer’s no, then I need to get to work finding other solutions.”
She stood tall, brushing the dirt from her knees and, with glowering eyes, moved close to my face. “Fine. But I’monlydoing this for the dogs. Not foryou.”
“Duly noted.”
I held out my hand for her to take, but she merely eyed it cautiously.
“Can I trust your handshake this time?” she asked, her tone chilly. “Last time you didn’t quite hold up your end of the bargain.”
“I wouldn’t make that mistake twice,” I said.
She froze, eyes locked on my hand for a long breath before she finally slid her palm into mine.
“Don’t make me regret this,” she whispered.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
The small ring she wore on her finger was warm against my palm as she released her firm grip from my hand. “Be at Meryl’s house tomorrow morning at ten. Don’t be late.”
But I didn’t let go of hers. I held tight to her silky hand and with a gentle tug, I pulled her closer to me.
Her little gasp was so adorably sexy, it nearly sucked all the oxygen from between us as I looked down at her.
A tendril of hair got caught in her lip gloss and with my other hand, I pushed it free from the shackles of her mouth. “Did you ever check off that particular bucket list item, Haylee?”
The question was out before I’d had the sense to stop it. I’d be lying if I said she hadn’t crossed my mind once, twice, or ten thousand times over the last few years.
Her breath hitched and the frown she sported deepened. “You have no right to ask me that.”
She was right. Of course she was. It wasn’t any of my business. And her silence and absence over the last six years made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing to do with me.
Out of nowhere, Chewy lunged, tugging the leash and barking at something in the distant shrubs.
It scared the shit out of me, but she barely reacted. I guess living in a house with fourteen dogs, even temporarily, made you get used to random outbursts of barking.
Her grip on my hand squeezed tighter and she took a further step into my body. “Let’s get one thing straight, Finn. You had your chance with me, and youblewit. I’m no longer the shy, virginal eighteen-year-old who’s afraid to say what’s on my mind. And I hope you look back on that night six years ago and regret your choice.”
She released my hand with a shove to my body and spun, walking back to her car.
The truth was, she’d never know how much I regretted that choice. I’d regretted it every day for six years.
Chapter Eight
Haylee
The next morning,Ben called while I was on my hands and knees scrubbing Aunt Meryl’s baseboards. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a clean person—her house was clean by most people’s standards.
But most people weren’t me. Most people hadn’t been raised by Sharon Rogers—neat freak extraordinaire.
