Page 11 of I Need You Tonight
I hurried upstairs. A few minutes later I was showered, dressed, and ready to walk Bernie.
“Do you guys have a mall or something down here?” Mason asked, coming downstairs after finishing with his own shower. “I wouldn’t mind picking up a couple of T-shirts. I don’t usually get much of a chance to shop.”
“There’s a small shopping center near here that will probably have what you’re looking for.”
The temperature was warm enough for me to wear my favorite white lacy dress, the hem brushing several inches above my knees. I added my short cowboy boots and a light denim jacket. My hair lay loose around my shoulders. If I could’ve dressed like this for my date last night, I would’ve at least been happy. More so than I had been in the black dress and stilettos.
I grabbed Beatrice’s key from the kitchen counter, and Mason and I headed over to her house. “Bernie comes off as scarier than he really is,” I said, unlocking the front door. “He’s nothing more than an overgrown baby. The only danger is of being drooled on.” I opened the door and entered, Mason right behind me.
“Hey, Bernie,” I called out. “It’s Nicole. Your mommy wanted me to take you for a walk.” A deep woof came from the direction of the living room. A moment later, the giant English mastiff lumbered into the hallway. His short fur was golden, his black face a mass of wrinkles. Drool dangled from one side of his mouth.
“Holy shit,” Mason said. “What the hell is that?”
Bernie didn’t take offense at Mason’s language. He leaned against me, waiting for me to fuss over him like I always did. He really was a big baby.
“Bernie, this is my friend Mason.”
That was met by another woof.
“We’re gonna walk you,” I told him.
“Or ride him,” Mason suggested, his expression a cross between shock and amusement as he eyed the massive dog.
“He’s just kidding,” I told the dog as I rubbed my hand along his body. He leaned more into me, coming close to knocking me over. I glanced up at Mason. “I’m guessing this isn’t the type of dog you wanted.”
“I would love to have a big dog—just not this big. I was thinking more like Lab-sized, not monster-sized.” The shock on his face had given way to a smirk.
I crouched in front of Bernie and hugged his thick neck. “You’re not a monster, are you?”
The answering woof almost deafened me.
I retrieved his leash from the hall closet and attached it to his collar. Then the three of us walked down the street at Bernie’s slow pace.
Giant palm trees reached toward the clear blue sky on either side of the residential street. Ahead of us, the low desert mountain range stretched for as far as I could see, beckoning me to be more adventurous, calling me to explore it.
And I would’ve been adventurous if I wasn’t so busy. My big adventure in life was the boutique—not quite what I had envisioned back in college. Then I had planned to travel the world after graduation, to visit the countries my mother had always longed to see.
“So you know what I do for a living,” I said as a car drove past. “What do you do back in L.A.?”
“This and that.”
“So you’re unemployed?”
“Not exactly. I’m a musician.”
So, basically, unemployed. “Oh. What instrument do you play?”
Bernie let out a thundering bark, preventing Mason from answering my question. Heading toward us was one of Bernie’s friends, a cocker spaniel named Elis. The teenager who was walking him stared at Mason, eyes wide. That didn’t surprise me. The man was incredibly hot, after all. What girl wouldn’t be staring?
Bernie stopped to sniff his friend’s butt.
“Hi, Amy,” I said to Elis’s owner.
She was too busy gaping at Mason to answer.Way to be obvious, Amy.
“Amy, this is Mason,” I said. Only then did she finally notice me, her gaze flicking in my direction.
“I didn’t know you were dating Mason Dell,” she said to me. Then her gaze switched back to Mason.
