Page 22 of Love Out Loud

“You could give the money back.”

“As I told you before, it’s not my company. There are four of us together who own it, and we have a month upfront no-refund policy.” Besides, he needed this success on the board and, honestly, he wanted to help her, which was not his norm. Until now, it had always been about the success of the project, not his enjoyment of it. And that troubled him.

He could tell she was still uncomfortable by the way she stood perfectly still, her knuckles almost white where she clutched the straps of the bag over her shoulder, and that reminded him of how he felt this morning around the giant dog that looked like a bear when she’d encouraged him to pet it.

By asking her to stay, he was asking her to pet the bear dog.

“Why don’t we go work somewhere else,” he suggested. “Maybe a restaurant or a bar or something. A place where you feel less”—he gestured to the photos on the wall—“less uncomfortable.” The squirming bag caught his eye, and he hoped turning the conversation to something she enjoyed would help her relax. “What’s the puppy’s name?”

“Brutus.”

“Wait. I thought it was a girl?”

“It is. The person who found the puppy must’ve thought it was a boy. When they filled out the drop-off form, they put down the name Brutus. The name stuck. It’s only temporary until she’s adopted.”

“How did a tiny thing like that score a big name like Brutus?”

She gave an amused huff. “Hey, Brutus. Don’t listen to him. You’re huge and ferocious. You survived in that garbage can all by yourself. You kick butt, honey.”

He was a little disappointed when she spoke to the dog, because even when they met at the coffee shop and she’d spoken through her dogs to the group of tourists, she’d addressed him directly. Then he realized she was speakingtothe dog, not through it, and the tension loosened in his shoulders. Some part of him wanted to be special where she was concerned, which circled back on his agreement to her statement that this was a bad idea personally. Professionally, he was determined to check off that box next to Finalized Performance Material.

“Okay, Fiona. If we could meet and work anywhere, where would you pick? What is your ideal work space? What would make you most comfortable?”

She didn’t hesitate. “My ideal work space would be my exam room at Animal Attraction with Daisy and Otis there with me.”

Well, shit.Jake took a deep breath and picked up his cell from the edge of his desk. “Okay, let’s go.”

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