Page 60 of Love Out Loud

She wasn’t sure if he’d come to support her or see if his experiment had been the success his article had predicted. It didn’t matter. She’d done it. She’d managed her fear and delivered the speech. And with that thought, she did something she’d never imagined doing in her lifetime. Facing a crowd of strangers who were all staring at her, she smiled.

…

Jake had never realized how many dogs there were in Manhattan. He’d always tuned them out. Now, he didn’t. In fact, he looked for them and even tried to identify them when he got home, based on the AKC guidebook to dogs that Fiona had given him.

She had a book for everything. He shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled. Truly, everything. Even now, he could hear her reading to him from one of her romance novels. She’d never gotten to read for long, though, because he’d distract her by acting out the part of the hero. He especially liked the ones set in Scotland. A bath towel made a great kilt and always caused her to laugh.

He shook the memories off and picked up his pace as a light, drizzling rain started.

She’d been brilliant tonight. She’d gotten off to a rough start, but once she hit her stride, Dr. Fiona Nichol delivered that speech like she’d been doing public speaking her whole life.

His phone rang. Charise. “Hey,” he said.

“How’d it go?”

“She was fantastic,” he said. “Were she a client, I’d give it a top score.”

“Congratulations,” Charise said.

Phone to his ear, he walked along in silence. What else was there to say?

“So, I spoke with Claire Anderson, and you’re right—she didn’t know Fiona. She said she’d put in a good word for you, though.”

Like good words would undo all the bad ones in that article. “Thanks.”

“I talked to her friend, Jane, as well. That was productive.”

Jake’s heart rate picked up a notch. “In what way?”

“Well, Fiona was evidently gaga over you and is having a tough time with this breakup. Her friend is worried.”

“How is that productive?”

“My God, you are such aguy, Jake. It means you have a chance. You need to do something to win her back while she’s still missing you, you know?”

He stepped to the side to let a pinch-faced woman and her lumbering dog pass. It looked like the pictures of English bulldogs from Fiona’s book, but it was wearing a hot pink raincoat and matching hat, of all things. Ridiculous.

Instead of taking a left and going to his apartment, he headed right.

“You still there?” Charise asked.

“Yeah.” He stopped at the gate to the dog park, then walked to the far end and entered the side for big dogs, picking the bench closest to where three dogs frolicked and played in the drizzle. One was a Lab, very similar to the one that had knocked him down as a little boy. Gooseflesh rose on his arms as it neared, tail wagging and tongue lolling out of its mouth, but he remained calm and seated on the bench.

Fiona had said it was guilt that had caused his mother to freak out. He certainly understood that now. His guilt over hurting Fiona was like a living thing that grew and stretched and woke him up at night.

“What are you going to do, Jake?” Charise asked through the phone he’d forgotten he had to his ear.

The Lab walked right up to him and put its chin on his knee. Jake set the phone down next to his leg and reached a tentative hand over its head, then lowered it to stroke the slick, smooth hair.

“I’m so sorry,” a woman said, rushing from the other side of the dog park. “Bert loves people.”

Jake continued to stroke Bert’s broad head. “No. It’s fine.” He gave a ragged laugh. “It’s wonderful.”

“Jake?” Charise’s voice called from his phone on the bench. “You okay?”

Still stroking the dog’s head, he sniffed, then wiped his eyes on his sleeve. With one hand still on the dog, he picked up his phone. “I’m great. Really great. I’m… I… I think I know what to do now. I think I know how to make this right.”

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