Page 29 of Love Out Loud

He took several steps toward the door and suddenly felt like a dick. Fiona’s dogs weren’t hurting anything. He was surprised she’d left them behind. When he turned, they were sitting all the way, watching him, tails tentatively wagging. He couldn’t just leave them here. He sighed and shook his head. This woman was doing a real number on him.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. He patted his leg. “Come on.” To his amazement, both animals stood and followed him down the hallway. Okay, he could grow to tolerate this.

The little gold one yipped, then bolted past him.Maybehe could grow to tolerate this.

…

Fiona placed the pizza in the middle of the table, resisting the urge to call the dogs. When she found Jake talking to Daisy and giving her the toy, she had been surprised. And happy. And kind of freaked out. If he met friendship requirement number one, and she was letting him skate on the requirement number two infraction because he was dishonest by omission, then this whole working-one-on-one thing just got a lot more complicated.

Maybe he’d make it easier on her and he’d ignore the dogs and leave them in the entry alone. It was a sick kind of test, she knew, but it was a certain way to see if there was a reason her heart seemed to beat too hard and her body get too warm when he was around, other than simple animal attraction. She laughed at her own inside joke. God, she needed some sleep. Feeding the puppy every two hours last night had worn her down and left her exhausted. She probably should have postponed this session, but something in her couldn’t resist. A silly, reckless part.

To her relief and, at the same time, her dread, Jake entered with both dogs. Daisy skidded into the room several paces ahead, with Otto trotting along beside him, staring up at Jake with clear adoration. Jake glanced down, and there was no fear in his eyes or body language. Yep. He’d just blown the doors off of requirement number one.

“That looks great,” he said, sitting opposite her and picking up a slice. After a few minutes of serious eating, they discussed the outline and came up with some ideas for changes to it, including the closing. She made notes on the pages, leaving an occasional tomato sauce mark along with her scribbles.

Fiona marveled at how easy Jake was to be around. He had a great economy of conversation, which she loved. He didn’t fill the silences with idle chitchat she had to work to return. Soon, they were at the end of the revision and out of pizza.

“You ready to give the speech a try?” he asked, tossing the empty box in the trash.

She took a sip of her Dr Pepper. “No. I thought we were just planning it out tonight.”

He sat down opposite her again. “I think you should read it out loud. Don’t perform it. Just read it.”

He didn’t get it. A guy like him probably never would. “Reading aloud is performing,” she said.

“Oh, come on. Don’t you ever read aloud to a friend when you come across something really interesting?”

“No.”

“Seriously?” He narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “Hey, friend, listen to this news article! Blah, blah, blah, et cetera?”

“Never.” Though, she did read aloud when she was alone, sometimes. Never in front of anyone else.

He threw his hands up in surrender. “Okay, we’ll call it performing, then.”

“I hate this.” She closed her eyes and gripped the table, remembering all those times in school when she’d been forced to read a passage out loud.

Squeakity, squeak, squeak, squeak.

He chuckled. “You stay out of it, Sir Squash. Nobody asked you.”

She smiled. “He’s very opinionated.”

“I bet he’s a good listener,” Jake said. “May I?” he asked Otto, who reluctantly released the toy.

She knew reaching down and pulling something from a dog’s mouth was a big deal for Jake. She also knew the toy was slobbery and disgusting. And at that moment, the crush she’d had on him when he was only Hot Guy who she saw in the lobby on occasion came roaring back with bells and whistles and pinging hormones.Not smart, Fiona.

Jake moved to the chair next to her and set Sir Squash on its base on top of the napkins. “Okay. So, pretend he’s your audience and give it a read. Focus on Sir Squash and not anything or anyone else in the room.

Fiona stared at the toy, with its domed bulb on the top of its cylindrical body balancing upright on the two bulbs at the bottom, and bit her lip. Holy crap. He wanted her to give a speech to…no way. Before she could stop it, a giggle bubbled up in her throat. The giggle turned into a laugh.

Her laugh must have been contagious, because he joined in until they were both holding their sides and wiping away tears.

“Okay,” he said. “Maybe that wasn’t the best plan.”

Her response was to begin giggling all over again.

He picked up Sir Squash and handed him to Otto, withdrawing his hand quickly as the dog snapped the toy out of his fingers.

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