New Leash on Life(19)
He turned to catch a flash of disbelief on her face, but she wiped it away quickly, along with her hands on a napkin. “Oh, that’s okay. He’s walking.”
“Oh, no,” the owner assured them. “Jackson loves to make new friends.” She took a few steps and dropped the leash, which told the dog he was free to approach yet another stranger, and he loped toward the table.
“Don’t give him any food, though,” the woman added.
“I won’t.” Chloe twisted on the bench, discomfort already all over her body language.
Shane had seen it so many times in new dog owners, usually people who’d been talked into a dog by their kids or a well-meaning spouse, and they were either scared, clueless, or simply intimidated by any dog.
Jackson went right up to Chloe and sniffed, pressing his snout on her leg and making her jerk away, both hands in the air.
“He won’t hurt you,” the lady said.
“I know…it’s just…” She gave a helpless look to Shane, who immediately took control by getting back down with the dog.
“Here, Jackson. C’mere, boy.” The dog instantly came to him and got some love. “Can you sit?”
He did, making the owner laugh with more doggie pride. “He knows a lot of commands,” she bragged.
“Roll over,” Shane ordered, and Jackson immediately lay down, turned over, and offered his belly for a rub. Of course, Shane obliged, talking quietly to the dog. “Give kisses?” he asked, knowing exactly what he’d get.
The dog got up and leaned in for a big lick of Shane’s face, making the owner coo and Shane laugh and Chloe gape in horror.
After a minute, he got up and made small talk with the owner, whose name was Betsy, then said goodbye to Jackson before coming back around to his side of the picnic table.
Without a word, Chloe reached into her bag and pulled out her little bottle of trusty hand sanitizer, handing it to him.
“Only for you.” He squirted some on his hand. “Nice dog, huh?”
“Oh yeah.” Zero interest.
As he suspected, miles from “perfect,” at least in his opinion.
“So,” he said after a moment. “I’m changing my vote to a no.”
Her plastic fork froze midbite. “What? Why?”
“Because you don’t believe in your own idea.”
She set the fork down and gave a frustrated exhale. “Because I didn’t crawl all over the ground, touch an animal while I’m eating, and let it lick my face with a tongue that might very well have been covered with dog food or…worse?” She shook her head. “For that I lose?”
“Unless someone else changes their vote.”
“Why did you abstain?” she asked. “Conflict of interest?”
“I told you already, I’m interested. You’re the one who’s conflicted.”
“With your business, I mean. I think someone mentioned that my idea would help your business.” She thought about that for a moment. “Would it?”
“Maybe. And our business could help your idea. That’s not why I abstained.”
“Then why?”
She probably wouldn’t like the truth, but he wasn’t a person to dance around it unless he was in a courtroom. “I knew how everyone in that room would vote, and I knew it would be a four-to-four tie.”
“How did you know for sure?”
“Because I live here and I know the players. Would you like to know how they all voted?”
She picked for a dainty bite of lettuce, flicking red onions out of the way of her fork. “I can guess, but I’m sure you’ll set me straight.”
“The four who left together were your no’s.”
She thought about that, nodding as she swallowed. “Librarian is a stick in the mud. Spa owner Red Head is a pain in the butt. The funeral director is a stiff.”
“Pardon the pun.”
She laughed softly. “But you’d think the newspaper guy would be a little more progressive in his thinking.”
“Damn media.” He grinned at her. “On the other hand, you definitely have your aunt—”
“Whoa.” She held up a hand. “How did you know she’s my aunt?”
“My dad told me. You know, the old guy?”
Her eyes shuttered. “I meant that in the nicest possible way.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him, and that’s not why I’m taking his place.”
She didn’t respond right away, studying him for a moment. “Why are you taking his place?”
“Because of you.”
A little color drained from her cheeks at his honesty. “Really?”
“Don’t underestimate your power, Chloe Somerset. You’re smart as a whip, extremely pretty, and you kiss like…like you need to do more of it but don’t like to lose control. I’m here to help on both counts.”