Pretend You're Mine(56)
She could tell he was weighing his options behind his sunglasses.
He threw up his arms. “For Christ’s sake, look at her! She’s huge. I was worried she’d drag you around the block and knock everyone over.”
“So you took her out first to try her out?”
“Well, yeah. And to tire her out, so if she was bad on a leash, she’d at least be less bad tired.”
“That’s oddly sweet and thoughtful of you.”
“Hard to be mad at me, isn’t it?” The dimple flickered back into existence.
“Well it would be except for the fact that you’ve been making me feel so guilty for bringing her into your house when you clearly love having her around!”
“I wouldn’t say love —”
“Lucas Norbert Garrison!”
“Charles, actually.”
“You love her! Look her in those big dopey eyes and tell her you don’t.” Harper squished Lola’s face in her hands. “Look at Daddy. Make him feel like garbage for playing Mommy. You could have told me, you know. Should have told me.”
“I am pleading the fifth. Now if you lovely ladies don’t mind, I’m going to finish my run because Lola can only hang for a mile and a half.” He leaned in and kissed Harper and moved to drop a peck on Lola’s head, but she squirmed free and stuck her tongue in his mouth.
“At this second, I can honestly say I don’t love that,” he said, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“Serves you right, Norbert!”
“Can we still have steak tonight?” he asked, backing down the walk.
“You knew I was kissing up to you! You are such an —”
“The neighbors don’t need you to finish that sentence,” he called as he turned onto the sidewalk.
“Fine, but Lola gets half of yours!” Harper waited until he was out of sight before laughing.
***
Luke avoided the office all day, communicating primarily by text and email, even after Harper called him a chicken.
She beat him home and took Lola for a quick walk before starting dinner. Harper was busy prepping the steaks when she heard the front door. She headed down the hall to greet Luke with Lola ambling after her.
“Look who decided to face the music,” Harper teased.
Luke dropped his keys on the table by the door and shifted the strange bundle he was holding.
The bundle barked.
“Not a word. Not one word,” Luke muttered.
He was carrying a scruffy terrier under his arm like a football.
Harper bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Luke put the dog down on the floor. It had three legs.
“Wait a second. Shouldn’t we introduce them or something first?” Harper started towards Lola.
“Fine. Lola, meet Max. Max, meet Lola.”
Max scampered over to Lola and sniffed her. Lola blinked, turned around, and walked down the hall. Max pranced after her on her heels.
“I just went to pick up Lola’s meds and there’s this damn dog. Some old lady is trying to surrender him and they didn’t have any foster homes available, and if they took him to the shelter he’d probably be put down.”
“He has three legs.”
“And they were going to hold that against him. He can’t help it.”
Harper covered her mouth so he wouldn’t see her grin as he stalked down the hall towards the kitchen.
“It’s just temporary,” he called over his shoulder. “We’re just fostering.”
“It’s just temporary,” she whispered, even as she felt her heart stumble.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
They found it was easier to get used to two dogs than the first one. Max scampered seamlessly into their home life. He followed Luke around like a shadow and barked like a dog three times his size. In the mornings, Luke ran with Lola while Harper took Max for a few laps around the block. At night, he slept curled in a tight ball against Lola.
And every time Harper walked in the door, they both greeted her as if it had been decades since they last saw her last.
Lola would charge down the hallway with her deep boof, while Max pranced and yipped around her. The second the front door opened, they lavished Harper — or Luke, or the mail lady — with excited attention. It felt good to be welcomed home by adoring fans.
Just a few weeks ago, she couldn’t have imagined her life changing so drastically. She had a man she adored, a comfortable home, great friends, and two dogs who thought she was better than bacon treats. Even though it was all temporary. She tried not to think about what would happen in a matter of days. Luke would be gone from her life, she would be gone from Benevolence, and it would be someone else opening Garrison Construction’s massive piles of mail.