Sit...Stay...Beg(23)
“She must like salt,” Jessie said with a weak laugh.
“She likes you,” he replied. “You could save her life by staying.”
Jessie angled her head. “Really? You haven’t buried me in enough guilt for one day, Garrett? I’m sorry, but I—”
“I’ll do the interview.”
She drew back, away from the next thorough lick to her face. Instantly, Lola stood on her haunches and put her paws on Jessie’s shoulders. Garrett’s eyes followed the move.
“I’ll do the interview,” he repeated. “If you stay and help me get her normal and eating again.”
She stared at him, stunned. “You’re that desperate to help this dog?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m that desperate.”
Very slowly, she put Lola’s paws down but kept one hand on Lola’s head as she stood up to face him. “Just so you know, that was an official question.”
He frowned. “That I’m desperate to save the dog?”
“Yes. That’s the kind of thing I want to know, Garrett. This won’t be a surface interview. This won’t be a PR puff piece for Waterford. And if it’s good, I’m going to want to get a video camera in your face, because this will be a pilot audition for me to get an anchor position for ITAL On Air.”
He closed his eyes as if she’d shot him.
“So, let’s be one hundred percent clear what you’re agreeing to. Are you that desperate, Garrett Kilcannon?”
His gaze dropped to Lola, who nuzzled into Jessie’s thigh and whimpered.
“Yes, I’m that desperate.”
“Wow.” She sighed softly, bending a little to put both hands on Lola’s head for a rub. “He’s going to be a good interview,” she whispered. “Thanks, Lola.”
Chapter Seven
By the time they’d finished dinner and a bottle of wine, every year that separated Molly Kilcannon and Jessie Curtis evaporated into talk, laughter, shared memories, and life’s highlights.
“God, it’s fun to see you again,” Molly said on a sigh. “My best friend is a twelve-year-old who wakes up every day with one goal in life: to get her period.”
Jessie snorted. “I hope you tell her the thrill wears off fast.”
“I tell her everything. She really is my partner in life.”
Jessie winced at the expression. She’d once heard her mother say that about Stephanie, but then, Molly didn’t have another daughter who always came in second.
“It’s wonderful you’re so close,” Jessie said. “You hear such horror stories about teenagers and single moms.”
“I’ve been lucky, but not…” She lifted a shoulder. “In love.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Yeah, I’m sure you’d like to hang around someone who’s not dying to get a period.”
Molly laughed easily. “Yes, a kind man with a good heart and the desire to settle down. Someone like one of my perfect brothers but not related to me.”
“The bar is high in the Kilcannon family,” Jessie mused. “And no one has snagged any of them yet. How is that even possible?”
Molly shook her head. “Life. Obviously, Aidan is overseas now. And the others? Garrett’s company was the focus for all of them. He was the brains behind PetPic, but Shane is an incredible lawyer and helped make it a viable business. Liam got an engineering degree when he left the military and turns out he’s as much a software whisperer as he is a dog whisperer. My little sister, Darcy? She handled PetPic’s admin and then created an HR department singlehandedly. None of them had time for romance. Then, when Garrett sold, they all went to Seattle to work for FriendGroup, but shortly after that, Mom died and they all came back. Then the next three years were all about building Waterford Farm into an elite facility, one of the best on the East Coast, if not in the country.”
“So it was just a matter of time and priorities?” Jessie didn’t buy that, not completely. People found time for love if they wanted it.
“Pretty much.”
“And now?”
Molly leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with humor and that third glass of wine. “Why are you so interested in my brothers’ love lives?”
“For the story.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “You think I forget the Garrett crush? It ran deep and wide, if I recall correctly. And you haven’t mentioned a single serious relationship. Are you really that married to work, Jess, or has a man wrecked you?”
Jessie heard the silent too at the end of that question. “Did Pru’s father wreck you?”