I had a plan to see Emily again. It was a stupid plan, and maybe a little selfish, but at least it was a plan.
My boys barked from the back seat. Riding in a limo could be nice, but I preferred the personal control that came with driving myself. It also made spontaneous changes in your schedule a bit easier.
Sure, my chauffeur would obey me, but I didn’t like to have to explain myself. It was more pleasant all around.
“Quiet down,” I said, glancing at my two black labs in the rear-view mirror. “You’ll like where we’re going. There are two people there you’ll like to meet.”
Both dogs barked once and then lay back down on the seat. I’m sure they were killing my upholstery, but I’d not thought to bring a blanket or anything. I didn’t care all that much. I was just happy to see them again. No matter what happened with Emily, I had the respect and love of my boys at least.
I drove through an intersection into a subdivision. I was close to my destination, Emily’s house.
I hadn’t planned originally on bringing my dogs to her house. I’d gone to pick them up from the kennel, but then my mother called and told me how she’d run into Emily and Juniper at the pharmacy. The second she hung up, my stupid plan appeared in my mind like the Lord himself was giving me inspiration, albeit very low-key dog-based inspiration.
The way I saw it, this would be another example of where self-interest could meet charity of sorts. I wanted to see Emily and Juniper again, and this gave me an excuse. Juniper wasn’t feeling well, and animals could be a great comfort to sick children.
Win-win, all around. I hoped so, at least.
I turned a corner. The main problem with my plan was I had no idea how Emily would react, as she wasn’t a sick little girl but a grown woman trying to keep her distance from me. It wasn’t like she’d told me she never wanted to see me again, but I was sure she didn’t want me showing up the next day knocking on her door.
That made sense if she were trying to establish that we weren’t an item. My little plan might come off pushy and aggressive, but I also knew if I wanted to have any chance at a relationship with her, I couldn’t give up and run away with my tail between my legs. I needed to prove to her we could work and not just on a sexy vacation.
The thing was, we already did work together. We had a good time together, and we were a volcano together in bed.
I understood her problems. She had issues because of her ex, and I wanted to make sure she was comfortable, but I refused to give up.
I’d not slept well the night before, thinking about what it’d be like if I never saw Emily again. There was no delusion left. I was in love with her. Apparently, she wasn’t in love with me yet, but I could change that. I had to change that.
My hands tightened around my steering wheel. This whole surprise visit could end with her screaming at me to leave her alone and never talk to her again, or it could end with her appreciating a kind gesture from someone interested in her and her daughter. We could start on the road to something permanent.
I made the final turn onto her street. Joe barked. Then Dean barked.
&
nbsp; “Just a few seconds, boys.”
I spared another glance into the rear-view mirror at my dogs. They’d handled the kennel a lot better this trip than last time. I didn’t know why, but it would help with my plan. I didn’t want to show up to cheer up a sick child with depressed dogs who had torn their hair out and looked like they needed a few days at the veterinary hospital.
Sighing, I parked the car in Emily’s driveway. It was time to see if I could forge a path to a future with Emily.
I went around the back of my car and opened the doors, not letting my dogs out until I had their leashes on. They were obedient, but I didn’t want to Emily to think I wasn’t in control of my animals.
They both barked a few times, and we walked toward her front door. I knocked a few times and waited. The door opened, revealing a haggard-looking Emily.
She stared at me, shock on her face. Her gaze dropped to my boys, and the shock gave way to a smile. She knelt to pet the black labs. They both barked, their tails wagging furiously.
“What wonderful dogs, you are,” she said in that voice women saved for babies and animals. “Yes, you are.”
I chuckled.
She looked up at me. “What are you doing here, Logan?”
“I was on the way back from the kennel when I remembered how whenever I was sick as a child, my dog always cheered me up.”
Emily narrowed her eyes slightly. “You know about Juniper being sick?”
“Strep, right?”
She nodded slowly.