Chapter 13 #2
And with that admission of truth, he’d hit a home run. The blush was back, along with her knockout smile. “Thank you,” she
murmured.
Add her sultry whisper to the list.
The lines of tension on her face fully relaxed. “I’m glad we talked about this.”
“I think we just friend-zoned ourselves.” He held out his hand.
She shook it. “Agreed.” She chirped at Sir, “Come on. You’ve done enough damage for the night.”
“Want to take the ice pack with you?” Leo grabbed it off the floor, unceremoniously dumping Sir out of his lap in the process.
“I don’t need it. I’m really okay.”
The red mark had disappeared from her forehead, and that made him feel better. Sir led the way as they went to the door. “See
you Monday?” he said.
She nodded. “Good night, Leo.”
“Night, Via.” He shut the door behind her and Sir. He glanced at his hand, still tingling from her firm yet soft handshake,
then brushed off the palm. “Friends,” he said out loud, as if that cemented it. “Just friends.”
On Monday morning, Via put on her teal and pink beanie, wrapped a rust-colored scarf around her neck, and slipped on her red-and-blue
polka-dotted jacket. Nothing about her outerwear matched but she liked the look. More importantly, she would be comfortable
and warm for her walk with Sir Meow, who was taking his sweet time in the litter box at the moment.
She took the leash off the hook by the door and smiled. She’d been in a good mood since her talk with Leo about their feelings
for each other. Dora had been right—there was a spark. But they had extinguished it the other night, and she had no regrets.
Somehow she hadn’t actually sent her sister the text she’d typed out clarifying that she wasn’t going to sleep with Leo, but
she didn’t discover it had gone unsent until she went to her apartment after talking to him and had checked her messages.
She had sent Via several panicked ones over the course of a few hours.
Dora: You’re kidding, right?
Dora: Via?
Dora: Okay, I’m assuming you didn’t mean you and Leo were literally going to bed together because that doesn’t sound like something
you’d do. But just in case it is, DON’T. He seems like a decent guy, but you haven’t known each other very long.
Dora: I know I sound like an overprotective mom and you’re an adult, but I don’t want you to get hurt again. Or do something you’ll
regret.
Dora: Via?
It had been an hour since Dora’s last message and she felt bad that her sister thought she was ignoring her . . . or doing
exactly what she feared Via was doing.
Via: Sorry! I thought I sent you my last text. I didn’t read this until now. You have nothing to worry about. Leo and I are just
friends. And I’m definitely going to bed ALONE tonight.
Dora: Whew! Night night.
At their family Sunday lunch the day before, she had taken Dora aside and explained about her talk with Leo, leaving out the
part where she saw him in a towel. That was an image she wouldn’t get out of her mind for a very, very long time. It had turned
embarrassing for her, although he didn’t seem too concerned about it. Again, it was hard for her to ascertain his emotions.
Even when he insisted he liked her, she still wasn’t sure if he was just being polite. Or nice. Possibly both. She only had
his words to go on because his expression was always so guarded.
Or she was just that bad at reading signals.
Objectively talking about their feelings had been the right decision, though. She especially liked how he complimented her
brain. Her ex—she wasn’t even going to acknowledge his name anymore—had never done that. He was the one with the PhD. She
just had a bachelor’s.
She slept like a baby Sunday night, with no fantastical dreams about Leo. She couldn’t remember dreaming at all. Now she was prepared for the next time she saw him. Friends were all they would ever be, and her attraction to him would fade. It was already fading, thanks to his levelheadedness.
Sir meandered from the bathroom, and she went to clean up his litter box before taking him outside. She clipped on his leash
and opened the door. Yes siree, she was over Leo Brewster. Just. Like. That.
Until she saw Leo leave his apartment. Gym shorts, Harvard sweatshirt, running shoes. But all she could think about was him
in that towel—
“Hey,” he said with a grin. “Off for another run.”
“Off for another walk.” She held up the end of Sir’s leash. For once he wasn’t clamoring for Leo. In fact, he’d been subdued
since she and Leo hit the friend zone.
They smiled, then headed downstairs and walked out of the building and into the crisp morning air. Tons of leaves had turned
autumnal colors seemingly overnight, and the huge pecan tree in the center of the square was almost covered in a full golden-brown
glow. Stunning. She stopped to admire the view. Leo also paused.
“Been a long time since I’ve seen the leaves change,” he murmured.
“I guess palm trees stay the same all year round.”
“They get brown if there’s a drought. But they don’t put on a show like this.”
Sir was unimpressed, and he tugged on the leash toward Handyman’s Hardware. “Meow,” he insisted.
“We’d better get going,” she said as the leash went taut. “Sir wants to make his rounds.”
Leo nodded. “Mind if I join you? I need a little warm-up.”
“Sure. Oh, Dora said Charlie can look at your car.”
“I’ll let him.” He shook his head. “I don’t have much of a choice.”
“He won’t do anything without your permission. Dora said he couldn’t stop obsessing over the chance to look under the hood.”
“Technically it’s a frunk.”
She laughed. “A frunk? Seriously?”
“I’m always serious about my Turismo.”
Buck waved to her as they walked past. “Good morning, Via. And Sir, of course.” He looked at Leo. “Hello.”
She halted. “Buck Crenshaw, this is Leo Brewster.”
Leo held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve heard about you. Nice to finally make your acquaintance.”
Via suspected that everyone in Pecan Corner at least knew of Leo by now.
“Same here,” Leo said.
“Meow.” Sir started moving again.
“Gotta go,” Via said. “You know how Sir is about his morning walk.”
Buck laughed. “I certainly do. If you need anything, Leo, just let me know. Earl was a fine man. He’s sorely missed around
here.”
Leo nodded. “Thanks.” As they continued their walk, he said, “It’s good to hear Earl was so respected.”
“He was. Very crusty and standoffish until you got to know him. Even then he could be a curmudgeon.”
“Must run in the family,” he muttered.
“But once you broke through, he was a marshmallow inside.”
“That quality definitely doesn’t.” He stared straight ahead. “What did you do before Pawsitive Vibes?”
“Graduated from Chagrin Falls High School, went to Ohio State and got my business degree. That’s where I met . . .”
“Him.”
His tone was flat. No, not exactly flat. There was the tiniest edge to it. “Yeah. We were going to get married but he . . . cheated. I found out the night before the wedding.”
He slowed his steps and looked at her. “I’m sorry, Via.”
The sympathy in his eyes touched her, but she expected it to disappear, like every other emotion she’d seen a glimpse of.
Not this time. If anything, it intensified.
The armor around her heart started to crack. She hadn’t planned to admit out loud the most humiliating thing that ever happened
to her. She’d avoided doing it last night. But now that she did, she felt freer. He wasn’t judging her. Didn’t ask any questions.
Just a simple show of compassion, and it was all she needed. “Thanks, Leo.”
He nodded. “I’d better get going. I want to get a couple miles in before tackling the day.” He took off, heading for the road
that led away from Pecan Corner.
She continued her walk with Sir, and when they reached the apartment, he was ready to go another round. “Not today,” she said,
scooping him up and heading upstairs. “Too much to do.” This week was just as busy as the last one. In addition to Cuddles
and Coffee tomorrow, there was Senior Day on Wednesday, Pawtrait Night on Thursday night, plus apple picking in the evening
on Wednesday. Then, ugh, Friday night’s Meow and Mingle speed-dating event. Thankfully, Dora was handling that. Saturday was
camping, and she had to fit in working in Second Chapter during the evenings too. Nope, no time for a two-round walk. Sir
would have to deal.
Via glanced at Leo’s closed apartment door. Now that they were officially friends, there was a different vibe between them,
and she liked it. Her heart would also be safe because she would never give it to him. But she would enjoy their friendship
as long as it lasted.