Chapter Thirteen
Jay left for LA with a heavy heart, a small bag of essentials in one hand. Nelson had only just come into his life and already he was leaving him. He felt like the worst dog dad in the world. But at least he’d saved him from a humdrum life at the rescue center, squabbling over cheap chow and who got the chewed-up squeaky toy. And now he had the best dogsitter in the world, Erin, and a built-in new best bud, Buzzy.
Without having to ask, he knew that Erin would head over to his place as quickly as she could. She would sense that Jay was worried about Nelson being all by himself so soon after he’d been adopted. He didn’t want Nelson to develop abandonment issues—he knew exactly how it felt to be on his own with no role model. So he was determined to be a reliable carer for Nelson, and when work forced him away, Erin was the perfect substitute. Probably even better, if he was honest with himself.
How had it taken him this long to really get to know Erin? He’d learned more about her in the last two days than he had in fifteen years of being her brother’s buddy and agent. And he liked it. He liked her. He liked her. She was a super interesting woman in her own right—not simply the youngest Davenport sibling, lost in the noise of her big family. Even though they’d only just said good-bye, he was looking forward to the next time they’d be alone together.
Erin was getting under his skin, with her thoughtful manner and her sense of humor and the way she made him laugh so hard. All those dog names beginning with B that no one would ever use. Women he’d dated in the past never made him laugh... not that he was dating Erin, of course. But given how much time they’d spent together over the last couple of days, he was amazed that he was never bored in her company, never dying to get away and be on his own.
She was also incredibly sexy—although frankly, even that thought would get him in serious hot water with Archer. He had to stop his mind from wandering in this direction for both their sakes.
At least Nelson loved Buzzy. That was one thing he didn’t have to worry about. It was too cute how his little guy followed Buzzy around, looking up to the bigger, more confident dog to see how things were done. It reminded him again of when he’d first had dinner at the Davenport family home. Watching Betsy Davenport was how he’d learned table manners. He shook his head. Maybe he was getting soft now that he was in his mid-thirties, but he was really going to miss Nelson even though they’d only spent one night together.
If only he could get the idea of spending the night with Erin out of his head.
* * *
Erin might be doing Jay a favor by house- and dog-sitting, but the truth was that when she walked into the beautiful home she’d admired for so long, the favor was all his. Although it was strange moving out of her own home just up the street for the two nights Jay would be in LA, she could fantasize that this was her place. She’d cook herself dinner in that impressive kitchen and sit in the library and read whatever book appealed to her from his well-stocked shelves. And as much as she’d love to settle down for the night in that big, beautiful master bedroom, as Jay had said she must, she’d told him she was perfectly happy with one of the guest rooms. He hadn’t pushed the matter, just shrugged and said he’d leave it to her.
Part of the reason she didn’t want to sleep in his bed was because she’d surely end up in the sexy-thought land that she was working so hard to leave.
Since Buzzy and Nelson had already decided to be best friends, it was an easy enough gig. As she walked around at her leisure, really taking things in, what surprised her was how comfortable his home was. It wasn’t show-offy at all. Sure, in his office he had a couple of trophies and a framed picture of himself with some of his bigger clients, but everywhere else the house was understated—as though Jay was more interested in allowing his tasteful art collection to shine than in displaying his famous connections. And not a single piece of furniture was ornamental rather than comfortable. Each piece had been chosen to be used and loved rather than simply to impress, and she was beginning to wonder if Jay envisaged this place as being more than just an incredible bachelor pad. Maybe he had a family in mind.
But then she laughed at herself. She was getting carried away. Jay, who only dated lingerie models interested in the next big shoot, was about as far away from starting a family as a person could get. The gorgeousness of this house was definitely doing a number on her, because now she was imagining her own family in here. Two, maybe three kids sitting at the huge kitchen table, drawing or doing their homework. Buzzy sprawled out happily in his dog bed by the stove, Nelson next to him in his bed. And then for a split second, she saw Jay’s strong, sturdy outline, gently stirring a copper pan of hot chocolate.
Luckily, a bark from Nelson tugged her back to real life. She shook her head at herself. Just because this house was a romantic dream didn’t mean that she was actually living in either one. Besides, Jay wasn’t the kind to have children. Or was he? She was learning so much about this man she’d thought she already knew. Maybe he would keep surprising her.
But what did it matter if he did want to have a family? She was never, ever getting together with Jay.
She continued her solo tour of the house—solo except for the two dogs, of course. Her editor had agreed that she could work from home for the next two days so she didn’t have to leave Nelson. Pat, like pretty much everyone else in Carmel-by-the-Sea, was a dog person and understood how important it was for Nelson to remain in the same place while he was still becoming accustomed to living with Jay. Not that he seemed to be having any trouble settling in. If anything, in the few hours she’d been here, it already seemed as though he’d been the dog of the house for years, not two days. He had good manners too. He didn’t beg at the table and sat before she offered him a treat. No one could guess what his past had been. All Emilia from the shelter had been able to tell them was that he’d been found wandering with no collar on, and since he hadn’t been chipped, there was no way to find his owner, if he had one. He’d clearly been living on the streets for some time. But now that he was settled in a house, Erin could see that at some point he’d been trained. Or else he naturally had good manners. Either way, he was a pleasure to look after. And it was nice for Buzzy to have company. Her dog didn’t seem to mind the hero worship at all and was quick to put Nelson in his place if he got too rambunctious or enthusiastic.
On her lunch break, she took the dogs for a long walk on the beach and was surprised to spot her brother Damien jogging down the sand. He was quite far away, but she’d recognize his longish, curly dark brown hair and lean silhouette at any distance. Damien wasn’t always good at communicating when he was back home. His schedule with his band was so hectic that it gave Erin vertigo just thinking about it, but Damien seemed pretty happy with his rock-star lifestyle.
As he came into view, she waved hello and Damien grinned, his dark eyes sparkling. “You got another dog?” he asked in lieu of a greeting, looking at the two friends as they played in the sand.
She shook her head and introduced Nelson, who sniffed Damien briefly and then quickly returned to playing with Buzzy. Erin smiled. Emilia had been right—Nelson definitely wasn’t as affectionate with other men as he was with Jay. Buzzy, on the other hand, was super happy to see one of the Davenport men and rolled on the sand, offering his belly to Damien for patting.
When she told her brother that she was house- and dog-sitting for Jay Malone, he seemed surprised—and a little suspicious. “I didn’t know you guys were that friendly.”
Erin had to will herself not to blush. “We’re not. I went to his new house to do an interview for the paper.”
Damien told her he’d just read it and thought it was great. She thanked him and then said, “Anyway, I’m just doing him a favor.” She shrugged, like it was no big deal, although the idea of sleeping in his house that evening was filling her with a delicious kind of dread at where her mind might wander as day turned into night.
“Didn’t you always love that house?” Damien asked.
“Ever since I can remember. It’s my favorite house in Carmel.”
“Then that’s a nice gig for you. Hope it won’t be too hard to leave, though.”
She shook her head. “I’m perfectly happy in my apartment. But I won’t deny it’s fun to hang out in in such a gorgeous home for a couple of days.”
Damien squinted against the sun and gazed across the beach to admire its lines. “Sure is nice. I think Crystal organized a wedding for the daughter of the people who used to own it.”
At the mention of Crystal Lopez, the wedding planner, she realized she hadn’t seen her high school friend in too long. They were overdue for a girls’ night and Erin couldn’t imagine a better location than Jay’s house.
She said good-bye to Damien, who she’d see at the family home for breakfast on Saturday, and then sent a quick text to Crystal to see if she’d like to come over to catch up. The reply came back instantly.
Would love to. See you at 7.
Erin grinned and then called the dogs. It was turning out to be a perfect day.
* * *
Crystal arrived at seven fifteen, full of apologies for being late. She looked around and then whistled through her teeth. “Wow, Jay Malone has done a great job furnishing this place. It looks even better than I remember.”
Erin had to agree. Although she’d never seen inside before, she instinctively felt that Jay had brought something special to the house.
“I hate being late, but I was dealing with a nightmare father of the bride,” Crystal explained, flipping her glossy dark hair over her shoulders.
“ Father of the bride?” Erin’s eyes widened. “I’ve never heard of a nightmare dad during wedding planning. I thought they liked to keep out of it and just show up with tears in their eyes to give their daughters away on the big day.” She showed Crystal through to the sumptuous kitchen and opened a cold bottle of Italian Pino Grigio she’d bought from a nice wine shop earlier that day.
Crystal laughed. “If only. This one kept telling me, in no uncertain terms, that since he was paying for the wedding, he expected everything to be perfect.” She explained that the man was very high up in the military and barked orders at her like she was a green recruit. “I genuinely thought that if he didn’t approve of the menu, he’d make me drop and give him fifty.”
Erin burst out laughing and poured Crystal a large glass of the crisp white wine. Since she could never truly switch off from reporter mode, she asked, “Are there any upcoming weddings the Sea Shell should know about?”
Crystal took a seat as Erin put together dinner and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m sure the colonel would be only too happy to have his daughter’s wedding featured in the newspaper, but I can’t think what they’ve done to deserve it. I’ll definitely drop you an email, though, if I come across anything really good.”
Business out of the way, they settled back to catch up. Erin wasn’t much of a cook, but she threw together a simple tomato and mascarpone pasta, which she served with a fresh herb salad. As the wine level grew lower, they discussed their dating lives, which was sadly a very short conversation. Erin hadn’t had a date in longer than she cared to admit. Crystal had recently enjoyed what seemed like a super promising relationship with a guy she’d met online, until he turned out to be the groom in one of the weddings she was organizing.
“Ouch,” Erin said, reaching for her friend’s arm and giving it a squeeze. “What a jerk.”
But to Erin’s surprise, Crystal only rolled her eyes as if to say men, huh, and then chuckled. “You think I was stunned? Imagine how he felt. I’ve never seen anyone go so pale so fast. I thought he was going to faint. Sort of wish he had!”
“Did you out him to the bride?”
Crystal looked shocked. “Erin, I am a professional. But as it turned out, the bride caught him kissing one of her attendants. The wedding’s been postponed while they get some counseling.”
Crystal’s story stayed with Erin long after her friend had gone. It was a stark reminder of how sneaky and selfish men could be, and it dragged up the bad memories of her first year at college, which she tried to keep buried at all costs. She shuddered as she remembered that dark night, the wandering hands and insistence that he should have access to her body...
As if he sensed her distress, Buzzy came running over, with Nelson bounding behind him. He nudged Erin’s ankles until she bent and curled her arms around him. He licked her cheek tenderly and Erin realized it was wet with tears. “You’re the only guy I need,” she whispered to Buzzy. There was a bark from Nelson. “Okay, and you, too,” she said with a laugh.
She finished tidying up after dinner, and decided to end the evening with another stroll on the beach so that the dogs could have their final walk. It was still warm out and she enjoyed having the nearly deserted beach. The soft lap of the waves, the smell of the ocean breeze—this was her favorite place on earth and it never failed to soothe and calm her.
When they returned, she went upstairs and got ready for bed, delighted that she had this gorgeous place all to herself and could get an earlyish night with a good book in the super luxurious king-sized bed in the guest room. But Nelson had other ideas. No matter what Erin did, he wouldn’t settle. He kept staring at her and then running back to the master bedroom. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Buzzy joined him.
In the end she threw up her hands. “All right, I get that the routine is to sleep in Jay’s bedroom, but a little flexibility would be nice.” It was pretty clear she wasn’t going to get that, not from Nelson. So with a resigned shrug, she moved her few belongings into Jay’s huge bedroom and guided the dogs into their respective beds under the window. The Barbara Hepworth looked so perfect where Jay had placed it that it made her smile.
And then she stared at his huge, beautiful bed for a good while before finally pulling back the covers and slipping between the sheets. They felt sumptuous against her skin, like bathing in silk. He’d told her the sheets were fresh and she appreciated his thoughtfulness. Still, this was Jay’s bed, Jay’s bedroom, and being here felt strangely intimate. Erin opened her novel in case her mind entered dangerous territory. Trying to keep her thoughts on the complicated plot, she adjusted the pillow and soon found herself turning the pages.
Until the bed lurched.
“Oh no.” But Nelson was already curled up at her feet. Even as she tried to push him off, Buzzy made himself comfortable on the other side. Wondering how on earth she would ever get these two to do her bidding, she decided that was a problem for Jay and switched off the bedside lamp.