Chapter 5
I’m going to have to find a way to get my runaway feelings under control. —Noah Hardaway
One thing’s for sure: being up close and personal with Dr. Milo Warner is not helping me unravel the ridiculous crush I have on him.
I definitely didn’t mean to bury myself in his body when he rescued me.
But I was so relieved to be out of that gondola, and everything about Milo felt so calming and serene in that moment…
like he was some essential oil in the diffuser at one of my yoga classes.
I basically jumped him before I thought about it.
He’s even more magnetic up close than I remember. Not to mention tall. He’s so tall.
Sometimes it’s very frustrating being someone who’s both mildly jealous of and incredibly attracted to taller men all at the same time.
But mostly it’s just frustrating being a guy who’s finally seen his secret crush after several months and immediately made a total, absolute ass out of himself.
I still can’t believe Dr. Warner had to rescue me and a stray dog from a gondola.
And the guy just keeps getting more and more perfect.
He’s already charmed Bear with some leftover cheese from his lunch bag next to the treehouse he’s building.
Because yes, of course, the man also builds treehouses.
“Okay, Bear,” he says. “Let’s walk back to the community center, and then we’ll call the humane society. And I’ll introduce you to Gabe, Noah.” He looks over at me and smiles. “And just in case I never said it, Chucks, welcome to Devon Falls.”
Hearing him call me that nickname out loud is also not doing anything to mitigate this stupid crush. This is definitely one of those moments when I really, really, really wish I wasn’t attracted to taller men.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I blurt out. “In Devon Falls, I mean. I’m glad we’ll get to work together, even for just a little while.”
I still don’t understand what he’s doing here, or why he took a leave of absence from his practice, but I’m not going to pry. That’s Milo’s business.
Milo just nods, and we’re both quiet on the walk across the clearing to the large building that’s going to be a full-fledged community center in a few short months.
The front door of the place is a wooden behemoth of an entrance featuring a wrought iron door handle, but Milo tugs the thing open easily.
A kid, probably in the age range of second grade or so, is standing in the entryway in front of us.
“Gabe!” The boy calls out. “Milo’s back. And he brought a dog!” He rushes toward us.
Bear very politely leans toward him as he wraps his arm around her neck, as if it’s every day that a small child wants to turn her into his own personal plush toy. I’m already really liking both this dog and this kid.
“Hi Milo and new person,” the kid adds as he pets the dog. “New person, I’m Lou.”
Milo grins. “Lou, this is Noah Hardaway. He’s going to be working with me and Gabe. He’s the one who found the dog.”
“I hope we can keep her!” Lou says excitedly.
“Keep who?” Gabe Gomez comes around a corner and waves when he sees me.
I noticed in our Zoom interview that he looked like he was on the shorter side, which immediately made me trust him.
Now I see he’s right around my height, maybe a little taller.
He’s got dark brown hair and light brown skin, and I remember that he smiled during our entire interview together.
I liked him right away. “Noah, you made it! We’re so happy to have you here.
” He reaches over to shake my hand. “Looks like you’ve already connected with Milo.
And this is my little brother, Lou. Did he already meet you too? ”
“I did. Hi again!” Lou says cheerfully.
“Who’s this?” Gabe asks. He sinks down next to Lou and rubs his hands through Bear’s thick, soft fur. She needs a bath, for sure, but Gabe doesn’t comment on the smell. “A new friend?”
“Well, that’s a bit of a long story.” Milo clears his throat. “She and Noah sort of got stuck in the gondola car while you were testing it. You missed Noah hanging out of the thing. The dog wouldn’t leave his side.”
“What?” Gabe stands up straight, looking horrified. “Noah, I’m so sorry! I clicked it on quickly to check that the motor was working. I had no idea anyone was even nearby!”
“It’s okay. Milo rescued us,” I add weakly, and I manage not to stare at Milo in awe while I say the words. “We’re both fine.”
“I’ll call the humane society about the dog,” Milo adds. “If someone’s looking for her, they’ll know. If no one is, we can see if they have room for her.”
Gabe frowns. “Dogs usually don’t go missing around here without everyone finding out.
Shoot. I wonder if she’s from that hoarding situation in the next town over.
She’s awfully good with people for a pup who came out of a mess like that if she is.
” He leans down to scratch her around the ears, and Bear leans in as she studies him, almost like she’s calculating the chances that he’s safe.
All the muscles in my neck clench tightly together before I force myself to release them. This poor dog. These calculations she’s making right now are ones that I’m all too familiar with.
“I heard some dogs disappeared off the property while they were trying to sort that mess out.” Gabe shakes his head. “If I’m right, she doesn’t have a home to go to right now. The humane society’s been desperately trying to find foster homes for those dogs.”
Lou jumps up eagerly. “Can we keep her? Papa Colin and Papa Tom will love her too!”
Oh. Huh. I know from my interview with Gabe that Colin and Tom are his partners.
Are the three of them raising Lou together?
It sure seems like that. It also seems like Lou’s got a family that encourages him to be himself in every possible way, because this kid’s got style.
He’s wearing a bright red skirt and a blue blouse over a pair of jeans with sneakers.
One thing’s for sure: I already like Colin and Tom as much as I like Gabe and Lou, and I haven’t even met them yet.
“She can live here at the center!” Lou adds, his face lighting up with excitement. “What’s her name?”
Milo smiles. “We’ve been calling her Bear.”
“Bear!” Lou claps his hands together. “I think our community center needs a Bear! Don’t you, Gabe?”
Gabe frowns. “She seems very friendly and polite. But with everything we have to do in the next few months, I’m not sure any of us will have time or energy to keep track of a dog.
Let’s see what the humane society says.” He passes an envelope over to Milo.
“Oh, and on that note, I’ve got some bad news.
We lost out on another grant we applied for. ”
Milo sighs. “Great. And I’ve got some more bad news: I haven’t finished the treehouse yet. I got a little… distracted.”
His eyes definitely drift toward me when he says that, but he has to be talking about all the time he spent rescuing me, right? I blush anyway.
Look, I just so happen to blush a lot. My boss at my externship even got me a t-shirt with the blushing emoji across the front.
But the last time I wore it, Ezra was there, and he made a quiet comment while he was standing next to me about how I need to start dressing more maturely when I’m around Uncle Stan in public.
I buried that shirt in the bottom of my drawer the next day.
“Anyway,” Milo goes on. “That sounds like a good plan. We’ll see what the humane society says.”
“Sounds good.” Gabe smiles at me again. “Milo, can you get Noah set up where he’s staying?
Noah, take it easy while you get settled in today.
Tomorrow we’ll put you to work, and this weekend I invited some friends up here to grill hot dogs with all of us.
I thought you’d like to meet some of the Devon Falls contingent.
Plus, it’s still summer for another week or so.
We deserve a little fun in between all the work we’ve got to do.
” He claps Milo on the shoulder. “Milo can help you out with anything you need. There’s a lot left to do before we open in October, so the three of us are all going to be in each other’s pockets for a little while. ”
My mind swirls around his words. In each other’s pockets.
I didn’t fully calculate just how much my attraction to Milo was going to follow me to Devon Falls.
Gondolas aren’t the only thing going rogue in this area right now.
If I’m going to avoid washing out at this job, or causing exactly the kind of unwanted problems Ezra was talking about, I’m going to have to find a way to get my runaway feelings under control.
“Okay, so I’ll show you where you’re staying,” Milo says as he grabs my large suitcase from the back of my beat-up Subaru and slings my backpack over his shoulder before I can even reach for it.
Bear shadows us. Milo’s already called the humane society and confirmed some sad news: Bear is likely from the dog hoarding mess Gabe was talking about.
He’s going to take her down to them while I’m getting settled in, just to be sure she’s not microchipped, but odds are pretty good she has no home to go back to.
“Did the humane society say if they have room for Bear?” I ask as we walk. My stomach growls slightly, reminding me that I should find lunch—or maybe early dinner—soon.
Milo frowns. “They said they could make sure she gets a good bath and some flea and tick treatments, but they don’t have much extra room for her right now. So I volunteered to let her stay with me until some space or a foster home opens up for her.”
Drat. Now he’s even more attractive. Protecting me outside elevators and rescuing lost dogs? How does Milo keep getting more and more perfect?
“That’s really nice of you,” I tell him. Traveling alone in the world is a feeling I know all too well, and the idea of this sweet pup lying alone in a cage would have had my stomach twisting in knots tonight.