Chapter 10
Jamie
Just as Hank’s deep voice made my heart go haywire, Tramp tripped me up with the leash. I crashed forward, right into his chest.
His very broad, strong, muscly chest.
Ah, god. Can I never catch a break?
First, I meet the sexiest date alive, and he’s not at all interested in men. Then my bratty dog embarrasses me in front of him and half the town’s dog lovers. And now Tramp had knocked me right into his arms so I could feel everything I could never have.
“Shit! Fuck!” I scrambled to push out of his arms. “I’m so sorry!”
Hank’s shoulders shook with laughter. “It’s okay.”
“I wasn’t trying to—”
Molest you? Cop a feel? Sabotage your whole meeting because you wouldn’t date me?
There were no words for this situation. I really wasn’t a potty mouth, but another fucking hell slipped out.
Hank spun me like a dance partner, and the leash unfurled from around my legs. I blinked, astonished I was still on my feet and not sprawled like an idiot.
“Smooth moves,” I said shakily.
He grinned. “I’ll have to thank my mother for making me take those dance lessons before high school prom.”
Prom, which he no doubt attended with a beautiful girl.
I turned my attention to Tramp, because it was easier to look at him than the mountain of gorgeous lumberjack man I’d just fallen all over.
“What do you have to say about your actions, Tramp?”
He panted, tongue lolling out. Not a remorseful bone in his body.
With a sigh, I peeked up at Hank again. “I really am sorry for the mess we made. Tell me how we can make it up to you.”
“Oh, it’s okay. This is a dog park, not an office. I can pick up a few papers that blew away. It’s not a big deal.”
That’s when I noticed the box at his feet, tipped on its side.
“Shit, we did it again!” I exclaimed.
Hank glanced down, looking surprised at the sight. “Oh, I must have dropped it when you...”
He didn’t finish his statement, but we both knew what he wasn’t saying. He’d dropped it when I crashed into him. Because the first embarrassment hadn’t been enough, apparently.
Hank crouched down to straighten the box, scooping papers back inside. A couple of them were trying to escape. I ran after them, grabbing them up before they could get too far.
I returned to Hank and handed them over. “I’m so sorry again.”
He smiled at me, a funny expression on his face. “You can make it up to me by keeping that one.” He nodded to the paper in my hand.
I glanced down, surprised to see it was a vendor application for something called Dogtober Days. I scanned the text. “What is this for?”
“Dog festival in October,” he said. “We’re lining up vendors, and your dog biscuits would be a hit.”
“Oh. But don’t you have to be an established business? I’m not really official yet.”
“Nope,” he said cheerfully. “Anyone can participate. You just fill out the paperwork and pay a fee for your booth space.”
“That would actually be…perfect,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips.
“I’m hoping to build clientele so I can launch a real business.
It’s hard because I’ve got to work full time at catering, and—” I stopped abruptly.
“You don’t care about all that. Never mind.
This is awesome. I’ll fill out the application. ”
“Great,” he said. “Well, I should go hunt down the rest of these papers that got away…”
“Oh, let me help you!”
“You don’t have to—”
“I insist,” I said firmly. “It’s our mess. We should be the ones to clean it up.”
“Okay.” He hefted the box under one arm, whistled for Bruno, who jumped up to follow.
I called Lady—and picked up the end of Tramp’s leash before he could make a fool of me again—and we followed along.
For the next fifteen minutes, Hank and I took turns chasing down pieces of paper until we were relatively sure all of them had been collected.
“I’d hate to get banned from the park for littering,” he said with a rueful grin.
I cringed a little. “They’d ban me, not you. My fault.”
“Not with those delicious biscuits of yours.”
I laughed. “What do you know about my biscuits?”
He winked. “I know you give them out to dog owners as treats, and I am sure they’d all go to bat for you. Me? I’m just the new guy. I don’t even have friends here.”
I fell into step with him as we headed toward the park exit. “This dog festival will change that. You’re going to meet a lot of people.”
He snorted. “You sound like my boss. Meanwhile, my little brother thinks I’m a loser for spending my free time working on stuff like this instead of going out for dinner or drinks.”
“Well, you go out sometimes. I saw you at Taco Loco one time.”
“Yeah, I was with my brother, so I don’t think it counts.”
I laughed. “Whoops. Well, I tried.”
We reached his car, and he opened the trunk to deposit the box of paperwork.
“Well, thanks again for helping me out,” he said.
“After Tramp made a mess, you mean.”
He chuckled. “He does have a lot of energy, huh? Labs are tough.”
“Yeah, they have their run of the backyard, and I walk them twice a day and bring them over here as much as I can, but with work I can only do so much.”
Hank closed his trunk and turned to lean against the back of his car. “Have you considered doggy day care?”
“I wish. I can’t really afford to send two dogs five days a week, you know?”
“Well, how about just once or twice a week?” he suggested.
“Maybe…”
“Shit, listen to me. You probably think I’m trying to sell you on my business. I didn’t suggest it for the money.”
“I didn’t think that.”
“It just might do you and Tramp some good. He could play off some energy, and when you’re home together, you could enjoy each other more.”
“I’m sure he’d love it. They both would, but especially him.”
I glanced down at Tramp, who even now was straining at the leash as he caught sight of a squirrel in the nearby trees.
“Well, think about it. If you bring them in on Monday, I can give you a free trial.”
“Your boss would be okay with that?”
“Sure. I’ll just tell her you helped me out with Dogtober planning. She’s really too busy, so she’ll be grateful.”
“Well, okay, I guess…it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
He smiled wide. “Okay, then. I’ll see you Monday. I can give you a tour of the place and make sure you’re comfortable leaving your guys in our care.”
My gaze roamed over him, from his broad shoulders to his large hands, but this time, I was seeing more than a sexy potential date. I was seeing a strong, confident, capable man.
“I’m not worried about that. I know you’ll take good care of them. You seem like the kind of guy who takes good care of everyone.”
His eyes met mine, a searching look in them. “I guess I do. That’s a good guess.”
I shrugged. “It’s not hard to see.”
He smoothed a hand over his beard. “Oh.”
I gestured toward Lady, who had her head resting against his thigh. “My girl loves you already.” I forced my tone to stay light. “I bet all the girls do.”
He chuckled, eyes creasing at the corners. “Well, not always the right ones.” He stroked Lady’s ear. “But Lady is definitely my type.”
I laughed. “Furry?”
“Four-legged,” he confirmed. “I’ve always been better with dogs than people.”
“Seems like you’re doing just fine with people right now,” I said. “This person, anyway.”
He waved a hand. “I’m good at putting on a smile, saying the right things, but usually I’d just rather be home with Bruno, or at BowWow with the other pooches. I don’t connect with people. Not in the same way.”
“Oh.” My chest tightened. It was silly, but I was thinking maybe we did have a connection. Not a romantic one, but friendship, at least. I liked Hank. He seemed solid, like the kind of guy who was trustworthy and reliable, but if that was all an act…
“Oh, shit, no. I don’t mean it’s like that with you,” he said.
“Okay.”
“Seriously, Jamie, you’re one of the first people I’ve really clicked with.”
I gave him a skeptical look. “Was it the awkward date mix-up that sold you on me, or my dog trampling all over your meeting? Or, wait, maybe me tripping and falling on you. There’s so many good times to choose from.”
Hank grinned. “Can I say all of the above?”
I shook my head. “You’re crazy.”
“Maybe, but we did toast to awkward friendship,” he reminded me. “Might as well embrace it now.”
I laughed, because otherwise I’d probably cry. “Yeah, okay. Awkward, I can handle.”
“Good. I’ll see you Monday, then.”
I watched as he got into his car, still a little bemused that he’d ever want to see me again after the comedy of errors today.
Hank was hot and untouchable. I’d probably do better to steer clear. But he was also sweet, and he said he didn’t have friends. It’d be wrong to ghost him now. It was practically my duty as a decent human to see him again, right?
It had nothing to do with the way my mouth watered for him, the way that hard chest felt against me when I’d fallen today, or the way his lips had beckoned to me every time they spread in a smile.
I’d just put him in the friend zone. No problem. I could get over this pull I felt toward him. It was only there because when we’d met, I’d expected him to be my date. Soon, he’d be nothing more than another straight, untouchable friend.
And I was just fine with that.