Chapter 20
Idelayed calling my mother and called Tangi and Wolseley first. But since it was just before the dinner rush back home, Wolseley couldn’t talk. I told Tangi everything right down to Jeremy sort of moving in with me. Tangi’s reaction was hysterical laughter—for a few reasons. Jeremy was telling Ethan at the same time, and Tangi couldn’t believe what had happened.
“Well, congrats on your engagement. Have you set a date?”
“Oh shut up,” I grumbled.
“How did you get yourself in this mess?”
“Because Jeremy went rogue. My mistake was mentioning to him that you’d mentioned getting engaged as a joke. That’s how he got the idea. Now I have to tell my mother. Do you think I want to call her?”
“Probably not.”
While I spoke to Tangi, I prepped the spare bedroom. I’d already thrown the sheets in the wash to freshen them up, and as I dusted, Chloe followed me around. When I was done and settled on the couch, she joined me and rested her head on my thigh. Her sweet eyes were looking up at me, and I couldn’t help giving her some pets.
“I have no idea what the plan is. I guess he stays here part of the time, not that I think anyone is watching, but it would be nice to have us both bond with Chloe together.”
“Whatever you say,” she said with a chuckle.
I scowled. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t think you’re going to mind having him around. But enough about that. When do we all get to meet Chloe?”
“How about tomorrow? After practice?”
“I can manage that. I look forward to meeting her and seeing this union you’ve created. By the way, am I going to be your maid of honor?”
“Goodbye, Tangi.”
I hung up and stared at my phone for a long time. I didn’t want to talk to my mother, but I planned to keep the call as short as possible. I was providing her with information only. Nothing more. She didn’t deserve anything more. I checked my watch, and it was just after four o’clock. That was dinnertime back home, and a perfect time to call. She hated being interrupted during her meals, her shows, her relaxation time, while she was breathing …
I called and it kept ringing. I prayed it would go to voicemail, but then she answered. Damn.
“Hello, Jill.”
“Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Just about to sit down to dinner with Rick.”
Rick, her long-term boyfriend. The only good thing growing up was that she didn’t bring boyfriends around, but then she’d met Rick. She’d been dating him for years, but she refused to let him move in. Probably for the same reasons she didn’t want a kid around. He’d cramp her style. But they’d finally gotten serious and he’d moved in a few years ago. I figured because she needed a new person to help pay the mortgage and the bills.
“I’ll keep this quick, then.” I took in a deep breath and tried to keep my pounding heart from getting in my head. Why did every call with her have to be so difficult? “I’ve been dating a guy named Jeremy.”
“Yes, I know,” she said in her most disappointed voice. “Linda told me. She said she saw that you posted something online. Isn’t he a player on the team you work for? Is that smart of you? Especially in a job you just started?”
“I cleared it with the team owner. It’s fine,” I said, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. “Anyway, we are engaged. I wanted you to know before Linda saw something online.” I couldn’t help the nasty remark.
Mom tsked. “How long have you been dating him?”
“A few months.”
“And you think you’re ready to get married? How well do you even know him? Do you want to make the same mistake I did?”
“No, I really don’t. But I love Jeremy.”
“I loved your father too.”
She wasn’t going to suck me in any further. “I’ll let you get back to dinner. Say hello to Rick.”
And it was done.
I had the sheets on the bed when Jeremy showed up. I struggled as Chloe kept jumping on the bed and lying on the newly washed sheets, especially because the poor girl could use a bath. I finally got her out of the room and finished up with the bedding. Jeremy showed up an hour later without food. But it was barely five o’clock, so still a little early.
He set his luggage down in the spare room, and an idea hit me.
“Why don’t we give Chloe a bath? Then we can take her for a walk and pick up the takeout. That way she can do her business.”
“Good idea,” Jeremy said.
He took charge on this because I’d never given a dog a bath before. Chloe didn’t seem overly excited about her bath and stood rigid in the shallow water as Jeremy scrubbed her down with my shampoo. I’d already googled that it was safe on animals. Wolseley was always sending us recommendations on health and beauty items that were as chemical-free as possible, and I’d always trusted her choices. The shampoo had been one of them.
While he scrubbed, I warmed a towel in the dryer. Chloe seemed to appreciate that, but still shook herself out, getting the bathroom—and us—completely wet. I couldn’t help but laugh as I rubbed her gently with the towel, and she gave me kisses on the face.
Jeremy took over while I made our food order online. We had forty-five minutes to kill, so we dried her as best we could, and by the time we set out for the restaurant, she was dry. I got her into her little raincoat that she absolutely hated, but we’d just gotten her clean, and there was no way we wanted her smelling like wet dog.
“She’s a doll,” Jeremy said as we slowly walked to the restaurant about three blocks away. “Whoever had her before us took her on walks. She doesn’t pull on the leash at all.”
She sniffed every pole and tree and deposited some pee on some of them. For some reason, the both of us were on poop watch. Would she, or wouldn’t she? The rescue said she may not go right away as she got used to her surroundings, and to expect the odd accident even though she was house-trained. None of that bothered me, but I guess it bothered other potential adopters?
“I wonder who she’ll sleep with tonight,” I said as we walked the last block.
“Hard to say. You’ve spent more time with her.”
I laughed. “Maybe an extra few hours.”
“Still, she may feel safe with you.”
“Maybe.” We walked another half block, and Chloe got spooked by a car horn. Thankfully, Jeremy had a tight grip on her leash. The rescue warned us to keep her secure for the first few weeks while she adjusted. The last thing we wanted was for her to bolt on us.
“Did you call your mom?” Jeremy asked.
I groaned. “Yes. And it was as pleasant as I expected. How about your parents?”
“They were excited, although my dad is suspicious. Mom is all pie in the sky.” He paused for a second. “I’m going to ask you something and feel free to say no. They want to meet you and asked if you wanted to come to Calgary for Christmas.”
That sounded kind of nice. “Sure.”
He stopped walking and stared at me with his mouth hanging open in shock. “You do?”
“It’s not like I have anywhere to be. My mother is probably going to go on vacation with Rick. She does that every year.” I then told him about the fiasco from last year, and his shock turned to horror. I didn’t get why it was a big deal, but maybe I’d just become immune to it. I’d spent many Christmases with either Tangi’s family or Wolseley’s. That was my normal.
“You’re so casual about it.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “What am I supposed to do? Get angry? What’s the point? I spent a lot of years getting angry. Now I just don’t care.”
He nudged me, and I looked down to see Chloe doing a poop. We both silently celebrated, and when she was finished, we praised her and gave her a treat.
“Our kid is growing up so fast,” Jeremy said, picking up her poop and throwing it in a nearby garbage.
Chloe’s milestone was a nice distraction from the talk we were having. I didn’t want Jeremy feeling sorry for me, and I was getting the impression that he was heading in that direction at light speed.
We picked up our food and headed back home. I was ravenous and jumped right in, snapping up some tempura yams along with a dynamite roll, a dragon roll, and a few of the specialty rolls the sushi place had recommended. Jeremy wandered around the kitchen, getting a lay of the land while he put together Chloe’s dinner. Chloe watched his every move, wagging her tail every time he found something.
“This is good,” I said between bites.
He got Chloe’s food from the fridge and measured it out. Chloe yipped when he finally set it down on the floor for her. He then joined me and started piling sushi on his plate. He nodded in agreement after the first bite.
“I figured we’d wait a few days until we announce our engagement,” I said. “I’d like to let my staff know, and probably let Clay know. I do hope the rescue people will keep this quiet.”
“My donation says they will.”
I played with the ring on my finger for a second. “I should probably get this sized.”
“Or pick something else. We can do that before my next road trip.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
We finished up dinner and managed to eat all the sushi. Then it was time to hang out with Chloe. I sat on the floor with her playing tug-of-war while Jeremy sat on the sofa playing with his phone. I didn’t realize that at some point he was staring at us with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“She loves you, and you’re a natural with dogs.”
That warmed my heart. “I’ve been doing some research, and I’ve always wanted to have a dog. And Chloe really is amazing.”
“I was thinking that when we went back to my hometown, we should probably drive so we can bring her.”
I could only think how long a drive it would be to Minneapolis. How long would it take to get to Calgary? I had no idea, so I asked.
“About ten hours,” he said, sitting down next to me. “And you know they’ll expect us to share a room unless you want me to tell them you’re saving yourself for marriage.”
He was biting back a smile.
“You’re goofy,” I said. “And I’m fine sharing a room. You can sleep on the floor.”
“How generous of you,” he said, as Chloe brought her rope toy to him to play with now.
“You mentioned that your dad was suspicious. Why do you think that?”
Jeremy grimaced. “He knows I wouldn’t move this quickly, especially because they haven’t met you. But I’m sure you can pull the wool over their eyes.”
I bit my lip, wondering if what I was about to ask him was out of bounds, but that didn’t stop me. “What did they do when the whole Orla thing came out?”
“They were disappointed. I let them down. I let a lot of people down.”
Now I was really going to go for it. “Was it just the one time in the video? Really?”
He looked at me with those steely blue eyes of his. “Yes. And since we are getting so personal, why don’t you talk about your past? Why such a mystery?”
“I told you about my mother.”
He pffted me. “Not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Why do I think you’re trying to distract me from asking about Orla?”
“Why do I think you are keeping secrets?”
I got up and headed for the fridge. If I was going to tell him about Eli, we were going to need something to drink.