Chapter 7
Seven
Erin’s head fell against her pillow, her back arching toward the ceiling fan spinning lazily above her. She squeezed her eyes shut, chasing the last wave of sensation from the dream still lingering in her body. Her left hand twitched against the sheets as she exhaled a soft, shaky breath.
A breath of cool air swept across her skin, making her eyes snap open. She blinked up at the ceiling, heart still racing, her body slow to come down. In her mind’s eye, she could still see them, those green eyes looking back at her.
They were the only clear detail, but they stayed with her.
She groaned, dragging a hand down her face and reaching blindly for her phone on the nightstand.
6:23.
There was no going back to sleep now. She let the phone fall to her chest and flung her arms out to either side of her. The perk of living alone meant sprawling out in the middle of the bed with no one to fight for the blankets.
A heavy sigh came from the foot of the bed, tugging a smile from the corner of her mouth.
Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked toward the gray and white pit bull still curled up near her feet.
“Good morning, Handsome… how’d you sleep, bub?”
Leo yawned before stretching out his back legs, then trotted up to nuzzle against her side. Erin let out a small grunt as he flopped against her, pressing his full weight into her ribs.
“Jeez, Leo… what have you been eating?”
His tail thumped against the comforter in a steady rhythm as she wrapped an arm around him, burying her face briefly in the soft fur between his ears.
“Are you ready to go outside?”
Leo jumped to all fours, nearly crushing Erin in the process. With a laugh, she began to pull the covers off her body as he bounded out into the living room.
Erin tugged a black hoodie on over her sleep shirt and glanced toward the window to see if sweats were necessary.
“Hey, mister,” she called, just loud enough to carry into the next room. Leo trotted happily back into the bedroom. “Can you get your leash?”
Leo took off again, eager to retrieve his lead, one of his favorite tasks of the day. Erin grabbed the yellow sweats from the arm of the chair by her closet door and pulled them on quickly.
Once she was dressed and Leo had been properly hooked up, they stepped outside into the brisk morning air.
Erin loved walking with Leo. The routine grounded her, and she knew it did the same for him. It kept her active, forced her to breathe in fresh air, and offered a much-needed contrast to her hours spent under fluorescent lights at the station.
Leo stopped to sniff at the base of a tree.
Erin paused with him and looked across the street.
The neighborhood was already stirring with morning commuters, joggers, cyclists, and other dogs on their daily loops.
She and Leo resumed their familiar route toward the neighboring park, his leash tugging gently in her hand.
At the edge of the footpath, Erin crouched to unclip Leo’s harness.
He was a failed police K9, though you wouldn’t know it by his discipline.
She had always felt the leash was more for her neighbors’ peace of mind than for necessity.
He might not have been cut out for the force, but Leo was loyal and sharp, and Erin never doubted for a second that he was enough.
Freed from the restraint, Leo took off, paws tapping rhythmically on the sidewalk. Erin jogged after him. She hated running, but it cleared her mind better than anything else. Leo eventually slowed so they could fall into step together, settling into a more comfortable pace.
The cold air stung her lungs, but she welcomed the burn.
It was something to focus on, something that wasn’t green eyes staring up at her from a dream she couldn’t shake.
She’d seen those eyes across a press room, watched them spark with interest over coffee yesterday morning, and she’d seen a flicker of hesitation in them when they parted ways.
They were Jamie Garrison’s eyes. There was no question.
That alone made things messy. Erin had just met her, technically worked with her. She should know better than to entertain thoughts like this. That’s how things had gone wrong with Tilly.
They’d met in a coffee shop in DC, back when Erin still believed in clean breaks and easy flirtation.
Tilly had invited her out with a group of reporters and photographers from the station, and like an idiot, Erin went.
She’d only been twenty-six, still convinced she could keep things casual.
But then came drinks, late nights, shared cabs, and eventually, keys exchanged.
Now, five years later, she knew better. The turnover rate in newsrooms was brutal. People left—burnout, transfers, bigger markets. The job chewed them up and spit them out, and Erin had sworn off getting attached to anyone in that world again.
And yet, she couldn’t get those eyes out of her head.
Erin’s feet pounded against the concrete as Leo bounded beside her, the pair locked in a silent, playful race. The wind whipped past her ears, cold but invigorating, and for the first time that morning, her thoughts quieted.
She couldn’t change the past. She couldn’t undo the things she’d done or the people she’d pushed away. But she could keep showing up for herself and Leo. That was something.
As they neared the rear end of the park, Erin slowed to a jog, then to a walk, her breath puffing in short clouds in the crisp air. Leo trotted ahead before circling back to her side, tongue lolling, eyes bright.
“You win,” she said with a small grin, ruffling his ears.
Back on the sidewalk, she clipped his leash back into place and gave the harness a soft tug. Together, they began the walk home, the early light rising behind them, casting long shadows on the pavement.
Erin wasn’t sure what the day would hold. But she knew one thing for certain: Jamie Garrison’s eyes were still with her. And for better or worse, they were becoming harder to ignore.