After grabbing her wallet and keys, she opened the door to find him trying to convince Bear to go back in the house. But the Lab had apparently decided to forget that command.
“He’s welcome to go along,” she said. “Unless there’s a reason you don’t want him to.”
“Are you sure? He’ll shed on your seat.”
“We have these awesome inventions called vacuums now. And, yes, I’m sure. He missed you. You can’t turn around and leave already.”
“Thanks. He loves going for rides.” He opened the back door of her car and, when he waved him in, Bear hopped up onto the seat.
When she tried to back out of the driveway, Hailey looked in the rearview mirror and saw nothing but happy black Lab. “I think he’s grinning at me.”
“I can’t remember the last time he rode in the backseat of a car. He probably thinks you’re his new chauffeur.”
“I had worse jobs in college.”
“Tell me about them.”
She sighed. “Well, I can tell you I might make a mean shepherd’s pie, but I suck at making pizzas. I was so bad, they decided to have me do the deliveries, instead. You might not know this about me, but I don’t have a keen sense of direction.”
“No.” He laughed, and they swapped funny college stories while Bear used copious amounts of slobber to lick her back windows clean.
*
MATT WAS SURPRISED Bear rode back with him in the truck. The dog was so infatuated with Hailey, he half expected him to stay in her car and refuse to get out. But when it came time to leave the lot where he’d left his truck, Bear remembered who his best friend was.
“I don’t blame you, though,” he told the dog. “She’s really pretty. She always smells good. And she’s funny, too. I like her.”
Bear cocked his head, as if confused by what his man was saying. Matt didn’t blame him. He was confused by what he was saying, too. Of all the women in the world he could be attracted to, the blonde from the woods was not the one he would have picked.
When they got home, he waved his thanks to Hailey, who pulled into her driveway just a minute after he pulled into his. “Let’s go have some lunch and then we’ll see about a nap.”
Bear ran to the backyard first, so Matt went inside and poked through his fridge for sandwich fixings. He had ham and cheese, but no mustard, which sucked. There was good old peanut butter and jelly, but he wasn’t in the mood for that.
Bear barked once and it sounded like he was at the back door, which was odd. Obviously the doggy door wasn’t locked, since it had been used that morning. A second later there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Instead of using the doggy door, Bear entered with Hailey. He was obviously happy to have his two favorite people back in the same place and was wagging his tail so hard his butt was in on it, too.
“I found this in my car when I dragged the vacuum out,” she said, holding up the pocketknife his dad had given him when he turned thirteen.
“Thanks. I had it in my pocket, but it must have slipped out. I don’t usually carry it, but I found it in a box I was unpacking and I meant to put it in my drawer.” He pulled a loaf of bread out of the bread box. “You want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”
“No thanks. I should get back to what I was doing.”
“You’re vacuuming the car already? The dog hair’s been there how long?”
She rolled her eyes. “I had planned to vacuum the car today anyway, for your information.”
“Right.” When she reached for the door handle, he felt an urge to stop her. “You should go on a date with me. My kind of date.”
That definitely stopped her. She turned back to him, frowning. “Why should I do that?”
“Because it would be fun.”
“We have nothing in common.” But she stepped closer to lean against the island.
“We both like to have fun.”
“But I think we have very different ideas of fun. And your kind of date is probably not my kind of date.”
There was one activity he was sure they’d both find fun, but he tried to stay focused. “You don’t think you’d have a good time with me?”
“I...I haven’t really thought about it.”
“I think maybe you have.” He took a step closer to her. “I can tell by the way your face flushes when I get too close to you.”
“Personal space issues.”
“Really?” He reached out and ran his fingertip down the side of her neck. “Is that why, when I touch you, you shiver?”
She didn’t break eye contact, so he saw the humor lurking there along with the heat. “That’s the story I’m going with.”
Wondering what she’d do if he kissed her, he smiled and shifted his gaze to her mouth. “Why do you need a story?”
“I’ve already told you you’re not my type.”
“And, again, we’ve already established you’re not mine. I generally like my women to be more sturdy.”
“Sturdy?” She stepped back and he realized he’d made a critical mistake. “What the hell kind of word is that? We’re not furniture.”