“Don’t worry, I already erased the video feed from tonight,” Jordan said. “I was working on a program remotely when I noticed someone had accessed the simulator after hours. I watched a few minutes because, honestly, it’s hilarious to see you that smitten with a woman, but then clothing started flying off, and I hit ‘Delete.’”
Leaning against the side of his car, Spencer covered his eyes and groaned. “I didn’t even think that it might be recording us.”
“I can’t imagine what else might have been on your mind,” Jordan said dryly.
Spencer shook his head. “Thanks for deleting it. I have a demo scheduled for the Chinese company next week. That would not have been good.”
Jordan laughed. “It would have been karma for calling my realistic portrayal of a day at the beach a gateway to porn. You threw that gate open and ran through it naked.”
“Are you done?”
“I hope you sanitized the room.”
“Anything else?”
“Now will you let me add private access codes?”
“No, but I’m ready to authorize in-home models. We talked about making them more accessible to the public. Maybe now is the time to design personal-use models.”
“You argued it wasn’t feasible and there would be no market for it. I wonder what changed your mind. Hmmm. A real mystery.”
“Yeah. Okay. Fine. Back to why I called. I think I’m losing my mind. I’m not even dating Hailey, but tonight I thought she was calling it off and I lost my shit.”
“What did you do?” Jordan asked quietly.
“I told her I didn’t need her. You should have heard me. I was a real dick. Why would I do that? I want to be with her. What the fuck is my problem?”
“Are those rhetorical questions or are you actually asking me?”
“This isn’t like me.”
“Well—”
“Or this is exactly who I am—who I’ll always be? There’s no going back, is there?”
Jordan groaned. “I’m not a therapist or a psychic, but I do think you have the power to stop being an asshole.”
Not fun to hear but not wrong, either. “If it were that easy, I wouldn’t still be saying stupid shit, would I?”
“Yeah. It might be too late for you. All that’s left is to wait it out and die alone.”
“I don’t know why I thought talking to you would help.”
“Hey, I’m not the one you have a problem with. Talk to someone you do. It might help.”
“I went to see my mother.”
“Maybe she’s not the one you’re most angry with.”
Maybe not. There were two people he refused to speak to because the idea of even seeing them again made him sick. Dereck and Delinda—two people he’d once thought were family. He couldn’t imagine going to see either one of them or what he’d say if he did.
When Spencer didn’t say anything, Jordan added, “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Take it slow, I guess. What else can I do?”
Chapter Fourteen
Sunday afternoon, in the shade of a huge oak tree, Hailey reclined on a cushioned lawn chair next to Delinda and tried not to think about why Spencer hadn’t texted or called her yet that day. She didn’t want to believe he was the type to bolt after he got what he wanted, but it would fit with his online reputation.
Either way, we’re going to be okay because we have to be. Skye and her new friend, Kim, were sitting on the lawn playing with a litter of fluffy Yorkshire terrier puppies.
“We’re not getting a dog,” Hailey said between sips of lemonade. “We don’t have the time or room for one. Especially now that we spend so many nights at the barn.”
Delinda fanned her face with the information sheet the breeder had handed her. “These are teacups. The mother was six pounds. The father was barely five. People carry them around in their purses. How much trouble could one be?”
“Skye doesn’t need a dog, Delinda.”
“They aren’t for her.” Delinda waved the breeder over and pointed to one of the puppies flopped at Skye’s side. The woman scooped it up and brought it over to Hailey.
Hailey refused to look at it. “No, thank you.”
“Is it a male or female?” Delinda asked.
“Female,” the breeder answered, offering her to Delinda.
Delinda put the puppy on her lap. It wiggled joyfully, almost falling off. “How big do you think she’ll get?”
“She’s the runt of the litter, so I’d guess four or five pounds.”
“Hailey, what do you think of her?”
Is she considering one for herself? Now I feel bad for thinking she was setting me up again. Hailey checked the puppy out. “She’s beautiful.” Adorable, actually. The most adorable ball of fur Hailey had ever seen.
“Help me decide,” Delinda said, handing the puppy to Hailey. “Do you think she has a good personality?”
Unlike the other puppies that were jumping and yipping at the girls, this one snuggled right up against Hailey’s chest and wiggled its little tail joyfully. “She has my vote.”
“She chose this one,” Delinda said to the breeder.
“Me? I don’t want a dog,” Hailey said. She went to remove the puppy from her chest until it protested and squirmed to stay with her. “I’m not a dog person,” she added half-heartedly. Panic began to set in. She wanted to talk about the job she was about to accept, not argue over another of Delinda’s heavy-handed gifts.
With a wave of her hand, Delinda requested a moment alone with Hailey. “Do you know who loves Yorkies?”
“People with time for them?” Hailey asked, cursing herself for not being stronger and simply handing the puppy back to the breeder. That was the only way to win with Delinda. A softer approach was as good as giving her permission.
“Michael. His ex-wife has never been particularly kind to him, but she’s getting remarried and is being quite nasty as of late.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Michael doesn’t talk about his personal life, but sometimes I hear him on the phone with his children. He needs something to cheer him up.”
“So you’re getting him a puppy without asking if he wants one?” A sweet gesture, but still wrong.
Delinda’s chin rose in the haughty way it often did. “No, I’m getting you a puppy. It just happens to be the breed he adores. Over the years he has inquired about getting a dog, but I’ve always considered them filthy little creatures who had no place inside a home.”
“Which is why you want it in the guesthouse.”
Delinda sighed. “You have the subtlety of a train wreck, Hailey. Must I spell it all out for you?”
Me? Not subtle? Look who’s talking. “If you want me to go along with it, yes.”
“If you get the puppy, and it ends up being too much for you to care for, whom would you turn to for help with it?” She rolled her eyes skyward. “And please don’t say me.”
“Michael.”
“If you ask him to spend time with the puppy, he’ll get attached to it. Especially if you tell him you don’t really want it. He’ll feel sorry for it and start sneaking it into the main house. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to win me over to the idea that I need a dog. I’ll tell him he can have it as long as it doesn’t make a mess. He’ll be proud of himself and feel that he saved it. There, Michael will have the dog he wants and his pride will remain intact. Isn’t that far better than telling him we’re getting him a puppy to cheer him up?”