I've either fallen into a case of extremely bad luck or Spencer is the absolute worst at dating. Is there a test to determine if someone has bad luck? If I search the Internet long enough, I bet I'll find something. You can find everything on the Internet."I really appreciate you coming along," he says from somewhere on his side of the truck.I tilt my head back and forth to try and get a clear view of his face before I answer, but Frankie's head fills the space, so it's no use. "Of course.""This is probably not what you had in mind when I asked you for a date.""Not exactly, no." I'm willing to bet money no girl in the history of the world would have imagined this scenario.Frankie leans over and with her big, wet, prickly tongue, licks all the way up my cheek."Frankie."I wipe her slobber away with the back my hands. "How could I say no?""We'll get Frankie's shot taken care of, drop her off at home, and then you and I can have the entire night together. I just cou
"Thanks for serving me dinner." Spencer cuts off another large bite of his chicken.I shrug while looking down at my plate. It's a chicken breast with some broccoli from a frozen bag on the side. "After the lunch you made, this is no big deal."Spencer takes another bite of his chicken and moans while chewing. I've never had a man moan about my cooking before.We ate lunch in his apartment, and while it was only a sub, it was a delicious sub. All the ingredients were there: tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, cucumbers, and olives. Total perfection. One of those subs you could make at home yourself but are always too lazy."That's where you're wrong. I didn't make lunch. I pulled out what Anessa sent me home with last night.""Oh." One million thoughts run through my head as my fork stops its projections to my mouth. Have I spent the last two days hanging out with someone dating the new town baker? What about Bennett?Spencer crams another bite of chicken into his mouth like he's not
"I can't believe you work at the hospital but have never been to Spuds."The county hospital is set between the towns of Pelican Bay and Whitecap. "During a shift, there's only time for delivery. I'm always too tired after to eat at a sit-down restaurant.""Shit, I keep forgetting you finished a long shift. Are you sure you're awake enough for this meal?""I'm fine. Working tens is a standard. I've been doing it for years." His concern is cute but totally unneeded."Well, if you get too tired and want to head home, let me know.""Spencer, I'm fine." I reassure him for probably the fiftieth time tonight. I'm not going to fall over and pass out from exhaustion. Maybe I should find his persistence annoying, but it's actually nice to have someone looking after me for a change.I haven't had a night out on the town in forever—since my last boyfriend, Thatcher, and I broke up over a year ago. Dating an EMT who reported to the same hospital I did was difficult. When we both had th
I pick the hot guy.It takes another minute to talk myself into it and gather all my courage—I'm not a particularly fearless person to begin with. In one uninterrupted movement, I hit the unlock button, swing open the truck door, jump out, close it behind me, and run for the front door of the house. There are three small steps leading up to the sagging front porch, and I jump over all three like I'm Superwoman clearing a tall building. Both feet land on the porch. One of the boards dips, but it doesn't stop me.The door bangs shut, the crack echoing in the large, mostly empty living room. I stumble and quickly catch myself from the force of no longer running. Looking up, I'm met with the view of a large, black T-shirt-covered chest."Holy shit, Jos. I told you to stay in the truck, not run into the house without warning. I could have shot you." Spencer lowers his large, shiny gun but doesn't put it away.I should be worried. I've never stared down the barrel of a gun before, an
"Are you sure about this?" Spencer hesitates at my open front door.Frankie tugs on her leash, ready to come in, but he doesn't hand her over. "Sure!"I may have the next three days off from the hospital, but Spencer doesn't. He's hard at work, helping to catch whoever left a dead body in the woods."I'm not sure how long I'll be gone." Frankie makes another jump at me and Spencer tugs her back, his face washed with concern."Spencer, we will be fine." I snatch the leash when his head is turned and his guard is down.He lets go reluctantly. "I'll call tonight to give you an update.""Go. Catch criminals." I wave him away.I'm not going to lie, standing on my front stoop waving Spencer off while he leaves to go fight the bad guys and come home a hero is really hot. He may not be in uniform, but I totally understand why woman have a thing for guys that wear one.I woke up next to him this morning—even if there was a big black Frankie sitting between us—I can still say I s
It does no good. By the time I'm able to pull open her jaws and look inside her mouth, the bar of soap is gone."Oh no. No, no, no." I jog to the bathroom off the master bedroom. "No, no, no."I rip the curtain back. A few rings come loose, so it sags in the middle. There, on the edge of the tub, where my rather expensive, homemade, all-organic soap normally sits, is an empty space. It's cute little porcelain dish empty, the dish unbroken but laying sideways on the bathroom mat."Oh, Frankie."A few seconds pass while I mourn the loss of my favorite oatmeal soap. The heavenly bar is only available during the summer farmer markets every Thursday in downtown Pelican Bay. Every fall, I buy two bars. It's enough to get me through the winter months. Thankfully, Frankie caught me at the tail end of my first bar, so she didn't ingest an entire thing.Still, organic soap or not, it can't be good for dogs.Frankie nudges the back of my leg with her nose. She looks the same, but I ca
"The kind? You know, the organic oatmeal bars. Molly makes them.""Oh." His demeanor lightens. "Did you buy it from the farmers market? I prefer her lavender bar myself.""Yes, but Dr. Pike, the dog?" Does no one understand the significance of my problem? The whole town has gone mad.He's quiet for a moment. "How much of the bar did she eat?"I stop and think about what was left the last time I showered. "At least a quarter of the bar.""Hmmm, did she chew it up or eat it whole?"Shouldn't we be calling the dog ambulance right now? Is there a dog ambulance? What do dogs do in a time of emergency? "I'm not positive, but I think pretty much whole.""Ah, you're fine, young lady. Frankie will throw it up in a few minutes. Keep an eye on her and get her to drink lots of water when she's done passing the soap.""Really? Are you sure?""Absolutely. She'll be right as rain in about thirty minutes or so. You should even be able to continue using the soap.""Um... Okay." That
"Spencer here?" The older gentleman wraps his thick, dark brown trench coat around his body and leans closer, trying to see inside the house.I instinctively lean back to keep my distance, and so the smell of stale cigars doesn't suffocate me. Frankie growls, then circles once around my feet and stops, sitting directly in front of me, working as a blocker. The old man peers nervously down at her, both his hands clutching the trench coat."No."His eyes slither up and down my body. I cross my arms to cover up my chest, failing to ease the dirty feeling his gaze creates. "You the girl with him when he found the body?"This damn town and its gossip. "Yeah.""Tell Spencer to stay out of our business, or you'll both and up like Kevin." He turns, slinking to the side, his boots crunching on the light covering of snow over my walkway.I step out the door after him, stopping at the end of my front porch. The snow seeps through my socks and freezes my toes. "Who is Kevin? What happe