Page 75 of Puppy Love

“You both have.” Wallace spoke with the certainty of a man who was accustomed to having his word accepted as law—a fact borne out when he didn’t give Sophie time to do more than blush and struggle to come up with an appropriate reply. “You’re good at people, right? At women people?”

Her embarrassment quickly gave way to laughter, but she was careful to suppress it. As delightful as it was to laugh at Harrison, she doubted that approach would prove as effective with his father.

“I’m pretty good at women people, yes. My whole family is.” Almost as an apology, she added, “In addition to one very opinionated mother, I have two very opinionated sisters. My poor dad has been dominated by femininity for as long as I can remember.”

Wallace nodded as though this made perfect sense. He didn’t, however, speak.

“Um. Is there a woman in your life?” she prodded. “One you’re…seeing?”

He cast her a sharp-eyed glance. “What do you know about it?”

To tell him that she and Harrison had witnessed him gallivanting through Spokane dressed to impress would only fluster the poor man, so she said the only other thing that made sense—the truth.

“You seem happy.”

His face folded in a smile, the deep lines around his eyes crinkling in the process. “I am happy.” The smile disappeared as easily as it had come. “I should say Icouldbe happy. I’m not so sure I deserve it.”

Her heartstrings gave a strong tug. “What’s her name?”

“Minerva.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely name.” Sophie patted the mattress next to her. “Where did you meet? Online? A dating app?”

He didn’t take her invitation—or her bait. “How we met isn’t important. And I don’t need your advice on any of that other stuff…the love stuff. The thing is, I want to buy her something big, something nice. But not jewelry.”

“No, that’s much too cliché,” she agreed gravely.

“And not flowers.”

“They never last.”

He shifted from one foot to the other. “I was thinking a puppy might make a nice present, but I don’t know what kind to get. You know womenandpuppies. What do you think?”

Sophie thought quite a few things, not the least of which was that a dog made a terrible gift unless you knew with absolute certainty it would be welcomed. Dropping an animal with a bow around its neck on a person was akin to leaving a baby in a basket on their front doorstep.

“I don’t know, Wallace, a pet is an awfully big commitment.”

Instead of taking offense at her words, Wallace perked. “Yes, that’s it. A commitment.”

“I mean, are you sure she evenwantsa pet?”

That one got to him. “Well, of course I do,” he said. “I’m not a born idiot.”

“Yes but wanting a pet and being able to take care of one are two different things.”

“Now see here, young lady!” Wallace puffed up his chest and lowered his brow, looking so much like Harrison, Sophie was hard put not to laugh. “I asked for youradvice, not your opinion. If you must know, Minerva and I are going to move in together. I’ll be the one doing most of the cleaning and feeding, so all I wanted to know is what kind of creature she might like that won’t keep me up all goddamn night with its howls and clackety claws.”

Sophie choked. “Something more along the lines of a Great Dane, perhaps?”

Wallace relaxed. “Now you’re talking.”

As much fun as it would have been to provide Wallace with a list of puppy options, there was a part of his speech that left her unsettled.

“Um, when you say you’re going to move in together, do you mean…” She cast a careful look around Harrison’s room.

“This old dump?” Wallace laughed, though there was a caginess to his gaze that made her feel he had more fondness for this house than he let on. Which, to be fair, seemed about on par for a Parks man. God forbid one of them admit to such a normal thing as emotional attachment to an old family home. “No. Too many bad memories. We want a fresh start.”

Her next question wasn’t any easier. “Does Harrison know?”