Page 10 of Then Came You

“How’d you get him to agree?” Lauren asked.

“I basically guilted him into it.”

Lauren and Savannah laughed.

“I think it’s because he’s sweet on you,” Savannah said.

Gillian shook her head emphatically.

Lauren rubbed her arm. “Whatever his reason, it was a nice thing to do.”

Leave it to Lauren to talk her down from panic mode. Gillian hadn’t even wanted to consider that Sam might be “sweet on her.” She’d rather believe he’d said yes because it was the community-minded thing to do. Owen would have done the same thing.

Owen. His name still caused an ache in her chest. She thought of him every day, and there were reminders everywhere. She still lived in his house and with his dog, although she’d come to think of them as their house and their dog, but both had belonged to Owen first.

She’d lived in an apartment before they’d gotten engaged, but afterward, she’d agreed to move in with him. She’d made some minor changes to the house since then, but mostly the place looked the same as when he’d lived there.

She’d eventually parted with his clothes, except for a few sweatshirts that she liked to wrap up in when she was feeling particularly sad. She’d also taken down all but one photo of him, which she kept on the dresser in their—her—bedroom.

Whenever anyone suggested she start dating again, she demurred. Even though he’d been gone over a year, she felt like it was too soon. The memories were still too fresh, and she worried that it would feel like cheating. She just wasn’t ready yet, and she wondered when she ever would be.

She thought about this the next day as she followed Cocoa around. At Lauren’s urging, she’d taken the day off and had decided to visit the dog park that Sam had mentioned. It was a beautiful September day, cool yet sunny, and she noticed the leaves were starting to change. Soon the color palate would turn from shades of green to reds, oranges, and yellows, and fall would be in full swing. She used to love the change of seasons, but now it was bittersweet. As one season morphed into the next, she was reminded that Owen was no longer there to share them with her and never would be again.

She shook her head to rid her melancholy thoughts and realized Cocoa was no longer in sight. Since the dog park was fenced in, she didn’t have to worry about him getting loose, but she still worried about interactions with other dogs. The park wasn’t that busy, but what if Cocoa encountered an ornery dog and she wasn’t there to intervene?

She picked up her pace, and as she rounded a copse of trees, he came into sight, although he wasn’t alone. She stopped in her tracks and watched Cocoa and Rocky dance around each other, engaging in the requisite sniffing, their tails wagging happily. Then she turned her attention to Sam, who hadn’t seen her yet. He’d squatted down and was talking to the dogs while petting them both. Had he introduced Cocoa to Rocky like he had her? She smiled at the thought of it and walked toward them.

Sam’s head popped up as she came closer, and his mouth split into a wide grin. He was dressed casually in shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt, and she found herself smiling back at him.

“Hey,” he said, rising to his full height. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Likewise.” Although, if she were being honest, she had thought it was a possibility.

“Our boys have been getting to know each other.”

She glanced at the dogs, who were walking in a tight circle, sniffing each other’s hind ends. She had to laugh, and Sam joined in.

“As many times as I’ve seen dogs do that, it still cracks me up.”

She nodded. “Me too.”

Then, as if the dogs had tired of the sport, they took off running across the grass, with Rocky in the lead.

“Should we follow them?” Gillian asked.

“Sure, but I’m not worried. It’s pretty quiet here today.”

They fell into step, and Gillian kept an arm’s length away as they took off in the direction the dogs had gone.

“So, do you have the day off, or are you just on a lunch break?”

“I took the day off. Since it’s so nice out, I thought I’d take your advice and bring Cocoa here. He seems to love it.”

“I figured. The second I mention the dog park, Rocky’s ears perk up.”

They were quiet for a few beats until Gillian remembered about story time. “Hey, did you happen to ask your boss about Saturday?”

“It’s a go. I was planning to call the store today, but I’m glad I ran into you instead.”