Been There Done That (Leffersbee #1) - Hope Ellis Page 0,68

take Sir Duke for a stroll. He was eager to stretch his legs after the long drive and I needed to think.

As Sir Duke and I made our way down the tree-lined sidewalk, him stopping every few feet to sniff at curiosities, my thoughts strayed back to Zora. She’d cried when I told her about my mother. She told me she was proud of me, which shouldn’t have mattered so much.

But it did.

On an impulse, I decided to stop in the Donner Bakery. Maybe a shitload of sugar would sweeten my foul mood.

The bell over the door heralded our tentative entrance. I shot a wary glance over to the woman manning the register. Sir Duke was a massive dog, and bringing him inside any establishment, never mind a bakery, was taking a chance.

“Hi,” I called. “I realize you may not allow dogs inside. I just wanted to—”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” She beamed a warm smile at me before darting a quick glance over her shoulder. “It’s slow today and I’m the only one back here now. As long as you’re both well-behaved, I think we could make an exception. Just this once.”

“Thank you.” I felt worn out and wretched, so I welcomed the kind gesture. I murmured to Sir Duke as we approached the glass counters to examine their contents, doing my best to keep his inquiring nose away from the reflective surfaces.

“Isn’t he the cutest thing ever?” She grinned at Sir Duke.

I looked down at him. He was a big dog and easily reached the waists of most folks, so I’d never heard the term “cute” applied to him before. Sir Duke, having just recovered from a cataclysmic case of the shits behind a bush mere minutes before, sent me a guilty expression before looking away.

“He has his moments,” I said, noticing my vowels were going softer the more time I spent here. “Got any recommendations?”

“I thought you wanted to try a Ring of Fire,” a voice said from the side.

I turned, not at all surprised to find Zora Leffersbee lounging at a side table. She looked beautiful, but her expression was slightly pinched. A mug of coffee, steam still escaping, sat in front of her next to an uneaten muffin. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail of tight curls, a few wisps framing her lovely face. She wore an old university T-shirt stretched deliciously across her full breasts and matching shorts. I averted my eyes from her shapely legs with some effort. But not before briefly daydreaming about those legs and just how good they’d felt, so many years before, wrapped around—

Shit.

I was in trouble.

“We’re fresh out of those, hun,” the woman at the register called.

Zora smiled. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry. I’m sure you could find some other trouble for him to get in.”

I smothered a wholly inappropriate retort about exactly the kind of trouble I wanted in and guided Sir Duke over to her table without another thought. I was unwilling to believe in coincidences anymore when it came to her. I was tired of fighting fate.

Her expression brightened as Sir Duke approached. “So this is the distinguished gentleman.”

I hesitated once reaching her, realizing I’d never asked her how she felt about dogs, never mind one as big as Sir Duke. But she surprised me, sticking out her hand so he could scent it.

“He is a sweet old man.” She grinned at my hound and I was unaccountably glad.

“He is, although I’ll have you know he’s still in his prime.” I stroked his flank and watched the two of them get acquainted. Sir Duke got bolder, unashamed to rub against her leg and beg for pets. She obliged him.

“You mind if we join you? I won’t let him harass you the entire time.”

“He’s fine. And yes, you’re both welcome.”

“Mind if I leave him here with you?”

“Sure.”

I surrendered the leash to her and headed over to the counter. The clerk helped me select a dozen cookies, some strange creation called a dill pickle muffin, and a fat square of brownie. Remembering Zora’s weakness for all things red velvet, I selected a thick slice.

Walking back to the table, tray in hand, I almost stopped in my tracks at the sight in front of me. Zora and Sir Duke, suddenly fast friends. He sat at her feet while she smiled down, baby-talking him.

And suddenly my day was stratospherically improved. What would it be like to come home to this sight? Would seeing her at the end