Dead Pretty - Samantha Towle Page 0,37
if Gary and his hundreds of shits don’t kill my appetite.”
“It’s not hundreds. Probably around five.”
“Five!” I shriek.
Jack sputters out a laugh. “Kidding. Four at the most.”
I frown at him.
His grin is unrepentant, and it lights up his whole face and those stunning eyes of his.
I have to fight a smile from creeping onto my own face.
“You’re an ass.”
“A hot ass though.”
I shake my head, still fighting that damn smile.
“Okay, how about I scoop the poop for you? It’s the least I can do since you agreed to come on a date with me.”
“Wow. And there I was, thinking chivalry was a thing of the past.”
“What can I say? I’m the last remaining gentleman.” His shoulder presses against mine as he leans closer, bringing his mouth to my ear. “But not in bed, Audrey. I am most definitely not a fucking gentleman in bed.”
Holy. Sexual. Shivers.
How the hell am I supposed to resist him when he says stuff like that to me?
In one breath, sweet and kind. And then in the other, hot and alpha and so very fucking sexy.
He’s like the perfect combination of everything I would ever want in a man.
It’s in moments like this that I am absolutely, positively sure that someone upstairs hates me.
Gary tugs on the lead, wanting us to follow Jack and Pork Chop. So, I walk on, letting him lead the way, while I try to sort out my jumbled-up mess of thoughts.
I, Audrey Hayes, am in love.
With a dog called Gary.
He’s so sweet and adorable.
After our walk was over, leaving him at the adoption center was hard to do. Honestly, I would have taken him home with me if I could. If I didn’t have to worry about him being alone all day while I was at work—and also his safety while living with me. Bad things seem to happen to animals around me.
Truthfully, I worry for Eleven at times. Worry that my bad juju will get her, but it’s hard to turn her away when she shows up, and selfishly, I love having the company when she’s around.
It makes me feel less lonely.
And Gary must have been having a good time with me, or maybe he heard my words of complaint because he only took one poop while we were out walking. I am going to go with the theory that it’s because he likes me.
I’ve already signed up to come walk Gary on my lunch break from work tomorrow. The center is only five minutes away from the library, which is perfect.
It makes me feel guilty that I didn’t know about this before. I could have been walking Gary and other dogs like him the whole time I have been living in Jackson.
But I know now, and that’s what I am going to do, going forward. It’s a perfect arrangement for a loner like me. I get company and exercise with Gary, which is something we both need, and I’m not risking getting close to or hurting anyone in the process. It’s a win-win.
Now, if only I could figure out this thing with Jack—how to handle my feelings for him, how to shut them down, and how to turn off his attraction to me—then things would be A-OK.
Jack reserved us a table at the local Japanese restaurant. I absolutely love Japanese food. It’s another tick in his good box. Sigh.
The restaurant is close by the adoption center, so we leave his bike where it’s parked and walk the short distance.
I haven’t been in here before. Well, I haven’t been anywhere in Jackson, except for the library, coffee shop, and supermarket.
We approach the restaurant. Jack opens the door, letting me in first.
It’s toasty warm in here, and the smells are amazing. My stomach rumbles eagerly. It has been so long since I ate in a restaurant.
I take my gloves off, pocketing them. After unwinding my scarf from around my neck, I unzip my coat and remove it.
There’s a coat rack by the door, so I hang my things on it. Jack does the same.
Looking around, I feel a little underdressed to be here in my jeans, sweater, and boots. The other diners are dressed much nicer.
But there is nothing I can do about it now, and it’s not like I’m here to impress anyone.
Yeah, sure you’re not, Audrey.
Anyway, Jack’s seen me way more dressed down than this. The guy has seen me dressed in sweatpants, for God’s sake.
Even still, I can’t help but straighten my sweater out, and then I tidy