Kiss Me in the Summer - Barbara Dunlop Page 0,39

why not?

I looked away from Pooh-Pooh to see Josh crouched in front of one of the smaller pens. A shaggy little brown dog with a white chest was cautiously sniffing its way to him.

“Come and meet Tippy,” Josh said to me. “She’s mostly cockapoo.”

“She’s very sweet,” Victoria said. “But she’s also very shy. Be careful you don’t startle her.”

Me startling a dog—that would be a switch.

It was perfectly obvious what Josh was doing, trying to start me off with a non-threatening dog. I’d explained to him it wasn’t the dog’s size or nature that sent me into a panic. Rationalizing that this was a timid dog wouldn’t stop my heart from racing and my ears from roaring when it got near me.

“She can stay inside her pen while she meets you,” Josh said.

It was hard to tell if he meant that for my benefit or Tippy’s benefit.

He pulled up two small stools. “Have a seat. We’ll just chat with her for a minute.”

Okay. I wasn’t that hopeless. I could sit outside the pen of a sweet little cockapoo and talk to her.

“Hey, Tippy,” Josh said. He wiggled his fingers through the wide mesh.

Tippy gave him a lick.

“She’s forgiven me for the shots,” he said with a smile.

I assumed he was joking. “She can’t really remember it was you.”

“Oh, yes, she can. Some dogs turn their noses up at me for months after I give them a checkup. But not Tippy.”

“Pooh-Pooh?” I asked.

Josh chuckled. “She hasn’t looked me in the eyes since it happened.”

“She seems like the type.”

“Say something to Tippy,” he suggested.

I felt silly. “Hello, Tippy.”

The dog looked my way. She wagged her tail a little. Then Butch barked, and Tippy skittered to the far corner of her pen.

“Why’d he have to do that?” I asked, my sympathies going out to Tippy.

“He’s jealous that she has our attention.”

“Well, he’s not going to make any friends behaving like that,” I said.

“He’s a good boy,” Josh said.

“He’s come a long way,” Victoria said from where she was working at a counter across the room. “But he’s not exactly my star pupil. I think if we could get him around people more often, especially kids, he’d get out of the habit of being so reactive.”

“The mastiff in him makes him very protective,” Josh said. “But he’s also very loyal.”

“To whom?” Victoria asked. “He hasn’t really bonded with anyone.”

“He likes walks,” Josh said, coming to his feet.

I took a final look at Tippy. She’d curled up on a cushion in the corner, and it was clear she wasn’t coming back over to see me.

“You should go with Josh,” Victoria said.

Josh was choosing a leash from some hooks on the wall.

“I’m . . . uh . . . not much of a walker,” I said.

“Have you been to the beach at night?” she asked.

I really wished I could say yes. “No. Not yet.”

“It’s a full moon out there. You’ll never get a more beautiful night than this.”

“Butch will be on a leash,” Josh said, selecting a bright blue one.

Victoria looked momentarily confused. “Do dogs run loose in Manhattan?”

“No,” I said.

She shot Josh a puzzled look.

“You’ll have fun,” Josh said to me. “I promise.”

“Are you way out of shape?” Victoria asked me.

I reacted defensively to that. “I work out.”

“Are you kidding me?” Josh asked Victoria, gesturing me up and down. “She’s in great shape. Have you seen her calves?”

Victoria checked out the fit of my blue jeans, looking down at my lower legs. “No. Have you?”

The question seemed to stump Josh.

“I showed him a scar,” I said, feeling like I needed to provide an explanation.

“Oh,” she said, looking unconcerned. “Okay. I just meant the trail is steep. Some people find it tough.”

“It’s not that bad,” Josh said to me. Then he waited for my response.

I looked at Butch. Then I looked at the sturdy leash. Then I thought for a second about the obvious strength in Josh’s arms. I told myself I had nothing to worry about. Josh wanted to help me get over my fear of dogs. Obviously, he wasn’t about to let Butch pounce all over me.

“Okay,” I said. “Sure. Sounds great.”

“That’s the spirit,” Josh said as he opened Butch’s pen and clipped on the leash.

Chapter Eight

I could see what Victoria had been talking about. A long flight of wooden stairs led the way to a long, natural rocky beach with a small pier jutting out over the ocean. The stairs were well-lit and easy to navigate, but it was quite a hike to