Man's Best Friend (The Dogmothers #5) - Roxanne St. Claire Page 0,31
black coffee, inhaling the aroma as he looked out the front window onto one of the main streets of Bitter Bark, already bustling with tourists and locals and, of course, dogs.
“And Yiayia claimed to leave her bag at Overlook Glen so Alex would go back and connect with Grace,” Ella continued.
“Pretty sure they tried to line up John for Grace, which would have been a disaster.”
“And Cassie and—”
“Stop.” He turned to face her. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”
Her big eyes got even bigger. “There are no sides, Dec. We all want you to be happy. And Evie…” She sighed. “I remember when I was a little girl how she was always hanging around you, and she was so sweet. And funny. Quick with the lame one-liners, if I recall correctly.”
“You do.”
“And you were always so nice back then, so much more fun.”
He was?
“And it was cool to have another girl around in that family full of testosterone.”
“You always had Darcy,” he said, referring to her cousin who was eternally attached to Ella. In fact, he could see through the door that adjoined this business to Darcy’s grooming shop next door, proving they were still attached.
“True, but there was something special about Evie. We all thought you’d marry her.”
He tried not to respond to the matter-of-fact statement and was saved when the only other customer in the store brought a pack of pawprint-covered dish towels and matching food bowls to the counter.
While Ella ran the charge and made small talk, Declan walked away, sipping his coffee and staring at a wall of dog treats, Ella’s last words echoing in his head.
He thought he’d marry her, too.
When the customer left, he snagged a bag of peanut butter cookies and set it on the counter.
“For Lusky?” Ella asked.
“Evie’s grandfather renamed him. He’s Judah now.”
“Judah?” She gave an approving nod. “Excellent name for that spectacular dog. Of course, we didn’t get to see more of him since you ran away yesterday, but Molly said you’re taking him in for an MRI at Vestal Valley.”
“Evie and I are,” he said, taking out some money. “In about an hour, as a matter of fact.”
“Oh, Evie and I are,” she mocked. “But no, the Dogmothers have no idea what they’re doing.”
“This time, they’ve gone a little too far out on a limb.”
“On a limb? You and Evie?” She gave a light laugh. “I can’t think of two people more meant to be in that tree. And let’s face it, big guy.” She reached over and ruffled his hair, much like he’d done to her. “I see a little snow on the roof. What the hell are you waiting for? Someone better than Evie Hewitt?”
He stepped back from her touch. “She has a huge job in Raleigh.”
“They have fire departments in Raleigh.”
And animals in Bitter Bark. “I can’t leave this family.”
She tipped her head and fried him with a get real look. “We’re fine, Declan. The family in total is now the size of a small country. You actually might not be missed for a while.” At his look, she gave a throaty laugh. “Kidding, obviously. But seriously, no one needs a…” She kind of shrugged. “Father figure anymore.” She added a smile to temper the sting. “Even me.”
He slapped his hand to his chest. “You’re killin’ me, Smell.”
“I’m trying to make sure you don’t dismiss the idea of Evie Hewitt for some dumb reason. She’s not in Raleigh now. Why don’t you just hang with her for a few months and see how it goes? Why does it have to be all or nothing?”
“All or…” He leaned over the counter to whisper, even though there weren’t any customers around. “Do you know what they want? Or at least what her grandfather wants, so I assume those two eighty-year-old troublemakers are in on it.”
She laughed. “I love that they dragged in the old guy for backup. Those two are relentless.”
“Wait until you hear how relentless.” He took a deep breath. “They want me to give her a…baby.”
She gasped noisily, jerking back, her eyes as round as dark chocolate wafers. “A…holy…oh my…Declan!”
“Right? If that isn’t the most—”
“Fantastic idea!”
He stared at her.
“I mean, wow. I can totally see why you’d do that.”
“Ella!” He choked her name. “It’s not like giving her…a necklace. Or a…” He glanced around. “Pet. I’m not some kind of sperm bank.”
She made a face. “Ew. I hate that word.”
“Well, I hate the idea, but that’s practically what her grandfather implied. That I could just…” He