Page 18 of Hands off his Dudette

"Thank fuck I woke you up early," Finn said.

They'd been in the furniture shop for about two hours, and they weren't even nearly done, because Anna was trying every sofa she liked the look of. No way were they buying something that looked nice and felt like a torture device.

"You know, it's a little silly to buy a sofa now, if we're going to move shortly," she said, somewhat reluctantly. "Wouldn't it make sense to match the sofa to whatever decor we have in the new place?"

"Or we can match whatever decor we have in our new place to the sofa. The very notion of getting rid of Mom's sofa is making you smile like a crazy person. We're doing it."

She beamed. Finn was the best.

"This one is pretty great. Come, sit."

He did as he was told, taking a seat next to her. "Not bad. But you're not properly giving it a go. You never sit like that. Go on, try your head against the armrest."

Anna laid her upper body down on the sofa, and moaned in delight. "Yes. This is a winner."

"There's one thing to consider."

She sat up, ready to pout and protest if he was vetoing the best sofa in the entire store. It was a large three seater, bright blue with low armrests and removable cushions. Modern, simple, very well designed.

"What?"

"You're always babbling about having a dog. Mom might be allergic to it, but you can definitely get one in our one place. The question is, do we want a velvet sofa if we're going to get a puppy at some point? Wet dog and fabric don't mix. Maybe leather would be smarter."

She was too busy gaping at him with her eyes wide and her hand flapping at her side, while chanting, "Oh my God!" on repeat, to answer. Finally, she yelled. "Puppy!"

Finn shrugged. "Why not?"

Why not, indeed. She jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him hard.

It wasn't the first or last time that she'd done so. In fact, a month scarcely passed without her having a cause to hug Finn. But something felt very strange about this particular hug. She felt her heart beating a little too fast; his, too. Finn chuckled and Anna let go, feeling self-conscious.

"I know we're busy but between you and me, I'm sure we can take care of a dog properly. There's also day walkers everywhere in the city."

"Carter allows dogs at work, as long as they're well-trained," Anna said. "This is literally the best day ever. A sofa and a puppy."

"Well, we need to find a place, first."

"Of course. But I can't stand leather, it's sticky and uncomfortable and stuff. Maybe we can teach the puppy to stay off the sofa?"

Finn snorted. "Yeah, right."

Anna was still grinning like a fool when a store assistant accosted them.

"Man I help you?"

"Yes, please," she replied. "We need to order one of those to be delivered."

"Of course, if you would follow me."

They headed to his counter, where he informed them of the price.

"For an extra three hundred, we can protect and insure the sofa. It may be useful if you have young children."

The guy was taking them for a couple, she realized.

"Or a dog," Finn added with a grin. "Add the protection, please."

He had his wallet out already. Anna frowned. "Hey, that's on me, I'm the fussy one who wanted a new sofa."

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