Page 15 of At the Heart of It
A flash of hurt shot through Viv’s eyes, but she looked away before he could even think about apologizing.
“Exactly,” Jonah said, trying to soften his voice but not succeeding. “I hate having my picture taken. So what makes you think I’d agree to do a fucking TV show?”
Viv sighed. “We’ve been apart for almost two years, Jonah. I’ve certainly changed in that time. I was hoping maybe you had, too.”
She was baiting him, he knew. Trying to gain the upper hand in the game of who’s-the-most-mature-and-enlightened-party-in-this-divorce.
It was a game he’d never won, never tried to win.
He glanced at Kate and the woman sitting next to her, though it was Kate who held his attention. Kate, whose copper-colored eyes made him think that even though he damn sure wasn’t doing any television show, sitting here in her company for a few more minutes wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
She held his gaze a few more beats, then folded her hands in her lap. “Would you like to at least hear the proposal?”
Jonah hesitated. Recalled how willingly she’d gone along with his harebrained acting scheme in Ashland. Recalled the feel of her lips brushing his, the softness of her hip as he’d skimmed his hand up her body as they kissed.
Not the most helpful memories, under the circumstances. Jonah sighed.
“Not really,” he said. “I’m sorry to waste your time.”
The blonde winced as Jonah started to stand, but Kate’s expression didn’t falter. To his left Jonah heard Viv’s voice again.
“Jonah, please give this a chance,” she pleaded. “The network executives will be here in less than two hours.”
He frowned. “And that’s my problem?”
Viv folded her hands in her lap. “I thought you’d be open to hearing about this,” she said. “Keeping an open mind.”
“Huh,” Jonah said. “I guess you thought wrong.”
The afternoon light was waning and so was Kate’s energy by the time she caught up with Jonah walking a red and brown fox-sized dog along the waterfront pathway in Alki Park.
At least, she assumed it was Jonah. She’d never seen him with his shirt off, so she hung back a good twenty paces behind to make sure it really was him.
Okay, maybe she was checking him out. Good Lord, the man was chiseled. He had muscles in his back that Kate hadn’t known existed, and a tattoo of a sword on one shoulder blade. The contrast of that tattoo against his tanned flesh and against Kate’s own memories of the cultured bookstore owner she’d met a month ago made her palms clammy and her pulse drum in her head.
How had she not noticed before how ripped he was?
Kate wasn’t the only one noticing.
“Oooh, can I pet your dog?” A buxom brunette approached from Jonah’s left and didn’t wait for an answer. Just stooped down to pet the cinnamon-colored mutt wearing an orange vest that read Adopt Me!
Jonah stopped walking and shifted the leash to his other hand, preventing his canine charge from clotheslining his new admirer. “That’s Buster,” Jonah said, reaching up to adjust his glasses. “He’s up for adoption at Clearwater Animal Shelter.”
Kate moved closer and watched the brunette make an extra effort to provide a glimpse down the front of her top. “I just love little doggies,” she said. “You want to come home with me?”
Her gaze lifted to Jonah when she said it, and Kate watched his face to see if he’d taken it as an invitation. He still hadn’t noticed Kate, and studying him now gave her a voyeuristic thrill.
But Jonah seemed unaffected by both the cleavage and the flirtation, which only seemed to pique the brunette’s interest. Her eyes widened as he fished into the pocket of his navy athletic shorts and pulled out a card.
“Here’s the info for Clearwater Animal Shelter,” he said. “They’re just three blocks that way and they have a lot of other great animals up for adoption.”
“You work there?” The brunette straightened up, glancing once at Kate as though assessing the competition. Finding it lacking, she returned her gaze to Jonah.
That’s when he seemed to notice her. Jonah turned to look her direction, holding her gaze as Kate took a few steps closer. He didn’t smile, but she could have sworn she saw a warmth that hadn’t been there two seconds before.
“I’m a volunteer,” Jonah said, sliding his gaze back to the brunette. “Will you excuse me? I need to make sure Buster gets his exercise.”
“Absolutely.” The brunette gave a chipper little wave, then turned on her heel and flounced away.
