Page 12 of Second Chances
Chapter 7
"What am I doing?" Meganasked herself as she punched in the phone number. The scrap piece of paper had formed a damp ball in her sweaty hand. Did she have a future of balding, beer-bellied, pleated dockers-wearing dates in her future?
She could have sworn that Josh was flirting with her. She felt him glancing over at her while they worked at sopping up the wine and broken glass.
Her face was red and blotchy from crying. Being overwhelmed by the long day on the road and the realization that she was over the hill had taken a toll on her. She sat on the sofa and brushed away at the stray clumps of husky fur clinging to the fabric. Timber's company had been so welcoming; his mismatched eyes didn't judge her, and he certainly didn't care about her laugh lines.
'Hello,' his voice answered after three rings. Her heart surged, but she took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down.
"Hi, Josh. This is Megan, we met earlier today, um, I found Timber, your dog."
"Hi Megan, of course, I remember, you threw a glass of wine at me," she heard him chuckle over the phone. Flirting again?
"Yes. If only you'd been a few steps closer, you could've worn that lovely shade of cabernet."
Was she flirting back? She sank deeper into the sofa and pulled the chenille blanket onto her lap. No. Stop it. She chastised herself. He could be young enough to be your son.
"Damn. Crimson goes well with my eyes."
Yes, definitely flirting. And yes, any color would look good against his crystal blue eyes.
"What can I do for you, Megan?"
Megan released her breath, thankful that he didn't call her ma'am again. "Do you work all day?"
She heard a pause. "Yes. Of course, I do, like most normal people."
The tone of his voice went flat, any sign of flirtation gone, and she thought she detected a note of condescension. "I mean, I was wondering if you needed some help with Timber."
"Help?"
Shit. Did she offend him?
"I mean. Let me start again." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to be staying here for a while and I can't get a dog of my own. I was wondering if I could walk Timber for you while you're working, you know, he's just such nice company."
"That he is," if she was capable of hearing a smile over the phone, she swore she just did.
"I usually bring him to work, but this particular job site is a commercial gig, no dogs allowed. He's kind of going stir crazy at home. You know what, if you'd like to walk him, I'm sure he would love it."
"Can I pick him up tomorrow?" she asked, excited to have something on her schedule for the day.
"Um. Why don't I just drop him off to you? Does 8 a.m. work?"
"Yes, that's perfect. You know where I live."
"Yes, yes I do. I'll see you in the morning, Megan."
After they said goodbye and hung up the phone, Megan took a sip of her new glass of wine. She had just made her first friend in Chance Rapids, and his name was Timber.
