Page 26 of The Broken Heart Playlist
Gideon opens his front door, surprise touching his face as his eyes settle on me.
Most people regard me a little warily, like they’re not sure what to make of me, but Gideon looks at me as though he can see past all my prickly layers right down to my core. More bewildering to me, he seems to like what he sees.
“Kate,” he says in a low voice, his brows pinching together. “Is everything okay?”
The fact that Gideon’s first impulse when I show up unexpectedly on his front porch is to check on my wellbeing makes my chest feel tight.
“Everything’s fine,” I reassure him.
“Do you want to come in?” he asks, opening the door wider.
“No, thank you.” I tilt my head in the direction of my house. “Lisset’s at home alone.”
He nods in understanding. “What can I do for you?”
I clear my throat. “I owe you an apology for my rudeness yesterday.”
He leans a shoulder on the doorjamb. “I didn’t think you were rude. You just don’t believe in wasting time on chitchat.”
“Some people think that’s rude.”
Without missing a beat, he says, “I’m not some people.”
He certainly is not. “I also want to apologize for what I said about your dog.”
As though I’d summoned him, there’s the sound of nails rapidly clicking on a wooden floor as Uno comes charging down the hallway. The greyhound’s canine grin is on full display, tail wagging madly, looking inexplicably excited to see me.
Gideon tries to reach for Uno’s madly quivering form, but the animal can’t keep still, his tail thumping against the wall in the entryway.
“Uno doesn’t normally behave this way,” he explains, looking perplexed.
I refrain from rolling my eyes. Isn’t that what most people tend to say about their children or pets when they’re misbehaving?
Abruptly, I feel something wet splash across my face.What on earth?
Gideon’s eyes cut to mine. Horror is etched on his features as his gaze travels from my face down my body.
I glance down at myself. Blood is streaked on my pretty green sweater, as well as my cream work pants.
Gideon briefly closes his eyes, as if he can’t believe this is happening.
My gaze takes in the entryway, now spattered with streaks of blood. It’s all over the walls, the hall table, the framed mirror above the table. The area looks like a crime scene.
“It’s my turn to apologize,” Gideon says, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he attempts to encourage the greyhound to calm down. “It looks like Uno’s torn the skin at the end of his tail and it’s bleeding.”
The dog doesn’t appear the worse for wear from his injury. He’s still joyfully wagging his tail, flinging blood around like he’s Jackson Pollock in his studio slinging paint around.
“Kate, I’m so sorry,” Gideon says again.
I still can’t speak.
In my mind’s eye, all I can picture is Uno appearing at Lisset’s school and becoming so excited he rips the skin on his tail, spattering blood everywhere. I picture the teachers’ horrified expressions, the screams of the kids.
I can’t hold it in anymore. I burst out laughing. I’m laughing so hard I have to double over and wrap my arms around my middle.
It’s not the reaction Gideon expected. It’s not one I would have anticipated from me either.
“Kate, are you okay?” he asks.
