Page 39 of Amore
“It’s going to be like hot dog sushi or something.”
“It’s sweet, salty, and tangy. Go ahead.”
I took a breath and then stuck the dog into my mouth. Luke was right. It was sweet, salty, tangy, and delicious. I had been scared of the seaweed, but it wasn’t bad. “Okay, you were right.”
“Told you.” He took a bite of his. “Try the fri—”
Before he could finish, Amore took off, the leash slipping from Luke’s grasp. We both followed, our hot dogs and fries falling to the wooden pier. Luke ran faster than me, but Amore was still quicker than both of us.
“Amore, stop!” I shouted. People turned and looked, and I was certain someone was filming the high-speed foot chase.
It wasn’t like Amore to run off, but I hadn’t walked with him around the neighborhood since the ordeal. It was as though the seagulls were taunting him because, as we ran, I realized he was chasing the birds. When one would fly off, he would beeline for another one and then another.
He ran out into the sand, and Luke almost caught him. “Amore!” Luke shouted.
“Stop!” I screamed, following into the sand.
Finally, Luke grabbed the end of the leash and stopped my dog. Luke fell on his butt, trying to catch his breath, and I was panting as I caught up to them and sat in the sand next to Luke.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, leaning my head on his shoulder because that was the only way I wouldn’t fall back out of exhaustion.
“I think we need to go to that other beach and let him run,” Luke stated.
“Yeah.”
“So much for our hot dogs and fries.”
“No way in hell am I going back so people can laugh in our faces.”
“Then I suggest we get out of here before we get a ticket for having Amore on the beach.”
We stood and walked back to the garage. When we got back to Luke’s Mustang, I grabbed a portable dog bowl I’d brought with us and poured water into it for Amore. He drank the entire dish.
“You know, I don’t know if I want to take Amore to the beach. He’ll chase more birds, and we’ll never catch him,” I admitted.
“All right. Then, what do you want to do?”
The sun was going down, and I was still hungry. “I could go for tacos.”
Luke grinned. “Japanese American to Mexican?”
“We are in LA after all.” I grinned.
* * *
We wentto my favorite taco place that wasn’t far from where I lived, and after we ate, Luke brought me back to my house. It was dark and getting late, and I didn’t want him to leave, but I’d told myself earlier in the day that I would be okay alone. I couldn’t ask him to sleep on my couch again.
The next time he stayed over, I wanted him in my bed.
“Thanks for the fun evening,” I said, putting my hand on the handle of the car door. “I better go feed Amore before he tries to catch another bird and eat it.”
“Oh, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I should head home, anyway.”
This was the moment. The one where I could tell him I wanted him. Worst case, he would drive away, and I would never see him again. It would hurt, but I’d done it before. This time, it wouldn’t be me running.
Taking a shaky breath, I reached over and placed my hand on his arm. “I want nothing more than to invite you inside. Andnotto sleep on my couch, Luke.” He opened his mouth to respond, but I stopped him. “Ever since we reconnected, you’re all I think about.” He leaned in, his gaze moving to my lips, and my stomach dropped. It took everything I had, but I placed my hand against his hard chest and stopped him. “You need to figure out what to do about Candace.”
Luke pulled back. “Right. Sorry.”
