Page 10 of That Reilly Boy
At exactly ten o’clock, the door opens and my heart skips a beat.
He’s a stranger, of course. It’s been seventeen years, and I don’t really recognize the man who steps into the shop. I’d know him if I passed him on the street, of course. He hasn’t changed that much, but this Hayden Reilly isn’t the Hayden I’d loved as a teenager.
Always one of the taller boys in his class, he’s broader now. His shoulders fill out the casual light blue button-down shirt that highlights the icy blue of his eyes. The sleeves are rolled back, showing off the tan forearms cradling a white and tan Shih Tzu, and even though his jeans are well-worn and his shoes casual, I recognize them as expensive. His dark hair is neatly trimmed, as are the closely-cropped beard and mustache, which are new.
“Hi, Cara,” he says in a much lower, huskier voice than he’d used on the phone yesterday.
Then he smiles, and there he is—my Hayden. The crinkling in his eyes and the way he grins while barely showing his teeth because he has a slightly crooked eye tooth he hates are so familiar to me, I almost move toward him.
Just in time, reality sets in and I fix my eyes firmly on the dog in his arms. “Hello. This must be Penelope Louise.”
“Yes, though she’ll also answer to Penny, of course. And Penny Lou and…well, I’ll spare you the entire list of nicknames.”
I gesture to where I’ve put a fluffy pillow on top of the stainless steel grooming table. “You can set her on the cushion, but clip the overhead lead to her harness before you take her leash off.”
Usually I’d replace the harness with a slip leash, but Penny’s only getting her nails done. And I prefer to do it myself, as a rule, but I don’t want any chance of physical contact between Hayden and me. It’s hard enough hearing his voice and seeing glimpses of his younger self. There’s so much nervous energy coursing through me right now, our hands brushing might feel like a lightning strike.
Hayden does as he’s told, and then backs up. He doesn’t back away very far, though, so he can easily reach the dog if she decides to move. His brow is furrowed in an adorably concerned way, and he doesn’t take his eyes off of her.
I’m usually a sucker for a man who loves dogs, but I am absolutely not going to soften toward this particular man.
I move closer so Penny can smell me and rest my hand on the cushion near her head. It’s obvious she’s professionally groomed regularly, but my shop and I are new to her, and I know Shih Tzus don’t like changes in their routines.
Once it’s clear she’ll at least tolerate me, I give her a little scratch under her chin while stroking my other hand over her back. “Hey, sweetie. You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you?”
She gives me a happy expression and leans sideways just a little so I can stroke her belly.
“Huh.” Hayden’s body language relaxes when he realizes Penny isn’t going to dive off the table to get away from me. “She’s usually really unhappy if somebody besides me tries to talk to her or pet her.”
“We’re going to be friends, aren’t we?” I ask the dog in that slightly higher than usual voice we use with pets, ignoring her owner.
“She’s got a little rough spot on one of her nails and if she scratches her ears, it catches on her hair and annoys her.”
I skim a fingertip over the edges of her practically perfect nails. “I don’t feel anything.”
“Maybe walking on the pavement smoothed it out, but if you give her a touch-up, I won’t have to worry about it.”
I roll my eyes at Penny, as if she and I are in on thinking he’s ridiculous together, but I’ll buff her nails. I wasn’t kidding about charging him double.
“How old is she? I meant to ask yesterday.” I don’t admit I also forgot to ask about her vaccinations because hearing his name knocked me off my game.
“She recently turned two.”
I pull the rolling stool over, since it doesn’t look as if this is going to end in a wrestling match. Between Penny and I, of course. I can’t promise I won’t be tempted to throw a punch Hayden’s way before the appointment is over.
“How did you and Penelope Louise come to be together?” I ask to distract myself as I pick up her front paw. She sighs, but accepts it. “Did you get her as a puppy?”
“She was a baby when we met. One of my employees bought her for his mom so he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about never visiting her. He neglected to ask her if she was allowed to have dogs in her building, which was a no, or if she even wanted a dog, which she did not. He brought her to work because he had a meeting and didn’t know what else to do with her.”
“He really didn’t think any of that through.”
“No, he didn’t. Anyway, Penny got out of his office and found her way to mine.”
“So it was fate?”
“It was more likely the roast beef sandwich on my desk. But when Kirk realized she’d wandered into the boss’s office, he was embarrassed and mad, which made him a little mean. I didn’t like the way he spoke to her or picked her up, so I took her away from him.”
“And you kept her? Just like that?”
