Ok?”
“ Ok , ” James agrees, sounding surprised but relieved . “I have a work dinner tonight but maybe we could do something after that? Or tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, I’m free tonight or tomorrow.”
“Ok, I’ll call you when I get done tonight. I’m not sure how late it will be so we can decide then.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to you later,” I say, standing and starting to move toward Ashley’s door. Maci is still whining but at least she stopped scratching at the door.
“I love you,” James says after a pause . It sounds strange as it was only two nights ago that he said it for the fir st time.
Alarm bells ring in my head at the silence on the line, realizing he is waiting for me to reciprocate the statement. I fling the door open and Maci lunges out, barking and growling with excitement as she jumps all over me. “You too!” I offer in the chaos, hoping the noise is enough to cover the fact that I didn’t, actually , say those three little words.
I click off the call and shove the phone back into my pocket, feeling like the worst girlfriend in the world.
Chapter Nine
Maci and I arrive at the park fifteen minutes later. It’s a small park, the only one in our little town. It has a few wooden benches and some flower beds. There is a basketba ll hoop and a half court layout for the junior high and high school age kids and a small playground with a two seater swing set for the younger ones .
My favorite has always been the small pond. I like to come here and watch the ducks and geese. It’ s soothing to watch.
Maci also likes the pond, but for entirely different reasons. She usually tries to get in the water and splash around.
Today, she has spotted a duck and looks like she is trying to establish some sort of friendship . The duck just sits and watches as Maci barks and whines at it, getting close and then backing off and jumping around. She’s a golden retriever and can’t seem to contain herself from trying to make everyon e play with her, including water fowl.
I guess she doesn’t realize that in another life she would have been sent to fetch dead ducks for her master on a hunting trip.
I laugh as I watch her bounce around but hold tight to her leash. After a few minutes I start to pull her back away from the water’s edge. It’s pretty chilly outside and I want to get home before it starts to gets dark. If I do end up going out with James I’ ll need time to get out of my work clothes and make myself slightly more presentable.
Part of me doubts I will see him tonight, James often has dinner meetings with the business partners and they can go on for hours, especially if drinking is involved .
I start to turn away and give a slight tug on the leash but Maci is on a mission and keeps pulling. I feel my heel sink into the soft ground at the edge and before I can steady myself she gives an other pull and I pitch forward. I hit the ground, knees first and yelp in p ain and surprise. I land halfway in the pond and halfway in the mud. I guess I didn’ t realize I had a sl ed dog wannabe . Maci turns at my despair and starts barking at me and licking my face.
I curse under my breath and push her off me. My face, hair , hands , a nd arms are covered in pond water ( that probably contains things I don’t even want to think about ) and my jeans are covered in patches of mud, especially at the knee s . I push off the ground and start to stand, slightly wobbly , when a pair of arms catches me from behind and hauls me the rest of the way out of the muck.
I gasp and turn my head to see Brandon standing behind me.
“Brandon! What are you doing here?” I exclaim, as I push away, stabilizing myself. I make a grab for Maci’s leash and hold it tightly, firmly telling her to sit before start ing to wipe at my face with my other hand but I only manage to spread the gunk further.
Brandon laughs softly. “Apparently saving a damsel in distress,” he jokes. “It seems to be my new gig
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