The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service by Beth Kendrick Page A

sounded triumphant. “Want to have dinner?”
    “Sure,” she agreed. “When?”
    “Half an hour?”
    She slowed her pace, and Linus adjusted his gait to match hers. “Wait. You want to have dinner tonight?”
    “There’s a seafood place on Camelback called the Bluewater Grill. Let’s meet there.”
    “Dad, I’d love to, but that’s in the middle of downtown, and I already left work. I told my friend Kerry I’d watch Teen Mom with her tonight. She’s nine months pregnant and she has a morbid fascination with that show.”
    “Oh.” Her father paused. “I’m sorry, hon. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you at the last minute.” He sounded disappointed, but with himself.
    “No, it’s okay. Let me call Kerry and reschedule. She recorded it, so we can watch it whenever.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Of course. It’s no problem. But it’s going to take me more than half an hour to change and get all the way downtown. Be there in forty-five minutes?”
    “Take your time. We can wait.”
    Lara blinked. “Who’s we?”
    When her father chuckled, she could picture the mischievous glint in his blue eyes. “That’s the other surprise.”
    * * *
    “Lara, this is Trina. Trina, this is my beautiful daughter.”
    “I’m so glad to finally meet you.” A sweet-faced, dimpled brunette wriggled out of the booth and threw her arms around Lara. “Your father talks about you constantly.”
    Trina hugged like she meant it. She was relatively young—maybe seven or eight years older than Lara—but she was probably sensible and secure. Gil liked beautiful women, but he didn’t go for bimbos. His girlfriends tended to be the nurturing type. They doted on him, took care of him in a way that Justine never could.
    When everyone settled down and Lara slid onto the leather bench across the table, she noticed the engagement ring on Trina’s left hand. Her eyes widened, and Trina and her father exchanged flustered, fluttery glances.
    “We wanted to tell you in person,” her father said.
    “It just happened,” Trina gushed. “Last weekend.”
    “I didn’t know you were dating anyone,” Lara blurted out. As soon as she said it, she knew she shouldn’t have.
    Trina turned to Gil, confused and slightly wounded. Gil reached across the table and covered Lara’s hand with his.
    “Sorry. It’s my fault,” Lara told Trina. “I’ve been so swamped at work lately, I haven’t returned any of his calls.”
    When the server arrived to take their drink orders, Gil said to Lara, “You look worn-out, honey. You know what you need? A root beer float.”
    One corner of Lara’s mouth tugged up in a half smile. “I could definitely go for that.” She asked Trina, “Has he made you one yet?”
    “No.” Trina gave Gil a little nudge.
    “Well, he’s holding out on you,” Lara said. “He’s worth marrying for the root beer floats alone.”
    Gil nodded in acknowledgment. “I hate to brag, but she’s right.”
    “You?” Trina kept saying. “Mr. Herbal Tea and Mineral Water?”
    “Just because I don’t drink ’em doesn’t mean I can’t make ’em. Prepare to have your mind blown.” Gil called the waiter over and gave him detailed instructions—complete with diagrams scribbled on a cocktail napkin—for proper assembly and ice cream–to-soda ratio. Finally, the server invited Gil to come back behind the bar and oversee the operation himself, which Gil was happy to do.
    While Gil manned the soda fountain, Trina stretched out her right hand, admired the little diamond sparkling away on her ring finger, and sighed with contentment. “You look just like him, you know.”
    Lara didn’t argue. Although she’d inherited Gil’s blue eyes and thick hair, her features were less pronounced, and she’d never had his charisma. She knew that Trina wasn’t really seeing her right now—she was just seeing reflections of the man she adored.
    Trina leaned in and confided, “I know it seems rushed. The engagement and