burst into laughter and tossed a cheerful grin in my direction when the light turned red.
“Abduction? Nah. I don’t think this qualifies, babe. Mack likes your company. I’m not sure if you know this, but the beach is his favorite place. It’s hysterical to see the ol’ guy play in the waves. I’m not trying to be a downer, but the truth is I don’t know how many more ocean outings he has left in him.”
“First of all, do not call me babe. Ever. Second, what do you mean about Mack not—”
“He’s thirteen, Bran. That’s old for a dog. He still likes chasing seagulls and running around a bit, but he tires quickly. Someday even getting him in the car will be too much. He doesn’t exactly love it anyway.”
“I noticed, but Mack is in great health. I bet he’s got lots of years left in him.” I swiveled in my seat to face the dog sitting at attention between our seats. “Don’t you, boy?”
“The average Labrador only lives to be—”
I put my hands over my ears and glowered at Jake. “Stop! I really don’t want to discuss averages or lifespans or anything maudlin. Real life has a way of bringing me down, and I could use a break from deep thoughts. Please.”
“Okay. We’ll keep it shallow for your sake,” Jake teased as he made a left turn onto the 405 freeway.
“Ha-ha. Since I’m a captive audience you may as well tell me where we’re going.”
“There’s a great dog-friendly beach in Long Bea—”
“Long Beach? Are you joking? We’ll be driving for days! There has to be something closer. A nice little dog park. Mack isn’t picky, I bet. He’s an easygoing kind of guy.”
“Well, thank God one of you is,” Jake snarked. “We’ll be there within twenty minutes. I promise. If you’re nice, I’ll even buy you dinner. How does an In-N-Out burger sound?”
“Hmph,” I grumbled as I took in the boring industrial freeway scenery. “Plying me with promises of fast food?”
“Really good fast food,” he said with a quick grin.
“Fine. I’m easy. Tell me about your day since we’ll be driving for hours. What did you do?” I’d adopted a syrupy tone that had Jake doing a double-take to gauge my sincerity.
“We had a mellow day. I worked all weekend, so Mack’s been at doggy care since Saturday. I picked him up this morning, and we just hung out.”
“What do you mean?” I cocked my head to the right.
“We did some laundry, napped, and—”
“No, I meant what did you mean about doggy care? Did Liz have him all weekend?”
“Liz? No. I would never ask her to keep him three days in a row. Mack’s lovable, but I wouldn’t want him to wear out his welcome. He goes to doggy care when I’m scheduled for longer shifts. It’s not his favorite, but when Mack and I became a twosome, we had to compromise.”
“I don’t know why, but I assumed Liz was your primary dog whisperer. She told me she helps out, and she mentioned you don’t like leaving him—”
“I don’t, but I’m a firefighter. My hours are crazy. I can’t leave him alone for days. A couple of hours is fine, sure. Not factoring in basic care and feeding, he’s diabetic. It would be cruel. As far as Liz is concerned… I think she likes watching him once in a while. She’s a great girl, and she’s sweet to Mack. I think she has a crush on him.”
“You mean she has a crush on you.”
Jake furrowed his brow though he kept his focus on the road. I studied his profile, noting the light beard growth on his strong chin. His lackadaisical style was dangerously close to messy but somehow it suited him. I had a very real compulsion to brush the back of my hand against his stubbled jaw and feel the rough texture on my skin.
“Well, do you?”
“Huh?”
Nice job daydreaming, I chided myself. I pulled my cell phone out of my bag in a harried motion, as though concerned I’d missed an urgent message from Beyoncé. If he called me out on my lack of attention, I’d blame it on her. I threw him an
“Abduction? Nah. I don’t think this qualifies, babe. Mack likes your company. I’m not sure if you know this, but the beach is his favorite place. It’s hysterical to see the ol’ guy play in the waves. I’m not trying to be a downer, but the truth is I don’t know how many more ocean outings he has left in him.”
“First of all, do not call me babe. Ever. Second, what do you mean about Mack not—”
“He’s thirteen, Bran. That’s old for a dog. He still likes chasing seagulls and running around a bit, but he tires quickly. Someday even getting him in the car will be too much. He doesn’t exactly love it anyway.”
“I noticed, but Mack is in great health. I bet he’s got lots of years left in him.” I swiveled in my seat to face the dog sitting at attention between our seats. “Don’t you, boy?”
“The average Labrador only lives to be—”
I put my hands over my ears and glowered at Jake. “Stop! I really don’t want to discuss averages or lifespans or anything maudlin. Real life has a way of bringing me down, and I could use a break from deep thoughts. Please.”
“Okay. We’ll keep it shallow for your sake,” Jake teased as he made a left turn onto the 405 freeway.
“Ha-ha. Since I’m a captive audience you may as well tell me where we’re going.”
“There’s a great dog-friendly beach in Long Bea—”
“Long Beach? Are you joking? We’ll be driving for days! There has to be something closer. A nice little dog park. Mack isn’t picky, I bet. He’s an easygoing kind of guy.”
“Well, thank God one of you is,” Jake snarked. “We’ll be there within twenty minutes. I promise. If you’re nice, I’ll even buy you dinner. How does an In-N-Out burger sound?”
“Hmph,” I grumbled as I took in the boring industrial freeway scenery. “Plying me with promises of fast food?”
“Really good fast food,” he said with a quick grin.
“Fine. I’m easy. Tell me about your day since we’ll be driving for hours. What did you do?” I’d adopted a syrupy tone that had Jake doing a double-take to gauge my sincerity.
“We had a mellow day. I worked all weekend, so Mack’s been at doggy care since Saturday. I picked him up this morning, and we just hung out.”
“What do you mean?” I cocked my head to the right.
“We did some laundry, napped, and—”
“No, I meant what did you mean about doggy care? Did Liz have him all weekend?”
“Liz? No. I would never ask her to keep him three days in a row. Mack’s lovable, but I wouldn’t want him to wear out his welcome. He goes to doggy care when I’m scheduled for longer shifts. It’s not his favorite, but when Mack and I became a twosome, we had to compromise.”
“I don’t know why, but I assumed Liz was your primary dog whisperer. She told me she helps out, and she mentioned you don’t like leaving him—”
“I don’t, but I’m a firefighter. My hours are crazy. I can’t leave him alone for days. A couple of hours is fine, sure. Not factoring in basic care and feeding, he’s diabetic. It would be cruel. As far as Liz is concerned… I think she likes watching him once in a while. She’s a great girl, and she’s sweet to Mack. I think she has a crush on him.”
“You mean she has a crush on you.”
Jake furrowed his brow though he kept his focus on the road. I studied his profile, noting the light beard growth on his strong chin. His lackadaisical style was dangerously close to messy but somehow it suited him. I had a very real compulsion to brush the back of my hand against his stubbled jaw and feel the rough texture on my skin.
“Well, do you?”
“Huh?”
Nice job daydreaming, I chided myself. I pulled my cell phone out of my bag in a harried motion, as though concerned I’d missed an urgent message from Beyoncé. If he called me out on my lack of attention, I’d blame it on her. I threw him an
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