And it hurt so bad.
“I’m okay. I’ll be all right. I don’t want to rain on your parade. How about we go out tonight and celebrate your pending marriage.”
“Ooh, I’m sorry.” Tanisha made a face. “We’re going over to my folks to tell them in person. Tomorrow night, maybe?”
“Sure.” Katie bobbed her head. Thankfully, her cell phone rang at that moment. She pulled it from her pocket as Tanisha went off to flash her engagement ring to the rest of their coworkers. “Hello?”
“Katie?”
“Yes?”
“This is Lindsay Beckham,” came the cool polished voice of the Martinis and Bikinis president.
Great. It was the person responsible for her downfall. “What is it?” she asked, only barely managing to control her snippy tone.
“I’m afraid there’s been something of a mix-up.”
“A mix-up?”
Lindsay paused. “It’s totally my fault. I take full responsibility.”
“For what?”
“The last dare I sent you?”
“Yeah?”
“It was meant for one of the other women.”
Katie let out a bark of laughter. “That’s hilarious.”
“Excuse me?”
“Because of that last dare, my life is ruined.”
“Ruined?” Lindsay repeated. “Are you sure you’re not overstating the issue?”
“You told me to confess!”
“No, I told Sherry to confess.”
“But you sent Sherry’s dare to me, so it had the same consequences as if you’d sent it to me.” Katie’s hand was shaking. From anger, from sorrow, from the whole sheer craziness of it. “You know what? I wish I’d never set foot in your bar. I wish I’d never met you and your Martini group.”
“This is worse than I thought,” Lindsay said. “I’m sorry, I never meant for this to happen. If you’d let me make amends-”
“Nice of you to offer, but unless you know how to superglue a broken heart, there’s not much you can do. I’ve got to get back to work now.”
“I hope you won’t give up on Martinis and Bikinis just because of this little snafu-”
“Bye,” Katie said, and hung up, never feeling more wretched.
IN A VAIN ATTEMPT to boost her spirits, Katie made a beeline for the pet shop after her awful day at work. She couldn’t wait for the salve of seeing Duke’s sweet face and happily wagging tail.
“Hey, pup,” Katie cooed as she walked up to the window. Only to find it empty.
Duke wasn’t there.
You waited too long. Someone else bought him.
The disappointment that came over her was perplexing. Why did she care so much about that dog?
Maybe they hadn’t sold Duke. Maybe the store owner had taken him out for a walk. Katie pushed inside the pet store, hoping that was, indeed, the case.
“Hello,” greeted the friendly faced woman behind the counter.
“Hi.”
“You’re the one who’s always coming in here to play with the cocker spaniel, aren’t you?”
Katie nodded. “I noticed he wasn’t in the window.”
The woman’s eyes lit up. “Someone bought him, only an hour or so ago.”
You’re too late. That’s what happens when you’re afraid to commit.
A lump welled in Katie’s throat and she had to blink hard to keep from crying. God, this was so stupid. Getting misty-eyed over a puppy who wasn’t even hers. “Did he go to a good home?”
“A very good home.” The pet-shop woman nodded. “The man said he was buying him as a surprise for his girlfriend. Apparently she’s always wanted a dog, but circumstances have prevented her from owning one until now.”
“It’s good he’s found a great home.” Katie forced a smile. “I’m happy. So happy.”
Quickly, she turned and hurried from the pet shop. She thought of the dog collar Liam had given her. She’d never get to use it on Duke.
She didn’t feel like heading home, but she didn’t want to go to a bar by herself. Not knowing what else to do, she headed for the park.
She walked down the path sniffling into a tissue, telling herself she was sad because Duke was no longer in the window. Denying that her sorrow had anything to do with Liam.
The air was cool but not unpleasantly so. Autumn leaves gusted across the sidewalk. On the yellowing grass, a group of teenage boys played football, laughing and tussling. She could hear the city traffic passing by and in the distance, the sound of a dog barking.
She skirted the pond, watching the ducks swim gracefully across the water and remembered the day Duke had pulled her in. She remembered Liam’s apartment, and her heart swelled against the bittersweet memory. In three short weeks, she’d lost them both, Duke and Liam.
A trio of women on in-line skates scooted past her. The barking dog was getting closer. She passed a park bench where an elderly couple sat holding hands and watching the birds bedding down in the trees before nightfall.
She rounded a corner and up ahead she saw a man in a beige trench coat walking a dog.
It was a cocker spaniel who looked just like Duke.
The dog’s barking grew more frantic as he pulled on his owner’s leash.
Katie’s eyes went from the dog to the man.
Liam!
She didn’t know what to do, so she just stood there, waiting for him to get closer. But Duke wasn’t into the games people play when they’re falling in love. He jerked the leash from Liam’s hand and came barreling straight toward her, his long curly ears flapping as he ran.
She dropped to her knees and scooped the cocker spaniel into her arms. He greeted her with a wriggling tail and exuberant tongue. Liam couldn’t have given her a better gift if he’d presented her with the title to his Lamborghini. “The pet-shop lady told me some man had bought him for his girlfriend.”
“He did,” Liam said.
Katie’s eyes met his. “You bought Duke for me?”
“I did.”
“But my condo won’t let me keep pets.”
“You could always move.”
“Where to?”
“I was hoping,” his voice cracked, “you’d consider moving in with me. But if it’s too soon for that, there’s a vacant apartment in my building.”
LIAM WATCHED HER set the puppy on the ground and stand up to face him. Her soft blond hair floated loosely about her shoulders in a sexy tumble. Her lips were painted a luscious shade of raspberry. She was dressed in black tailored slacks, a starched white blouse and tweed blazer. She looked sophisticated, relaxed and utterly beautiful.
“I can’t answer that question the way you want me to answer.”
He pulled in a breath. He was hoping giving her the dog would be enough to get back into her good graces. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. “I screwed up, Katie. I know it. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
It hurt him to see her eyes were red-rimmed and she held a tissue clutched tight in her hand. She’d been crying, and he was terrified he was the cause of it. He reached to touch her forearm, but she shied away.
“You really pulled the rug out from under me, Liam. I was finally ready to take a chance on love and when I did, when I dared to lower my guard and make myself vulnerable, you walked out on me.”
“I had a lot of time to think on the flight home and I didn’t like what I realized about myself. I was projecting my guilt about not admitting who I really was onto you. I went to see Finn Delancy and I confronted him.”
“What happened?”
“He denied he was my father.”
“So nothing was resolved?”
“No,” he said. “I finally figured out there was nothing to resolve. I don’t need Finn Delancy to validate me. I don’t need the fortune I’ve amassed to prove I’m a worthy human being.”
“So where does this leave us?”
“Right here.” Liam couldn’t stand not touching her again. He reached out, took her hands and slowly pulled her toward him.
“All the old resentment toward Delancy is gone?”