My hand pushed through my hair. “It’s a long story. Nothing happened—she helped me out with the little bastard. Why are you outside my place?”
“That girl Melissa I met a few weeks ago lives in the same building as you.”
“Oh, that’s right,” I mindlessly replied. Taking in a deep breath, I was hit by the smell of the ocean.
Maybe I could take Flash to the beach and throw a ball and then take off running in the opposite direction.
“Dude, you know I never preach to you. But if you value your job, you’ll steer clear of her. No pussy is worth risking your job for.”
I heard the door to my condo open and close. Flash barked, causing me to curse.
“Oh, Flash boy. You’re a bery, bery bad doggy! Yes, you are handsome, boy. But look at this mess you caused.”
I rolled my eyes and snarled my lip.
“Dude? Is that her?”
Closing my eyes, I answered with a sigh. “Yes. She’s the only thing between me and the dog right now.”
“Look how smart you are! You kept the flour and sugar in the kitchen. Good boy.”
My mouth fell open as I turned to look at her. She had a trash bag in her hand and was cleaning up. When she squatted down and Flash started licking her, she laughed and fell back.
Something hit me hard in the chest. It was a feeling I’d never experienced before in my life. I couldn’t pull my eyes off her. As angry as I was, seeing her playing with the dog and hearing her laugh made me want to smile.
“I’ve got to go, Colton. Hey, do me a favor—keep this thing with Rory between you and me?”
“I will, Finn. But please think about what I said.”
With a nod I knew he couldn’t see, I replied, “I will. Later.”
Hitting End on my phone, I stood there and watched for a few seconds as Rory went about picking up the trash. I was stunned to see Flash putting pieces in his mouth and bringing them to her. Bastard was smart.
“See! You’re a smart boy.”
I walked back in through the sliding door. “He’s a dead dog. He ate my autographed Tom Brady football.”
Rory tried and failed to hide her smile. “I’m so sorry, but he’s just a puppy, and this breed is really known for being destructive.”
“And you told me this after we left him alone here?”
She shrugged. “He’s been to my parents’ house and they’ve never had a problem. Oh no.”
Furrowing my brows, I asked, “Oh no what?”
Chewing on her lip, she mumbled something about a crate.
Leaning in closer to her, I asked, “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“A crate. I forgot my folks have a crate they kept him in.”
My shoulders dropped, along with my head. Idiot! “We have one at the station we keep the beast in.”
“You’ll probably want to get one. Soon.”
My eyes narrowed as I took a step closer to her. She took a step back and bumped into the counter. “You don’t say.”
With barely a nod, she swallowed hard. “I’d maybe order one on Amazon Prime, quick.”