Firmly shaking loose a picture of Teague, she reminded herself they had a good thing going, and it was best to keep things as they were.
No matter what, her inner romantic whispered on occasion.
Several hours later, Teague gathered his tools and was relieved that he had managed to install the security system before night fell. Striding toward his truck, he noticed Tancy petting a dog. “Where did you find your friend?”
“She wandered over and decided that she liked my company.”
“Not surprising.” He patted the retriever’s head and thought about her uncanny ability to attract every animal within a twenty-five-mile radius. “Are you going to try and take this one home?”
“No. She has a collar.” Frowning, she pursed her lips. “I’m not a dog napper, and it’s unnecessary to continually bring up the one time my good deed was misdirected. I didn’t know that the puppy had a home, and the minute I discovered my mistake, I returned him immediately.”
The dog looked between them and then trotted off. “I didn’t bring up a thing, so don’t pin your latent guilt on my shoulders.”
“They’re huge, and I doubt you’d notice if I parked a bloody house on them,” she mumbled quietly.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He ignored the innocent smile she tried to sell and thought about getting a dog they could share. There were quite a few at the shelter, and a furry companion might be just the thing to keep Tancy occupied and off TikTok.
“I see your wheels turning and am afraid to ask what it will mean for my future.”
“I’m not the plotter of wild schemes in this relationship. You are,” he stated firmly.
“Which makes you incredibly lucky since many of my good intentions are for your benefit.”
“I know you believe that.” Seeing her eyes narrow told him a change of subject was in order, so he waved toward Laura’s house. “The system is fully operational, and we won’t have to come back tomorrow. Laura and her kids are secure. No one can breach the perimeter, and anyone who tries will be captured in high definition.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed his arm. “Do you want to grab a pizza, or should I reheat the lasagna from the other day?”
“I vote for the lasagna. There’s an episode of Murders In The Building that we haven’t seen yet.”
“About that…”
“Did you break our rule?” He set his tool bag in the back of the truck. “You made me swear up and down that I wouldn’t cheat and watch one of our shows alone. You threatened death and dismemberment.”
“I don’t recall using those specific words.”
“There was talk of a blood oath,” he said, helping her into the truck.
“Were we deep into a Scottish historical series when I allegedly made the statement? Because if so, then it was just hyperbole.”
“It’s hard to recall.” He buckled her seatbelt and filled his lungs with her jasmine scent. “You’re just going to have to rewatch the episode because I know how you feel about breaking promises.”
“I was planning to. And not because I missed quite a few of the clues.” She tilted her head. “Should we amend the rule? Now that you’ve got so many lovely women vying for your company, we may not be spending as much time together.”
“I have no interest in changing anything.” He stepped closer, studying the constellation of freckles that decorated her nose. “Do you want to switch things up?”
“I might not have a choice because when you revive your dating life, I’ll be left with home renovation shows and little else.” She fixed the collar of his shirt. “I don’t want to be left in the Sahara of entertainment options.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed her hand and quietly accepted that he was about to make some uncomfortable eye contact with the idea that this was it for him. Francis Marigold Foster was going to change his life, and the sooner he accepted it, the better.
FIVE
The following evening, Tancy studied the crowd and was proud of herself for breaking out of her usual routine. The neighborhood hot spot was buzzing, and so was she. The bar’s honky tonk meets Vegas vibe was on point and made her realize that she didn’t need to be such a devoted homebody. “We should do this more often.”
Faith lifted her drink. “I will remind you of that statement the next time you’re glued to Netflix and refuse to come out.”