Curling up in the corner of the couch again, Cassidy answered, “It depends on my mood.”
Jason asked, “What did your husband write?”
Grady frowned. “Your husband was a writer?”
Cassidy raised her brows with a small, proud smile. Her gaze fell on her neighbor and glanced off again, feeling singed. Looking into Jason’s calming eyes, she answered, “Suspense thrillers.”
“Elijah Teague?” Jason asked.
Cassidy answered, “Yes. Why?”
“I’ll look him up. I want to read something he wrote.”
She clenched her jaw, the comment touching her. Joining her book club of one had been a joke, but his statement choked her up. He watched her patiently, recognizing the emotion in her eyes. When the moment passed, she took a breath and offered, “Or, I could give you a book.”
Jason blinked. “Seriously?”
A laugh escaped her. “We have plenty of extras.” She caught herself and rephrased, “Ihave extras.”
“I’d love it; thanks.” He placed a hand briefly on her thigh, comforting her.
“Can I get in on that?” Grady asked.
Cassidy teased Jason, “Oh look, a real book club.”
He threw back his golden head and laughed.
Ducking her head, she peeked at Mac from beneath lowered lashes. His inscrutable attention was on her. Trying to draw another expression from him other than intensely watchful, she ventured, “I’d offer you one, but you’ve already stolen my dog.”
“There for the taking,” he shot back.
Raising her head to look at him straight-on, she countered, “You can’t just commandeer someone’s dog.”
Mac looked at Fred; Fred looked at Mac, tongue lolling out of his mouth. “He seems happy. Maybe we need to discuss custody.”
“Custody? He’s not your dog!”
“I dunno,” he said. “Fred!” Fred leaped to his feet, staring expectantly at Mac. “Wanna go home with me, boy? Bark twice for yes.” Mac made another subtle hand gesture. Fred barked two times.
“Mac, dude,” Jason said, shaking his head, but he couldn’t hide the laugh in his tone.
Mac shrugged. “You heard him yourself; he wants to come home with me.”
“You re-trained my dog,” she accused.
Mac deflected, “Not re-trained; enhanced. Who names a dog Fred, anyway?”
Fred barked again at his name. Mac grabbed him and pulled him in, flipping him and giving him a rough belly rub, cooing about what a good boy he was while Fred snorted and wiggled in his arms.
Cassidy stared in horror. He’druinedher dog—a trained guard dog was frolicking on the ground. Belatedly, she answered, “Elijah. He wanted two dogs: Fred and Ginger.”
“That’s kind of awesome,” Grady admitted. “Where’s Ginger?”
Her sharp look back asked,Where’s Elijah?
“Tell you what,” Mac said as though oblivious to the tension shooting through the air. “I’ll give you primary custody if you grant me access rights to the dock once I get a boat.”
“Are you insane?”