“I bet you’re tired. You know what would be perfect to help you unwind? A short walk and some fresh air, with someone who’s missed you all day and been dying to see you when you get home.”
He looks at me, his eyes flashing with puzzlement beneath his brows.
“A canine companion.” I beam at him, then look to Natalia.
“I don’t follow.”
“Babe.” I roll my eyes and place my hand on his knee. “We’ve spoken about this. How much you’d love to get a dog as soon as the election is over? Natalia has been so helpful giving me information about breeds. She’s been amazing.” Reed looks at me like I have a screw loose, his brows jerking up. I want to elbow him in the ribs and tell him to catch up. I’m creating his perfect future right here. Marital bliss with a lovely, beautiful woman who has her own business. For someone ridiculously intelligent, he can be stupidly slow.
I incline my head toward Natalia, widening and blinking my eyes subtly. “Natalia has some suggestions on where we can look for a dog. In fact, maybe the two of you could start the hunt this Saturday? I have this thing with Suze, so I can’t make it.” I feign disappointment in my voice. “But that doesn’t mean the two of you can’t go together.”
“I think you’d both need to meet any dogs to make sure,” Natalia says.
“Oh, we will. But you two could get started without me.” My eyes are still on Reed’s as he frowns at me.
“Do you have something in your eye? You keep blinking.” He cups my chin with strong, warm fingers and studies my right eye.
“No.” I shrug out of his grasp and his lips straighten into a firm line before he turns to Natalia and gives her his practiced, polite smile.
“Thank you, Natalia. It’s very kind of you to offer your help. But I agree, Harley and I should wait for a date when we are both available before we take the next step.”
I groan inwardly at how dense he’s being. It’s the perfect opportunity for them to get to know one another better. Can he not see that? He’s going to be pining over his bitch of an ex, Bea, forever at this rate.
“It’s no problem. Let me know if you have any more questions, Harley. We can have coffee again and go through anything you think of.”
“Thank you,” I say to Natalia as she stands and Reed says goodbye.
I chat a little longer with her as I walk her out. Then I stomp back down the hallway into the living area.
“What was that?” I huff as I throw my ass down onto the sofa.
Reed keeps his head tilted down to the paper he’s holding and looks at me from under his brows, over the top of his glasses.
Damn it. Why does he have to wear them around the house?
I scowl at him as I struggle to concentrate. I have images of him ripping his shirt open and there being a giant ‘S’ there, before he flies out of the window to save a cat from a burning building.
He looks at me for a few seconds before calmly folding the newspaper and placing it down on top of the coffee table. Then he leans back into the sofa.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” I stick my bottom lip out and fold my arms across my chest.
“We are not getting a dog. But I think you already know that. What do you want me to say?” He looks at me, waiting.
“Why didn’t you want to spend Saturday with Natalia? She’s clever, driven… and blonde,” I add, arching a brow at him.
“You want to know why I don’t want to spend Saturday with a woman I barely know, looking at dogs I am not getting?”
I have his complete attention as I sulk like a child. “Exactly. She’s perfect. You could get to know her more in a friendly capacity now, and then the foundations are laid for once the election is over.”
“The foundations are laid for what? We’re not getting a dog, even after the elections, Harls.”
He takes off his glasses and drops them on top of the newspaper, pressing his thumb and finger into his eyes. He looks tired again. He’s working so hard that guilt gnaws at my stomach for a second that I’m pressuring him. But I force it away. I’m doing him a favor. This is his long-term happiness. He needs this, and he will thank me one day for being persistent. And frankly, the idea that Bea was the last person to hold even a tiny piece of his heart has me ready to do anything to make that not the case. To find someone new, erase her and the hurt she caused him.
“Forget about the dog,” I almost shout in frustration. “I mean you and her. The two of you. Dating in the future.”
Reed halts his assault on his eyes, and he drops his hand to stare at me. “I’m dating you.”
“Fake dating.” I sigh. “What about after, when this is all over? Then what will you do?”