At least I know there’s one friendly face waiting on the other side of that door. Zeus might be Sterling’s dog now, but I’d been his favorite volunteer, and he’d been my favorite dog. When I knock on the door, I hear a muffled bark coming from inside and heavy footfall, followed by the scraping of claws on tile. The door cracks open and the top of Sterling’s head pokes through. “Stay Zeus.”
I can’t help but smile. I can hear Zeus jumping up on the other side of the door. Maybe he’s not taking to Sterling as his new owner yet.
“What’s gotten into you?” Sterling asks, still not paying any attention to me. “Can you smell the chicken?”
“Fresh out of chicken,” I say dryly. “He probably smells me.”
Sterling looks up, the mask of smugness he usually wears temporarily displaced by surprise. “Adair?”
“Don’t get cocky,” I warn him. “I’m here to see Zeus.”
“I thought you were my lunch.”
He looks at me like he might devour me anyway. Dozens of memories batter against the levee I’ve built around my heart, bursting past it and flooding through me. I remember those eyes—how they would burn like blue flames when our bodies were slick with sweat, his skin on mine. Moments from a lifetime ago that feel like yesterday. Whatever it was between us, it’s here now, dashing any illusion I held that I’m over Sterling Ford.
Some loves never leave you, even after you break each other. Because when two hearts shatter into a million pieces, you can’t pick up what’s left of yours without mixing it up with some of theirs. Years ago I gathered myself from the wreckage of us, taking some of him with me. And if I did that—if I wedged the mismatched pieces of him into the remnants of my heart—then he did the same with the parts of me he took.
That’s how you survive broken love: you accept those transplanted pieces and hope it’s enough to keep your heart beating.
Sterling turns his face away, breaking the connection. “I’d let you in, but Zeus won’t let me open the door.”
I take a deep breath and sternly say, “Zeus, sit!”
The frantic clamoring on the other side of the door stops.
“How did you do that?” Sterling asks, swinging it open, so that I can step inside. As soon as I’m through it, the dog jumps on me and lands a slobbery kiss on my chin.
“Zeus and I have an understanding,” I explain. “If he wants love, he’s got to treat me with respect.”
“Is that how you earn it?” Sterling asks, leaning against the wall.
I bypass the subtle dig. Without his eyes boring into mine, I can think clearly. I’m here on business. Shelby needs me to do this. She needs Sterling to continue supporting the shelter. I can swallow my pride for a few minutes, do my best, and hope he doesn’t hold it against them that they sent me as their messenger.
The condo is exactly what I’d expect from what I’ve seen of the building. Large and open with an airy vibe from the bank of never-ending windows. It’s the picture of wealth and success, save for a scattered heap of wet towels trailing into the living room from an open door. Sterling follows my gaze, his mouth carving into a lopsided grin. “I tried to give Zeus a bath.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“He might have liked it a little too much,” Sterling admits. He points to his attire and I realize his faded jeans are wet with paw prints. His white v-neck is similarly soaked, clinging a bit too temptingly against his muscular torso. I force my eyes back to Zeus, who’s got his front paws on my shoulders.
You’re here for a reason!
“Valmont Animal Rescue asked me to stop by and thank you for your generous donation.” Zeus settles at my feet and I lean to scratch his head. “They also wanted to make sure that you two were getting along okay.”
“Do you have to do this for everyone?”
“I think you’re the only one who took home his prize,” I say. “Usually, people just want to make a show of it at these things.”
“Yeah, well, Poppy said this guy was having a hard time finding a home.”
The edge of pain undercuts his words. Sterling knows what it’s like to be without a home. He knows what it’s like to wait for someone to want you—for everything to always feel temporary.
Shame washes through me. I’m so arrogant that I assumed this thing with Zeus was an attack aimed at me. I didn’t stop to consider how Sterling might have felt sitting there and watching cast-offs paraded around so that my rich friends could compete to look like the most charitable of the lot.
“I’m supposed to talk you into sponsorship,” I tell him, feeling weary of this game we’re playing.
“How forthright of you,” he says. “How do you think you’re going to do that?”
“I have no idea,” I admit.
“A brutally honest answer.” He saunters toward the kitchen, turning with an arched eyebrow. “Coming?”
Hearing that word from his lips sends indecent thoughts tumbling through my brain. I want to shake them loose before they launch their poison into my resolve. Sterling Ford might be back in town. There might be decent bits inside of him. But that doesn’t change anything between us. Not after what happened.
I follow him to the kitchen area and stand with my arms crossed.
“Feel free to
