Kirk struggled with the squirming creature, no bigger than a guinea pig, white, with a black button nose and eyes that were still baby-dog blue. He winced as it nipped him. “Ouch! Little brat. Those teeth are like needles!”
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Mary said. “Here. Wrap my scarf around him so he can’t bite you or get away.” Kirk wasn’t even a dog person; he knew nothing about taking care of a puppy. “You didn’t buy it, did you?”
“I just borrowed it for now, but I can buy it for you in a heartbeat.” He tried to hand the dog to her.
She took two big backward steps, hands raised in front of her like stop signs. “No. No way. I’m not touching him. Take him back to his mama.”
“Puppy!” came a child’s ecstatic voice, and then Davey ran toward them, closely pursued by his grandparents.
“You show the child the puppy, and then take it back where it came from,” Mary said. “I’m not ready.” Her voice choked a little on the last words.
Somewhere inside, she recognized that Kirk was trying to do a good thing. It was just that he was relentless and controlling, and Mary didn’t need another pushy person in her life right now.
She didn’t need to break her heart with another dog. Not until she’d assuaged her guilt and gotten Imogene soothed and sent away.
It seemed like that could take a long, long time.
CHAPTER FOUR
AMBER REACHED OUT and squeezed Mary’s shoulder. Mary was normally so poised, but right now, she seemed ready to fall apart. “You should take all the time you need before getting another dog. You’re the only one who can know when it’s time.” Mary had been deeply attached to her little dog, Baby. Kirk probably thought he was going to get in her good graces by giving her a puppy, but if she wasn’t ready, it wouldn’t work.
“What are you doing here?” Georgiana asked, frowning at Amber.
Amber lifted an eyebrow. “I do live in Pleasant Shores.”
“No, I mean, with Paul.” Georgiana’s eyes skimmed over Amber’s ripped jeans and Cancer Sucks T-shirt.
What a rude woman. Wealth obviously didn’t buy manners. Amber hadn’t even agreed to work with Paul, but just to spite them...without answering their question, she turned to Paul and plucked at his sleeve. “You know, I think I just made a decision. I’d be glad to work on the new project with you.”
Georgiana’s brows drew together and she looked at Paul, clearly trying to formulate her next impolite question.
Amber turned to Mary. “It’s a little chaotic here,” she said. “Wonder if the Gusty Gull is open yet?”
“I certainly hope so.” Mary took Amber’s arm, and the two of them headed down the street.
Pleasant Shores’ downtown—if it could be called that—consisted of a few shops and cafés along one side of Beach Street. Across the street was a bike path that ran for half a mile along the shoreline, dotted with green benches facing the water. Now, in November, the path was empty, and the few people out hurried toward their destinations. Beyond the bike path, docks jutted out into the bay and a few fishing boats were visible near the shore.
The Gusty Gull was the only bar that remained open throughout the entire off-season, and its owners took their mission seriously: they were not only open, but fairly busy. “Thank heavens,” Amber said as they made their way to a table in the back. “Davey’s grandparents hate me and I have no idea why.”
Mary waved at a few people and then took the chair across from Amber. “I know they’re around my age, but please tell me I’m not that kind of old person.”
“You’re not, believe me. I admire you.”
“Why, thank you, dear. Just for that, I’ll buy the first round.” They ordered fruity drinks and turned down food for the moment but kept their menus, since the fried fare smelled so good.
It was the first time the two of them had been together solo, but the conversation flowed and Amber soon found herself telling Mary some of what was going on with her. “I’m wanting an adventurous life,” she lamented, “but because of my health, I have to stay close to home for a while.”
Their drinks came and they both took long draws, and then Mary patted her hand. “I’m sorry you can’t take off traveling like you want to. But you know what Proust said? ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.’”
Mary was really smart, and it made sense that she was well-read, given that she owned a bookstore. Amber took another delicious sip. “The problem with the whole seeing with new eyes thing is that I see this hot family man, with nasty relatives and a troubled kid and problems of his own. That’s the kind of close-to-home adventure I can do without.”
“And I’m guessing that’s exactly why Paul’s parents were questioning your presence. They can see the way he looks at you and they don’t like it.”
“You really think he’s looking at me that way?” Amber asked, and then felt embarrassed that she’d blurted out the question. “Not that it matters,” she added. “And they’re his late wife’s parents, not his.”
“Even more understandable they’d be resistant to you.” Mary beckoned to the waitress and ordered fried shrimp and clams for them to nibble on. “He looks at you like forbidden fruit. Tempting and way too appealing.”
“Right? It figures.” Amber sighed. “I’ve always been that girl, the one men chase after for a fling, but don’t bring home to mama.” She shrugged. “I’ve come to terms with it. Sometimes, it’s a blessing.”
“With as fun and funny as you are, a man would be lucky to have you in his life, and so would his mama for that matter,” Mary said. “But I can’t blame you for wanting to keep your distance. Every problem
