He didn’t recognize the car but kept to a walk, not wanting to push Bella too hard in this heat. As he drew closer, whoever sat on the wicker chair rose, and he realized a woman stood waiting for him. A slender woman with blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, sunglasses covering her eyes, and a sleeveless dress that hugged familiar curves walked down the three steps to the path leading to the driveway.
Sasha.
Fuck.
She looked beautiful. The black dress was cute and fitted, with sunflowers on the skirt and a small one on the tight top, ending just above the knee. With her hair back, she appeared young and as vulnerable as she had the night they’d met. His heart, already beating hard from his run, picked up speed, and he damned the effect she had on him.
He had no intention of rushing and giving her the wrong impression, but his dog hadn’t gotten the memo and she took off at a run. Traitor.
Bella had failed at becoming an emotional service dog because she hadn’t been able to ignore distractions, as proven by her run and now jump on Sasha. Since Xander’s issues weren’t serious in comparison to many who’d enlisted and come home, Xander had chosen Bella and her quirks, leaving the trained dogs to those who might need them more.
“Bella, down!”
At the sound of his voice and command, his girl placed all four paws on the ground and sat, but she quivered with the need to jump on their guest again.
“Sorry,” Xander said to Sasha. “She’s a little exuberant, even with strangers.”
She treated him to a soft smile. “It’s okay. She’s sweet.” She reached out and petted his dog’s head. “What’s her name?”
“Bella.”
“Meaning beautiful in any language,” Sasha murmured, obviously aware that the name was Latin and related in some way to that word in all the Romance languages.
She was beautiful. Not just his dog but Sasha herself. The woman who didn’t care if a dog with dusty paws, dirty from a run, jumped on her designer dress. Because she could now afford to upgrade her clothes, and this outfit looked high quality, unlike the Target outfits she’d attempted to dress up once upon a time.
And he didn’t want to notice anything about her. Not the good similarities to the past or the changes in the present. “What are you doing here?” he asked in a gruffer voice than he’d used before.
She folded her arms across her chest, running her palms over her bare skin on her forearms. “I thought we should talk.” She lifted one delicate shoulder as if that explained everything. “You know, because we’ll be working together.”
Not if he could help it. He intended to stay far away. “A little warning before showing up would have been nice.”
To her credit, she didn’t flinch. But then she was an actress. It was easy to pretend.
“Why? So you could make sure you weren’t home? Or make certain you didn’t come back?” Her gaze traveled over him, her eyes darkening at the sight of him in his running shorts, tank, and sneakers.
She clearly liked what she saw. So did he, but sexual attraction meant nothing in the wake of hurt and fundamental differences.
At the reminder, he let out a groan. The sooner they talked, the sooner she’d get in her rental car and leave. Buying time, he glanced over to the lush green lawn where Bella was sniffing the grass. He had no doubt he was going to wind up with another brown spot, because another thing about Bella, she squatted where it suited her.
Women, he thought to himself, frustrated. They always got their way.
“What did you want to discuss?” he asked coldly. Because he couldn’t imagine he and Sasha had much to say to each other.
She met his gaze and lifted her glasses, revealing those stunning blue eyes he’d always been able to get lost in.
“I can’t get into character if I’m on edge because you’re being an ass and glaring at me.” The first glimmer of insecurity flashed in her eyes. “I thought we could…”
“I’m not rehashing the past,” he said, cutting her off.
She swallowed hard. “Fine. Then can we call a truce? Look,” she said, reaching out as if to touch him and immediately snatching her hand back. “I need your input on Amanda’s character. It’s something I like to do when I’m in a movie based on a novel and the author is going to be on set. It’s important I meet everyone’s expectations. Including yours.”
Goddammit. Xander might be able to put up a wall between them personally, but he was being a dick professionally and that wasn’t acceptable. If she couldn’t play the part because of him, the movie based on his novel would suffer. She probably knew she had him on that point but was smart enough not to show it with a smirk or knowing look.