Top Dog

And it confused me more than ever. This man was the most difficult person to read that I’d ever come in contact with. One moment we were rolling around in his bed talking about getting married, and the next he was asking me to leave, his voice devoid of all emotion. Then he calls to ask me to dinner and looks pleased when his niece calls me ‘mommy’. It was almost too much to wrap my head around.

We sat down to pizza and Lanie was insistent that I sit by her. I helped cut her pizza and rubbed her back as she ate. It broke my heart to see her not feeling well, and I wished there was something more I could do for her. When she’d barely eaten half of her dinner, I wiped the sauce from her face and cradled her head against my side where she rested it.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door and Brian immediately tensed. We shared a look that said, ‘who in the hell could that be?’ I picked Lanie up and held her close to me as Brian got up to answer the door.

From where I was sitting, I could see out onto the porch and I gasped at the sight that stood before Brian on the threshold.

“Sarah!” I exclaimed, rising from the table with Lanie in my arms.

My best friend stood in front of Brian with her hands on her hips, giving him the evil eye. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. Sarah was even shorter and more petite than I was, and the sight of her squaring off with a man of Brian’s size was nothing short of hilarious. Still, I was shocked by her presence.

“Sarah, what are you doing here?” I asked, going over to give her a hug.

Her eyes went to the little girl in my arms and I could see her gaze soften in an instant.

“You were sad, so I came,” she said, again turning a critical eye on Brian. “You weren’t at your place, so I figured you’d be here.”

“I can’t believe you came all the way here and up the mountain,” I said, overwhelmed by emotion.

“You’re my best friend, and you needed me. So here I am. You must be Brian,” she said, swinging her gaze back to him.

“I am,” he said, looking down at the small spitfire standing in his doorway.

“Well, are you going to let me in, or are you going to leave me out here to freeze my ass off on your porch?”

Brian chuckled low in his chest and stepped aside so S

arah could enter. She had dropped everything and flown here from New York, and I truly loved her for it. She stepped over the threshold and took off her coat and scarf, handing them to Brian as if he were the butler. The look on his face, had me stifling a giggle.

She was going to give him a run for his money.

“And this must be the lovely Lanie,” Sarah said, coming over to smooth the girl’s hair from her forehead.

“Yep,” Lanie replied. “Who are you?”

“I’m Sarah. Amanda here is my bestest friend in the whole wide world and I came to visit her,” Sarah said, smiling widely at the little girl.

“Uncle Bwian, I’m tired,” Lanie said.

“All right. Let me get the table cleaned up, and I’ll tuck you in,” Brian said.

“Could my new friend do it?” Lanie asked.

I watched Brian as his eyes ventured over toward Sarah and then to me. I nodded that Sarah would be fine with her.

“Sure,” he said. “If Sarah wants to tuck you in, she can.”

“Come here, beautiful,” Sarah said. “Let’s go clean you off with a warm washcloth before we get into some jammies.”

“No bath,” Lanie said.

“Nope. No bath. Just a warm washcloth to get the rest of that pizza sauce off your face and hands. Then we’ll wrap up you tight, lay you down, and I’ll read you a book. How does that sound?” Sarah asked.

“Good,” Lanie said sleepily.

Brian hovered the majority of the time Sarah was tucking Lanie in. He listened as they giggled at the sink and watched as Sarah put Lanie in her pajamas. He stood by the door as Sarah read her a book and was there when Sarah came tip-toeing out of Lanie’s room.

“She feels a little warm to me. Is she sick?” Sarah asked.