Top Dog

“Well, the inside stuff’s easy to take care of. You can save some of your money, and I’ll do it for you.”

“Brian, I can’t ask you to do that.”

“All the stuff you rattled off is easy. I can get Tanya to watch Lanie, or you can watch her while I go do it. The walls and the floor? Done in four days, max. We can hang your artwork together once you figure out where you want it, and electrical work and wires are easy. You buy the equipment for your money-making, and I’ll get it installed.”

I was floored by his outpouring of support. My hand meandered over to his thigh and settled on the thickness of his muscles. I squeezed him lightly, and it drew his gaze toward me, and he grinned down at me before he turned his eyes back toward the road. Having his support meant more to me than he understood. Having him watch my back and offer to help took even more of a burden off my shoulders. I had been thinking of hiring people to do it or doing it myself. But I knew Brian would take great care and pride in his work.

It would save me money as well as heartache, and the fact that he was willing to do it left me speechless.

“Where does the new business owner want to eat?” he asked.

“Anywhere you wish,” I said.

“Oh, no. This is your moment. We had mine yesterday. We’re having yours today.”

“But if you remember correctly, I picked yesterday,” I said.

“You have a point,” he said flatly.

“So, with that said, lead the way, handsome.”

I watched his eyes sparkle as he whipped a U-turn in the middle of the road. Lanie squealed with delight, and I gripped onto his thigh, bracing myself against the door as we started going in the other direction. Apparently, Brian knew exactly where he wanted to take us to celebrate.

CHAPTER 32

BRIAN

The lunch with Lanie and Amanda was fantastic. I took them to a great restaurant where we ate like kings while we talked all about Amanda’s plans for the gallery. She told me about her vision as Lanie snuggled in her lap, and as the conversation flowed by it was close to dinner before we even thought about leaving. We drove up the mountain as Lanie talked about watching a movie, then the three of us settled in for a rousing evening of Lanie’s favorite.

Snow fucking White.

I could recite that entire thing by heart. I knew every part that made her laugh and every part that made her scared. I could sing all the songs with her, and I could fake surprise whenever something happened that made Lanie jump. I loved how much she enjoyed that movie, but I sometimes wished she had another one she enjoyed just as much.

Eventually, Lanie started getting tired. The sun had set, and the movie had ended, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. I went to go pick Lanie up and put her to bed, but Amanda swatted me away before she got up.

“You stay here. I’ve got it.”

I listened as Amanda tucked Lanie in. I heard her singing lightly to my niece as I readied the stage for our conversation. I opened up a bottle of wine and poured us both a nice, tall glass, and by the time Amanda was tip-toeing out of Lanie’s room I was standing at the end of the hallway with one in my hand.

Our eyes locked momentarily as a mood settled upon Amanda features. Her eyes grew somber, and her shoulders rolled back. She was readying herself for the talk we promised each other we would have, and it was about time. We had a lot to discuss, and I had a lot that she needed to know.

“Thanks,” she said as she took the wine.

We sat down on the couch and silence descended over us. I had started a fire in the fireplace to try and set some sort of relaxing mood and take the chill out of the air. I wasn’t good at this kind of shit. I wasn’t good at opening up to people. And now, I was supposed to tell this woman who I’d only known for a couple of weeks that I had feelings for her.

“Do you want me to start?” Amanda asked.

“Actually, I was hoping you’d let me,” I said.

“Okay. Go ahead. Say whatever you need to say.”

I took a deep breath before beginning. “First off, I want to start by thanking you for everything you’ve done for Lanie and me.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me,” she said, giggling. “I was happy to do it.”

“The lengths you were willing to go to, though, not many people would be willing to do what you did.”

My words faltered for a minute as I stared at the beauty that sat quietly across from me. Her body was close enough for me to touch, but her mind seemed a thousand miles away. I was truly freaked that if I told her I was in love with her, she would run. But somehow, deep down, I didn’t think she would