On cue, Eddie folded his front legs, and rested his chin on the tile.
“He’s well trained,” Lisa said, looking up at Jackson. “Somebody must be missing him.”
“I guess. We’ve put in feelers at the vets and the animal shelter. If they find the owners, they’ll let me know.”
“You should put an advertisement up,” she said. “Maybe post in the community Facebook page. Somebody has to know who he is. I bet his
owners are missing him.” She stroked Eddie’s head. “Because you’re a gorgeous little thing, aren’t you? Especially with that cute neckerchief.” She pulled at it. “Was he wearing this when you found him?”
Jackson swallowed hard. “No.”
She grinned. “So you bought it for him?”
“Kind of. It’s a long story.” One he didn’t intend to share with his assistant. If she ever found out he had a matching neckerchief in his bottom drawer at home, he’d never live it down. “Hey, why don’t you take his photo and post it wherever you suggested. And while you’re at it, I took a look at those résumés you gave me. There’s three I think are worth an interview. I spoke to Derrick, and he said he’d be happy to ask the technical questions when you interview them.”
Lisa slowly looked up, her eyes wide. “You looked at the résumés?” she asked, her voice lifting with surprise.
“Yeah. You asked me to, so I did.”
“But you never do anything I ask.”
Jackson shrugged. “Maybe you asked nicely this time.”
“And maybe you’re some kind of cyborg that Jackson created so he can toy with my emotions.” Her brows knit together as she walked over and tapped him on the head with her knuckles.
“Ow, that hurts.” He shot her a dirty look. “What was that for?”
“You can’t fool me. I’ve seen Ex Machina. In fact, I think I saw it at your house when we had that team building session. How do I know you are who you say you are and not a robot version of yourself?”
“Because I’m the only one who can drive you crazy like this. A cyborg couldn’t do that. And anyway, if I was a robot, wouldn’t Eddie notice? Dogs always bark at robots in the movies.”
“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe. But I’m keeping my eyes on you, Jackson Lewis. Just in case.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He shook his head. But Lisa was too busy angling her phone and sweet talking Eddie again as she snapped photos of the dog, ready to upload to the community social media page.
And that was a good thing, wasn’t it? Jackson didn’t need any ties. Not when he had a business to run. Lisa made kissy sounds at Eddie, who wasn’t having any of it, refusing to look up at her no matter how sweet she tried to talk to him.
After she finally gave up and just took some shots, Eddie gave a little growl and ambled back to Jackson, lifting his soulful eyes up to look at his almost-kind-of master, before resting his chin on Jackson’s thighs.
Damn, it was hard to resist him. Jackson stroked Eddie’s brow, unable to hide his grin when Eddie almost purred like a cat with contentment.
“Okay, I’ve uploaded them,” Lisa said. “I put the office phone in for the contact details, since you barely ever answer your phone.”
Eddie’s eyes drooped, even though he was still standing, his head resting on Jackson. “Thanks,” Jackson said, patting him with one hand, while typing with the other.
“No problem. But when I find his real home I expect a bonus.”
Weird how that made Jackson’s stomach contract. Maybe he was worried for Lydia. She liked Eddie so much she made them purchase matching neckerchiefs, after all.
Yeah, well Lydia’s only here until next week. The ache in his guts increased, making Jackson blink as he read the email in front of him.
Soon, Lydia would be flying off to Europe, and Eddie would more than likely be reunited with his owners. That would leave Jackson alone again. And that was exactly the way he liked things.
Wasn’t it?
8
Lydia felt like she’d been walking for days, even though her watch told her it had been just over an hour and a half. When she’d set out, the sun had been high in the sky, a huge golden disc reflecting yellow ripples across the ocean. Now it was burnished, slipping down the horizon, shading everything orange and pink.