New Year Second Chance

Jenna snorts. “Like you’d need pizza or Uber if you could afford this place.”

Right.

She puts a hand on her hip as she throws her gaze around. “This must be expensive.” Then she looks at me. “What do you do, again?”

Come to think of it, I haven’t told her anything about my job. Well, she hasn’t expressed any interest before now. I take this as a good sign.

“I run a company.”

Jenna’s eyes grow wide. “You mean CEO?”

What did she think I was?

“Yes.”

She taps her fingers on the table. “I didn’t know you wanted to be a businessman.”

I didn’t. I wanted to be a scientist stuck in a laboratory trying to discover something that could change the face of medicine and the fate of humanity. Now, I employ them instead.

“It’s another way to make a difference in the world,” I say.

And a way to make my own name so I can live by my own rules.

“What does your company do?” Jenna asks.

“We’re in pharmaceuticals, so yeah, I’m still applying what I’ve learned.”

She nods. “No wonder you’re rich.”

I shrug.

She sits on the back of the couch and lets out a breath. After glancing over her shoulder, though, she gasps and nearly loses her balance. I lean forward to help her, but she manages to steady herself and get on her feet. She still looks rattled, though.

“Is that… your dog?” she points at the Great Dane on the rug.

I forgot. I haven’t introduced them. My bad.

“Yes.” I reach down to pat his head. “This is Duke. He’s two.”

Jenna’s eyebrows go up. “Just two?”

“Great Danes are giant dogs,” I inform her. “But don’t worry. They are very gentle. At least, Duke is.”

He doesn’t even seem the least bit bothered by Jenna’s presence, content to laze in front of the fire.

Jenna peers over the couch to look at him. “He does seem harmless.”

“Yup.” I give Duke another pat. “We’ve got that in common.”

She snorts.

I guess it’s not that easy for me to regain her complete trust. That’s fine. At least she’s here with me. That’s a step in the right direction.

Jenna continues to look at Duke.

“You can pet him, you know,” I tell her as I stroke Duke behind the ears. “I promise he won’t bite.”

She hesitates.

“Come on.” I gesture for her to come closer. “Don’t be scared.”

Jenna draws a deep breath and goes around the couch. She kneels on the rug a foot away from Duke, who pricks his ears and looks at her curiously.

“Closer,” I say.

She inches closer but stops when Duke lifts his head.

I pet him. “It’s okay, boy. It’s just Jenna.”

Jenna arches an eyebrow.

“Well, not just Jenna. But… well, someone I’ve told you about a thousand times.”

Jenna looks surprised. “Really?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

“And what exactly have you told Duke about me?” she asks.

I grin. “I think that’s between Duke and me.”

“Oh.”

“You know, between man and man’s best friend.”

She looks disappointed. “I see.”

“I’m not saying dogs can only be a man’s best friend, though. I bet Duke could be your best friend, too, if you let him.”

Duke stares at Jenna.

“I think that’s what he’s trying to say right now.”

Jenna glances at me suspiciously. “You’re not using Duke to try to soften me up, are you?”

“No.”

I wouldn’t dare use a dog as a flirting aid, though now that Jenna’s mentioned it, maybe bringing Duke along was a good idea.

Jenna moves closer to Duke. Then she slowly reaches out her hand. When it hovers a few inches above Duke, he lifts his nose. Jenna pulls her hand away.

“It’s alright,” I assure her.

When she still seems scared, I grasp her wrist and bring her hand towards Duke’s nose until her fingers brush against it. He sniffs them and puts his head back down on the rug. I lower Jenna’s hand until it’s touching his fur. Then I let it go.

Jenna lets out the breath she’s been holding as she starts to stroke Duke’s fur. He closes his eyes. She smiles.

“I told you he’s a good boy,” I tell her.

She continues to pet him. “Does he live here?”

“No. I had someone bring him here so he could have a vacation, too. Besides, he gets lonely when I’m not around.”

“Is that right, Duke?” Jenna speaks to Duke in a baby voice as she strokes his ears.

He doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, I can almost tell he likes it.

“And here I thought it would just be the two of us,” Jenna says.

“Are you disappointed?” I ask her.

“No.” She leans over to plant a kiss on Duke’s fur. “I feel safer already. You’ll keep me safe, won’t you, Duke? You’ll be my friend, right?”

Jenna strokes his neck. He turns over to show his belly, which she happily scratches.

“Oh, look. We’re getting along superbly already.”

Too superbly, I think with a tinge of jealousy. Maybe bringing Duke wasn’t the best idea after all.