Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay #7)(13)

Sadie.

Caleb hesitated before knocking, not wanting to startle her. But he was on borrowed time, so in the end, he knocked as lightly as he could.

The foot jerked.

Barking sounded.

Then the foot hit the floor, attached to the rest of the body that came with it.

Sadie, wearing loose-fitting black pj bottoms with skulls all over them, a heart-stopping pale gray camisole top, and a deranged expression on her face that said she’d been sleeping and sleeping deeply and was slightly confused.

The dog at her feet wasn’t. Lollipop caught sight of Caleb and came running toward the window at a surprising speed given she was working with only three legs. She scratched at the door to get to him, wide-awake and clearly trying to bark the situation under control.

Sadie continued to just stare at him as if in a stupor, making no move toward the door.

Clearly she was sleeping in the shop for whatever reason, and he wished he knew why. If he came right out and asked, he knew she’d shut down so he did his best to look nonthreatening. He held up the two coffee to-go cups he’d picked up from the courtyard coffee place. He sipped one, licked his lips, and smiled enticingly.

Apparently caffeine was the way to her heart, because that’s what got her moving to the door. Turning back for a moment, as if to look and see if he’d been able to watch her sleeping, he caught sight of a small, almost dainty infinity sign tattooed on the back of her shoulder. Then she was holding his gaze again as she unlocked and opened the door.

“What the actual hell,” she said, voice thick and raspy.

And sexy. He could see more of her than he ever had before, including the pretty script tattooed around her ankle. Thanks to his prescription sunglasses he was able to read, The things that make me different . . . That was all he caught before the words wrapped around her ankle out of sight, but he knew the quote from Winnie the Pooh.

The things that make me different are the things that make me . . .

Caleb set down the coffees on the magazine table and hunkered low to greet Lollipop. She was maybe thirty pounds of pure happiness given how she wriggled all over, trying to get closer to him.

“It’s the middle of the night,” Sadie said.

Caleb opened his mouth to speak, and was French-kissed by Lollipop. “Thanks,” he said and then spoke to Sadie. “It’s six thirty.”

“Like I said, middle of the night. Why are you here?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“So you thought you’d make sure I couldn’t either?”

He handed her one of the two hot coffees and found himself amused when she snatched at it like it was the elixir of life. After a few deep pulls of the magic potion, she drew a deep breath and let it out.

“So,” he said. “Not a morning person, huh?”

“I would be if mornings started at noon.” She drank deeply again and the rest of the fog faded from her eyes, replaced by surprise. “You added the exact right amount of vanilla cream.”

He nodded.

She was watching him carefully. “Feels like a bribe.”

He raised a brow. “Why would I need to bribe you?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

Still balanced on the balls of his feet with the dog plastered up against the front of him, he shrugged. “I wanted to see you.”

“You mean you wanted to see Lollipop?”

He lifted his gaze and met hers. “Her too. And I’m not sold on that name.”

“She’s a stray. What would a guy like you care about her name?”

He paused, stroking Lollipop, learning how she liked to be touched—which was basically in every way possible. “A name’s important. Has she eaten?”

“Yes,” she said. “About four times her weight. Then she pooped twice that.”

Caleb rubbed his jaw to the top of Lollipop’s soft head, which she tucked into his neck. “You bathed her,” he said.

“To help warm her up last night. We showered together. It was quite the adventure.”

Annnnnnnddd now he was picturing her in the shower. Lollipop squirmed to be freed and he let her go.

She immediately set about chasing her tail. She bashed into a wall and then a chair, which didn’t slow her down.

“Why is she chasing her tail?” he asked.

“Because she can.”

Lollipop stopped chasing her tail and toppled over. She panted for a few beats and then . . . went back to doing wheelies, stopping every few circles to smile up at him. She was excited to see him, he realized, and while she continued to go absolutely bonkers, he felt that same odd tightening in the region of his chest as he had last night. When she toppled over again, he scooped her up.

She immediately starting swimming through the air with her three legs, trying to get to his face, so he pulled her closer. She settled right in and set her head on his shoulder, and his heart rolled over and exposed its underbelly. He actually didn’t even know what to do with all the feelings. How the hell did people do this? “I thought I’d take her to get checked out,” he said. “Make sure she’s okay, and then—”

“I’m not giving her back to whatever asshole deserted her on the streets,” Sadie said.

“Agreed. But I want to get her to a vet and go from there.”

“How are you going to get her into a vet this early?”