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She tilts her head and stares into my eyes. "That's very kind of you."
"It's nothing." Now Henry might freak out when I come home with a dog, but I don't mind adopting him. I like him.
"What will you name him?" she asks me.
Hmm. I hadn't thought of it. He's mostly white and really scruffy. We're at an ice cream shop. "Blizzard," I say.
"Blizzard?"
"Sure."
She pets his head. "Hi, Blizzard."
A piercing yowl of a child interrupts us. The dog looks and jumps so hard, he yanks the table over. We have to hold our cones up to keep them from getting whacked by the table.
A little girl in a flowery dress runs over and embraces the dog as he licks her face like crazy. Looks like he found his owner. A pang of disappointment rumbles in my chest. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
"This your dog?" I untie him and hand the girl's mother the leash as she walks up.
"Yes. Thank you so much. Where did you find him?"
"He went for a run on the beach," Mila says with a smile.
The owner laughs. "He does that! He's so naughty. Well, thank you so much for bringing him back."
"No problem," I say. I'm happy the dog found his owner and for a brief second, I held a fragile possibility of a future with Mila that included us enjoying the love of a dog together.
"C'mon, Humphrey." The little girl walks away holding the dog's leash, and the mom hugs her shoulders.
Mila's lips sputter, fighting full-on laughter. "Humphrey?"
I shake my head. "Poor dog. Coulda been a Blizzard. Now he's just a Humphrey."
"I'm glad he found his people." Her gaze drops down and her smile becomes stiff. She feels the same disappointment I feel for the lost chance at a future.
"Me too."
***
Back at the truck, the sun's setting over Callihan's Beach. I like being around her. I like watching her eyes take everything in and waiting for her reactions. I've managed to keep my hands off her today, but I'm aching to feel her skin and kiss her again.
"Let's get dinner tonight."
She pauses and grimaces as she fishes in her pocket for her car keys. "I, uh… I have to get back to the house."
"Tell him you're having dinner with a friend." I step closer to her until her back leans against the side of her Jetta.
She bites her lip and removes her shades to look me in the eye. "I shouldn't push it. We're on a family vacation. We're supposed to spend quality time together." She rolls her eyes.
I wonder what quality time looks like at the Bianchi vacation home. I doubt they're playing board games around a coffee table. Ugh. The thought of coffee table reminds me of her stupid bruises, and I want to punch a hole right through her car window. Forget staying away, she needs me in her space right now.
She gasps as I push in closer, lining us up, and pressing my weight on her. She feels hot and smells sweet mixed with sweat. Even her perspiration is pretty. I worked up a good stink, but she's not pushing me away. "Come back for a workout here tomorrow."
Her chest rises and falls with her sigh. "I'll be too sore to do this again."
She's making excuses. "Rest a day. Come back the day after tomorrow. I'll let you set the pace." I tuck a flyaway hair back behind her ear, but the wind whips it out again.
Her gaze darts left and right, checking to see if anyone is watching. There's a few people in the parking lot, but no one is looking at us. "Mmm. Okay. Yes. Day after tomorrow. Same time?"
