href="#fb3_img_img_f8a1e481-de26-5f7e-b30b-e59896f1b10d.jpg" alt="227874.jpg"/> Laura considered herself a fairly easy-going person. It usually took a lot to light her fuse—like the time Rose had “borrowed” her favorite yellow dress and spilled chocolate sauce and red wine on it, then stuffed it into a corner of Laura’s closet, hoping it wouldn’t be missed. It had taken a whole day for Laura to speak to Rose, and then only after a gift of s’mores.
In that case, Laura had been angry but not permanently so. What mattered was that Rose had been genuinely sorry. Seeing the remorse in her best friend’s eyes had wiped away her lingering anger.
There was something about Spencer Hodkins, though, that brought all of Laura’s nerves on edge. Maybe it was the way he’d called Frank a “mean dog,” when everybody who knew Frank loved him. Or maybe it was the high-handed way Spencer had looked at her when she’d suggested he download that classical music—like she was some kind of airhead.
Or maybe it was the fact that he was undeniably cute, and she wasn’t ready right now to find any guy cute.
In any case, the sooner he got out of her house, the happier she’d be. He’d sent off an email to the rental company. Now they just had to wait.
While they bided their time, there were more pressing matters to attend to, including feeding a very hungry dog.
“There you go, Frank,” she said as she poured kibble into his bowl. “Specialty of the house.”
The dog began to eat, blissfully unaware that the source of his owner’s irritation sat only ten feet away on a barstool at the kitchen counter. Laura hovered over Frank, more unwilling to get closer to Spencer than she was concerned for her pet’s appetite.
A chime sounded from Spencer’s laptop, drawing her attention.
“Ah, great,” he said. “The rental company just got back to us.”
Drawn by curiosity—and definitely not a need to sniff Spencer’s woodsy aftershave—she went to stand next to him and look at his computer screen. She had to lean close so she could read the email. That was the only reason she got into his personal space.
He read, “‘We will…’” He paused and glanced at her before edging back slightly. She pretended not to notice, even though it stung a little. Did she smell like wet dog, or something?
“‘We will look into the matter,’” Spencer said, “‘and get back to you.’”
“There we go. Problem solved.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a little optimistic.”
“I’m an optimistic person.”
“That’s not what I mean,” he said as if fighting exasperation. “That’s an automated response message. They probably didn’t even read my email.”
“Maybe you should have been a little more personal,” she said. He thinks he’s so smart. She waved at his laptop. “Here. May I?”
He looked skeptical, but said, “Be my guest.”
After pulling the computer closer to her, she began to type, speaking aloud for Spencer’s benefit. “‘Hi! How are you? I’m fine. I’m loving the house you found for me here in South Haven. Now, I don’t want to be a bother or anything, but I was wondering if you could help me with a little problem I’m having. You see, there’s this man who—’”
Before she could type any more, he tugged the laptop away from her. “Maybe we should just leave it as is.”
“I thought you wanted a reply.”
“I do,” he said in a maddeningly instructive tone, “but it’s a psychological fact that people respond better to polite, short exchanges on the internet than to long, drawn-out and weirdly chatty emails.”
Ugh. The nerve of this guy. “And you’re an expert on this?”
He straightened. “I am actually working toward my PhD in psychology right now.”
“Oh, really,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
“Really. I’m a TA at my university. I took this place to work on my dissertation.”
That explains why he acts like he knows everything. She fought to keep from rolling her eyes.
“And what do you do?” he asked like a dad quizzing his kid’s friend. “Are you in school?”
“No. I graduated last year. BA in business,” she added, just to prove to him that he wasn’t the only person with an education.
He appeared mildly impressed. “And now?”
“I’m here visiting my old college roommate and her husband.” Laura couldn’t wait to tell Rose and Kenny all about Spencer “Too Smart for You” Hodkins. Of course, she’d leave out the part where the graduate student looked like a model for cologne.
“By yourself?” he asked.
“Yeah, why not?” Hopefully he wasn’t one of those sexist jerks who thought women shouldn’t travel alone.
“I mean, you don’t have a boyfriend or…”
Much to her annoyance, he blushed adorably.
“I’ve got Frank,” she said undauntedly.
They both glanced at her dog, who continued to eat without a thought in his head other than an appreciation of kibble. Frank would always be there and would never ask more of her than she was willing to give. Unlike David.
“Huh,” Spencer said. “Speaking of, would you mind putting him someplace so I can bring Mozart out for her dinner?”
Laura scowled. “Why can’t you go feed Mozart somewhere else?”
He gave a small, disbelieving laugh. “Miss Haley.” He closed the laptop. “This is an awkward situation for both of us. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” she answered because it was true.
“And the only way we’re going to get through this is if we treat each other with dignity and respect. Agreed?”
He had a point. “Agreed.”
“That includes respecting each other’s pets. Agreed?”
Jeez, he had to be logical about it. She tapped her hands on the counter and rose. “Fine. Come on, Frank. Let’s go.”
Fortunately, her dog had finished his dinner, and when she motioned for him to follow her, he obeyed. But she wouldn’t leave with her own tail between her legs.
“Thank you,” Spencer said.
“Oh,” she said breezily, “and if we don’t hear back from the company in an hour or so, you should probably start calling the hotels around town to find a room.” She strolled out of the living room, Frank on her heels.
