Chapter8
THE NEXT MORNING ZONA WAS HAULINGin a huge box left by Amazon on her porch when Darling made his third great escape, leaping over the obstacle. She tried to catch him but only fell over it, landing with an “Oof,” like a track runner who’d missed the hurdle.
“Darling!” she called, scrambling to her feet. “Come here!” Darling kept going. “Treat! Come get a treat,” she added hopefully. He’d heard that word enough. He should have known what it meant.
Apparently, he didn’t, since he kept going. Or he’d lost either his hearing or his appetite. Or the lure of freedom to rove all over the neighborhood outweighed doggy house arrest, no matter what was being served.
Louise picked that moment to come swinging out of her room on her crutches. “What’s happened?” she demanded as Zona carried the box back inside.
“I was bringing this in and Darling got loose,” Zona said. “Don’t worry, I’ll go get him,” she hurried to add. “I’ll just put on some shorts and grab my shoes.” No way was she running around the neighborhood in her sleep tee.
The words were barely out of her mouth when a male voice asked, “This is your dog, right?”
She stood up to see Alec James on her doorstep, holding onto Darling’s collar. Darling was whining and straining to get free.
Her neighbor was dressed for work in a pec-hugging gray T-shirt and jeans and boots, freshly shaved and frowning.
Zona found herself feeling self-conscious over her sloppy nightwear and messy hair, which looked like bats had used it for a playground. She was almost as embarrassed over how she was coming across as a neighbor.
She took hold of Darling’s collar and scooted him inside the house, then stepped out to join her surprise visitor on the porch, shutting the door after her. “He’s my mother’s dog,” she began. Underlying message,Don’t blame me.“I’m afraid he got out when I was trying to bring in a package,” she continued, hoping her morning breath wasn’t making its way to her neighbor’s nose. Even if she wasn’t interested, she still had her pride.
“I found him taking a dump in my yard,” Alec James said, sounding more put-upon and long-suffering than angry.
“I did see that Darling had left a mess on your property and I came over last night to clean it up and apologize.”And tried to eavesdrop.
Zona the nosy neighbor. She could feel her cheeks heating. “But I think you had company,” she hurried on. “I did my best to pick it up.”
“It doesn’t pick up well once it’s flattened by a shoe,” he informed her.
It put a sizzle on her face. “Sorry,” she said.
The frown downgraded to a frustrated lip clamp. “Never mind.” He switched gears and offered the same killer smile she’d seen when they first met. “Sorry I came across as a tool just now. I’m dealing with some shit.” Judging from the yelling she’d heard, he wasn’t dealing very well.
“Sorry you stepped in some,” she said, smiling back.
“Shit happens, huh?” he joked.
“It sure does,” she agreed. “We’re deep in it over here.”
“I guess there’s always enough to go around,” he said. “Well, have a good one.”
“You, too,” she said.
She watched as he went down her front walk. It was hard to picture this man in a yelling rage. What to make of their new neighbor?
Nothing, she told herself firmly.
“You were out there a long time,” Louise called from the couch when Zona came back inside. “What was that all about?”
Zona joined her on the couch. Darling came over and laid his head on her lap as if to say he was sorry, and she rubbed behind his ears. “Our new neighbor was trying to be nice about Darling pooping on his property.”
“I hope he wasn’t mad.”
“A little irritated. I can’t blame him. It was a second offense. Third, actually.”
“Oh, dear,” said Louise.
“At least he was cool about it. Nice, actually. Way different than what I heard last night when I went over to clean up the mess and apologize.”
