Jenny clenched her teeth harder and reached around the client, an old dog that came in so regularly he practically put himself on the table.

If Dolly didn’t get out from under her feet soon, she was going to either snap at the dog, or step on her. Neither were great options.

Ever since she’d arrived at work after slipping out of the house early, Dolly had been stuck to her side. Probably because she sensed Jenny’s jittery nerves.

“Almost done,” she said in as soothing of a voice as she could manage.

The old dog wiggled his tail-less butt.

Terry would be back any moment, and then she could take Dolly for a little walk—which would just happen to coincide with when Lucas should be getting to work. She couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t come over to check on her, but she could do her best to not be there when he came and went today.

Yes, she was being a complete and total chicken, but after last night, she was barely holding herself together.

Lucas had said he loved her.

Just the memory made her throat close up.

He didn’t really mean that, could he?

“And there we go.” She turned the clippers off and gave the old dog a scratch.

Jenny had to keep her thoughts on work, not Lucas, not her personal life, nothing to do with anything except, dogs.

Shit.

What had he done with Omen?

She’d left the house conflicted on whether or not she should take the puppy with her like she had in the previous days, or leave her for Lucas. In the end, Jenny had made the difficult choice that Omen was Lucas’. Not hers.

It still didn’t feel right.

“Come on. Turn around, buddy.” Jenny got the client facing the opposite direction.

For the sake of her older clients, and her own back, she’d had a set of stairs made to allow the dogs to get on and off the grooming table under their own power. Not all would use the stairs, but some were happy and pleasant enough about it.

The door chimed and Jenny cringed.

“One sec,” she called out.

She secured her client in a kennel to await his owner, then braced herself for the inevitable.

Lucas must have come in early to check on her. He was so damn perfect, wanting to talk about things and ask questions. She didn’t know how to deal with him. One moment her head said run, the next her heart said stay. Which did she listen to?

Jenny strode around the wall dividing the back of the grooming salon from the front.

A familiar face stood on the other side, but not the one she was expecting.

“Everly? Hi.” Jenny pushed the swinging half door open and stepped through, Dolly close on her heels.

“Is that Dolly?” Everly’s face lit up and she went to one knee, her left hand buried in the fur of some sort of great, white beast that looked like a cross between a polar bear and a pony.

Dolly wiggled her butt forward, dropping to her belly and licked Everly’s proffered hand.

“Sorry.” Everly glanced up at Jenny. “Hi.”

“No, it’s fine.” Jenny grinned. A person who looked at dogs first was her kind of human.

“How’s she doing?” Everly stroked Dolly’s back and the dog turned to offer her belly.

The white beast sniffed around Dolly, but otherwise seemed more interested in some other scent.

“Dolly? She’s great. First few days she was pretty skittish, but she’s settling in well.” Jenny leaned against the counter and grinned. “Actually, there’s a few of my more nervous dog clients and she totally helps calm them down. She does not like cats, though.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.” Everly gave Dolly one last pat then stood.

“Yeah, thank you for putting us together.” Jenny reached down and Dolly trotted back to her, once again pressing her body against her leg. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“I was kind of hoping you might be able to help.” Everly winced and glanced at the dog next to her. “This is Charmin, he’s some sort of Great Pyrenees mix on steroids.”

“I can see that. What’s our problem? May I offer him a treat?” Jenny found that new dog introductions went better when food was involved. She didn’t want the animals to fear the shop.

“That’s what you’re smelling, isn’t it?” Everly shook her head at the dog. “He’s a total trash can. He inhales everything in sight.”

“Hi, Charmin.” Jenny offered the pony-dog a treat. As promised, he took it so fast and gently she would have thought she dropped, it if it weren’t for the trace amounts of saliva on her fingers. “What seems to be the issue?”

“He’s got some large mats on his stomach and there’s something going on with his skin. I’ve tried everything I could think of, but nothing is clearing up these dry patches. I was hoping you might know of something?” Everly parted a bit of Charmin’s fluff and showed Jenny large patches of flaking skin. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Is there a window near his kennel?” Jenny parted the dogs coat, examining the hair.

“Yeah.”

“He doesn’t have an undercoat.” Jenny ran her finger along the base of the hair. “See?”

“Oh...my...gosh. You’re right.” Every stared aghast at the dog. “What are you mixed with?”

Charmin nuzzled at Jenny’s hip pouch and didn’t bother to answer.

“His hair is pretty uniform through here. Was he clipped?” Jenny ran her hand over the dog’s wiry fur. It wasn’t as soft or springy as most Great Pyrs she’d seen, but he also wasn’t a purebred.

“We had to.” Everly shook her head.

“Well, I’ve got a conditioning shampoo we could try on him first, then I’d move him away from any direct sun. Between his thin coat and the sun, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got sunburned and what we’re seeing is his skin flaking after he healed up.”

“I thought... Oh, God. I feel so awful.”

“Don’t feel bad. Who’s to say if I’m right?” Jenny shrugged. “Let me get him into the bath back here and we can see how it goes.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s this going to run me?”

“Nothing,” Jenny said without missing a beat.

“I can’t let you—”

“You helped me find Dolly. That’s something I can’t say thank you enough for.” Jenny stroked Dolly’s head. “Do you want to drop him or stay? I can squeeze him in right now.”

“Oh, I’ll stay. He’s so big he needs two sets of hands to pick up.”

“This way.”

Jenny turned, but not fast enough. Her gaze latched onto the man strolling in front of her shop, staring at her through the glass.

“Uh, give me one second?” Jenny would rather duck and hide, but if she didn’t say something, Lucas would never leave her alone.

Everly glanced from the doorway framing Lucas’ wide shoulders and back to Jenny.

“I’ll be in the back,” she said.

Jenny shoved her hands into her pockets and remained where she was. Lucas went to a knee, saying hello to Dolly first.

Where was Omen?

Had he left her at home in the crate?

Was he pissed at her?

“I missed having breakfast with you,” he said.

“Yeah, I totally forgot to tell you that this weekend is crazy. I’m really booked solid with the dog show.” She checked her watch. There really was just time to handle Charmin before she needed to go join Terry at their groomer’s booth.

“Cool. So you’ll be late tonight, then?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you or something and maybe we could do lunch sometime.” Her palms were damp and her stomach so knotted she was close to being sick.

Lucas stared at her as if she were a puzzle.

That was an apt comparison. She’d been so broken and falling apart, back when everything happened, that she’d had to piece herself together. Some days, she still found little bits of herself under other things.

“We okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, we’re fine.” She shrugged.

He frowned.

Yeah, that sounded like a lie to her, too.

Truth was, she didn’t know what to do or say or think.

He’d said he loved her, but this was just for fun. Wasn’t it? God, she was so confused and twisted around.

“I’m going to go pick up lunch for the girls. Want anything?” he asked.

“No, thanks. I brought food with me.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I’ve got to get to this client, but I’ll see you later, okay?” She smiled and took a big step back.

“Okay. You know where to find me if you need me.” He turned and strolled out of the shop.

She watched him go, holding her breath.

Part of her wanted to run after him, wrap her arms around his neck and hang on.

The rest of her had to wonder if she was making the same epic mistake all over again.

“Is he gone?” Everly leaned around the wall.

“Oh, God. Sorry. Yes.” Jenny shook her head. “Let me put Dolly up real quick and we can get started.”

For all of Dolly’s comfort, she was also underfoot. Jenny had spent about as much time as she could mooning and worrying about Lucas.

Everly waited for her to get situated, crating Dolly and pulling out the special soap.

“Was that your boyfriend?” Everly asked.

“Lucas?” Jenny swallowed. Was he her boyfriend? They’d briefly talked about it Saturday, but the whole thing had quickly devolved into a passionate episode on the sofa.

“Is that his name? I couldn’t remember, sorry.”

“Uh, well...” Jenny blinked rapidly.

No, no, no, no!

She swiped the errant tear from her lashes.

“Oh—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I stick my foot in my mouth all the time, please, I’m sorry.” Everly’s eyes went wide and she cringed.

“No, it’s fine. Everything’s fine.” Even as Jenny said the words, they sounded like a lie. She sucked down a shuddering breath, and the tears came unbidden, rolling down her cheeks.

All it took was a look, a frown from him, and she knew it was her fault. She was the one so twisted up inside. Lucas was good and nice, and he’d only tried to do the right thing by her, but was it right? Why did it have to be so complicated?

Jenny chanted, “I’m sorry,” over and over again. Each time she got her cheeks dry, another tear took its place.

“Here. Sit.” Everly pulled stools over for both of them. “I’m going to flip off your Open sign for a moment, is that okay?”

“Thank you.”

“Be right back.”

God, what was wrong with her?

Jenny buried her face in her hands.

When she’d asked Lucas for more, she’d thought things would be perfect. That they would just go on in this blissfully wonderful world. But was that what she really wanted?

She’d been with a man more than she’d been by herself. Did she even know who she was? Or was she drawn to the same, hunky hot mistake she’d made in her teens all over again?

“Here.” Everly offered Jenny some tissues.

“Thanks. I’m—I am so sorry about this.”

“It’s okay.” Everly reached over and patted Jenny’s knee. “I stick my foot in my mouth all the time. I’m so much better with animals than humans.”

“Tell me about it.” Jenny groaned.

“Do you need a shoulder? Or do you want me to leave?”

“I’d really...”

What did Jenny want?

She sucked down a deep breath and considered the question.

Lucas had pointed out her tendency to choose to be busy when something bothered her. Doing something with her hands let her think better, but thinking herself into a hole was what got her here in the first place.

“I really just want someone to tell me what to do.” She glanced at Everly, the misery of that statement knocking the wind out of her sails.

“I have days like that.” Everly blew out a breath. “It’d be easier to be a dog, or something, you know?”

“Tell me about it.”

“Lucas seemed pretty nice. I mean, he was really patient the other night.” Everly tipped her head forward. “It’s none of my business though.”

“You keep playing with it. Makes me miss mine.” Jenny nodded at the woman’s wedding set. She didn’t like to admit how long she’d continued to wear it after the divorce. “I was married to Lucas’ cousin. It makes...whatever we are difficult.”

“Wow, I’ll say.”

“Yeah.”

“Is that it? I mean, is it just weird because they are related?”

“A little.” Jenny shrugged. “Mostly... It’s me. When he came back, I was so happy. All I wanted was to apologize and be friends again. Then...one thing led to another, and...”

“Been there.”

“I told him I wanted to be serious, that I didn’t want to just fool around, but now I don’t know that...what I want is to be serious.” That wasn’t even taking into account how messed up she was. “I keep wondering if I’m falling for a type. Am I making the same mistakes I made with my ex-husband, all over again with Lucas? I married Walker because... If I’m being brutally honest, I was using him to get out. Away from my family. Lucas... He makes me feel better about myself, but I don’t know if...I should have someone in my life right now. I’ve never really been single, my identity has been who I’m with and what I do for so long that... Do I know who I am?”

She leaned back against the stainless steel bath basin and stared up at the ceiling. This was what her life was, huddling on the floor of the shop, crying her eyes out because she didn’t know who she was anymore. She’d lost sight of it so long ago.

“You probably regret coming in here now.” Jenny shook her head. So much for building a connection with the new shelter.

“I was actually just thinking I’m glad I did.”

Jenny snorted a laugh.

Yeah right.

“I’m serious,” Everly said. “You like animals, so you have to be a good person.”

“Am I?”

Sometimes Jenny didn’t even know that much. When she thought about her past, the person she’d been, good wasn’t always a word she’d use to describe herself.

Look at her now.

She was stringing Lucas along because she couldn’t bring herself to talk to him. That wasn’t fair and it sure as hell wasn’t good. So what did she do?

“He told me last night that he loves me,” Jenny whispered.

“Wow.”

“Wow is right.”

“Did you say anything to him?”

“I think I said I needed to pee or go to sleep or something. I panicked. He’s going to break up with me. He should. I’m a disaster.”

“I’ve only just met you, but you don’t seem like a disaster.” Everly chewed her lip for a moment. “Love makes people do crazy things. It turns us inside out, and it doesn’t always make sense. I’m by no means a love expert, but that gut-churning, awful fear of losing him? That made me do things I kind of regret. I mean, we’re married now, so I don’t totally regret anything that happened. A few things here and there, okay. What I’m trying and failing to say is that...maybe you just need time?”

Maybe, but would Lucas wait longer for her to get her shit together?

•  •