Until There Was Us

by Samantha Chase

And then the silence became awkward.

  Finally, Zach took the decision out of his hands. “I think you should go home with Alex tonight.”

  Chapter 4

  For the life of her, Megan had no idea how she got to this place.

  Two weeks after Zach had suggested that she go home with Alex—to get the car—she was sitting in the guesthouse and listening to the loudest snoring she had ever heard in her life.

  And it was coming from a fifteen-pound dog.

  It was a Saturday morning, and Ethan and Summer—along with Zach and Gabriella—had gone out of town for the weekend for a friend’s wedding and left Megan in charge of Maylene. It wasn’t that Megan wasn’t a dog person—she was—but the snoring was making her a wee bit cranky.

  “How loud can one dog be?” she murmured as she poured herself another cup of coffee. It was fairly early—a little after ten—and she had nothing planned for the day other than dog-sitting. But if the damn dog didn’t quiet down, she’d seriously consider putting her in the main house and checking on her occasionally.

  Her laundry was done, all of her dishes were in the dishwasher, and the house was spotless. And now she had nothing left to do.

  Well, that wasn’t completely true. With the entire day to herself and no chance of anyone coming over, she could indulge in her secret hobby. In the past several years, she hadn’t had the free time to indulge as much as she would have liked, but with her shorter working hours, she’d already crocheted four baby blankets with matching sweater, hat, and bootie sets. She was going to have to look into the local hospitals and women’s shelters here in Portland. Her stash of yarn was almost depleted, so finding the closest craft store could be on today’s agenda.

  Besides, it wasn’t as if she had to stay home—the dog did not require round-the-clock watching. Thinking about her options while she showered, Megan went about putting an effort into getting ready. Thirty minutes later, she was back to sitting and listening to the dog snore.

  What to do? What to do?

  She could always go to the office. With both Ethan and Zach out of town, no one would know that she put in extra hours. She couldn’t think of any other ways to spend her time, and when she let that thought settle in, it depressed her.

  She was in a new city, and there was so much she hadn’t seen yet; she knew she could easily pass the time driving around and exploring. Then she could find the craft stores and maybe the local hospital, where she could bring the items she’d already made. Feeling slightly optimistic, she grabbed a pair of sneakers and then decided to let the dog out before she left.

  “C’mon, sweet girl,” Megan called to the dog, who immediately perked up. “Let’s go outside!”

  The dog was practically dancing at this point and began scratching at the door to be let out. Megan opened it, and together they stepped out into the yard. There was a fence, so there was no need to slip on her leash, and once the door was open, Maylene dashed out and ran around the yard. Megan watched her for a few minutes and then saw the mailman driving by. Feeling confident that the dog was going to do her business and would probably prefer to do so without an audience, Megan slipped out the gate and went to grab the mail.

  On her way up the driveway, she sorted through the envelopes and picked out the few that were for her. From the yard, she walked over to Summer’s back door, stepped inside to put their mail on the kitchen table, and then locked up and went back to the guesthouse while opening her Visa bill. She heard Maylene barking and knew she did that whether a person was in the yard or if she saw the shadow of a bird flying overhead. Without much thought, Megan walked into the guesthouse, put the mail on the coffee table, and grabbed her phone—figuring she’d do a Google search of some points of interest nearby so she could take off once the dog was inside.

  She stepped out into the yard. “Maylene? Hey, sweet girl! It’s time to come in!”

  Nothing.

  “Maylene?” she called out again and then began to frantically look around the yard. For a solid minute, she kept calling out to the dog in hopes that she was playing around, but when Megan turned around, her heart stopped.

  The gate was open.

  She had forgotten to close it when she came back with the mail.

  Immediately she ran out of the yard and down the driveway, calling for the dog. With every minute that passed, her panic increased. Where would the dog go? Would she know to stay close to home? Megan had no idea. And what was worse, she had no clue where the dog might run to.

  There was no way she was going to call Summer and upset her—at least not yet. It didn’t look like any of the neighbors were out, and knocking on doors seemed like wasting precious time, and…

  She had only one choice.

  She needed help, and she knew of only one other person who would have a calm head in this type of situation.

  She called Alex.

  * * *

  Alex was drinking coffee and looking out at his backyard. He loved his home, his property. Living in the suburbs was something he had always wanted to do, and when he found this house, it had everything he needed—lots of green space and room for him to put in the pool he now had and the kind of landscaping that ensured his privacy. He wasn’t antisocial or trying to avoid his neighbors, but he had thought if he was able to work with clients out of the house, they’d appreciate the privacy.

  With June almost here, the weather was starting to turn warm, and he’d opened up the pool the previous weekend. The water level was perfect, and so were the chemical levels. The pool was heated, and maybe in another week or two, he’d be able to start using it.

  Off his back porch was a hot tub, and for now that worked fine.

  He was considering changing and doing a little soaking when his phone rang. When he saw Megan’s name on the screen, he was pleasantly surprised.

  “Hey,” he said when he answered and hoped his enthusiasm wasn’t too obvious.

  “Oh my God, Alex,” she began breathlessly. “I’ve lost Maylene!”

  “Um…what?” She immediately relayed what had gone on, and she was getting to the point of near hysteria. “It’s going to be all right.”

  “You don’t understand, Alex! I had one job to do—one stupid job!—and I screwed it up. I have to find her, and I have no idea where to look!”

  He was already grabbing his keys and locking up the house. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in ten minutes, and I’ll be on the lookout for her as I drive over.”

  “What do I do? Where do I even begin to look for her?” she cried.

  “Go and grab her leash and start walking up one side of the block and then down the other. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I promise.”

  He heard the shaky breath she let out. “I have to find her, Alex,” she said quietly. “I can’t believe I lost her.”

  “You haven’t lost her, Megan. She’s a handful—Ethan talks about that all the time. She’s gotten out before, so we will find her. Trust me.”

  “I…I don’t know…I’m not sure where to even start…”

  At that moment, he hated how he wasn’t there already with her. He could hear the devastation in her voice and knew she was going to have a serious meltdown any minute. “Megan,” he said, his voice going firm and authoritative, “you need to do what I’m telling you. Get Maylene’s leash, and then start walking down the block to the right of the house. I have a feeling that’s the direction she’d go in first. Start there, and I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

  That seemed to work because by the time she hung up, she sounded a little more in control of her emotions. Back when they had dated—and he used the term loosely—he had never seen Megan get emotional. She got frustrated, sure. But never emotional—never to the point of tears. And he wasn’t sure how to react to it. His initial response was…well…it made him like her a little more. It softened her and showed how
she wasn’t as cold as she’d seemed when they had ended things.

  That memory instantly got pushed aside because now was not the time to be focusing on it. The important thing right now was to get to her and help her find Maylene.

  Luckily, traffic was on his side, and he didn’t hit any red lights and turned onto Summer’s block six minutes later. Alex immediately spotted Megan and pulled over, rolling down his window. “Megan! Hop in! We’ll hit the other side of the street now.”

  Nodding, she quickly jogged over and climbed into the truck. It was pointless to ask if she’d had any luck—the simple fact that there wasn’t a dog on the end of the leash told him she hadn’t. He pulled over close to the right side of the road and drove slowly. They each called out to the dog as they went. After two blocks, Megan rested her head on the back of the seat and sighed loudly. He pulled over.

  “It’s no use,” she said miserably. “She’s gone. She’s just…she’s gone! I’m going to have to break it to Summer that I lost her dog!” She looked over at him, her brown eyes brimming with tears. “She loves that dog! Do you have any idea how much this is going to kill her?”

  Unfortunately, Alex did know how much Summer loved her dog, and no doubt this was going to be devastating for her. Reaching over, he took one of Megan’s hands in his and gently squeezed it. “We’re not giving up, okay? We’ll keep driving around. We’ll knock on doors. We’ll put up posters and post on social media if we have to. I’ll drive around all night if that’s what it takes. All is not lost here, okay?”

  The hesitant look on her face told him she didn’t think it would do any good, but he refused to quit. Not after only two blocks! With her hand in his, he started driving and was relieved when she turned and called out to Maylene again.

  They drove for several more blocks and then turned around and made their way up the other side. By the time they were back in front of Summer’s, Alex decided to pull into the driveway and park. “We’ll knock on doors now,” he said.

  “Maybe we need to go off the block,” she suggested.

  It was possible, he thought, but he had a feeling if they were on foot, they’d have more luck. “Why don’t you go and grab a handful of her treats? This way if we spot her and she thinks we’re playing, we can lure her over with a snack. What do you think?”

  “Sounds good.” Megan took off up the driveway, and Alex watched her disappear around the back of the house and into the yard. A minute later, she called his name, and he quickly jogged back to her. At the gate, he spotted her pointing to the far corner of the deck. When he stepped closer, he started to chuckle. “Don’t you dare laugh.”

  He knew she was trying to sound intimidating, but there was a hint of laughter in her own voice.

  There, sitting in the corner of the deck in Ethan’s hammock, was Maylene—peacefully sunning herself. Alex glanced at the dog and then to Megan. “Um…”

  “She was not there earlier. I swear.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m serious, Alex! She didn’t come when I called her, and she wasn’t there when I brought the mail in and put it inside either of the houses. I heard her barking when I came out of the main house, but by the time I came out of mine, she was gone!”

  “I believe you,” he said carefully and took a step closer to her. “I’m sure she was just playing with you.”

  She shot him a bland look. “Seriously? That’s what you’re going with?”

  He laughed a bit, unable to help himself. “I’m not sure what else I can say. The thing we should be focused on here is that she’s not lost. She’s home and in the yard, and even though I happen to know for a fact that Ethan doesn’t like her sitting in the hammock, it’s better than the alternative.”

  “I know it is,” she said softly. “But now I feel like a complete idiot.”

  “Why?”

  Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “Seriously? I almost had a complete mental breakdown over a missing dog who wasn’t actually missing.” She groaned and turned to walk over to the dog, gently chiding her.

  Alex watched her and couldn’t help the smile pulling at his lips. Personally, he was thankful Maylene had pulled this little stunt today if for no other reason than it giving him a reason to spend some time with Megan without her cousins and their spouses. Not that he had anything against them—they were his friends, after all—but he wanted some time alone with her to talk things out. About their relationship and how it ended and how he wanted to try again. Today might not be the best time to bring it up, considering her emotional state, but he had a feeling if he didn’t do it today, there was no telling when he’d have another chance.

  “Now we’re going to go inside and think about what we did,” Megan gently scolded the dog as she walked by Alex on her way to the guesthouse.

  Chuckling, he followed behind her and silently closed the gate on the way. Without asking, he followed her into the house and shut the door behind him. Megan put the dog down, hung up her leash, and then collapsed on the couch with relief.

  He chose to sit beside her—but not too close.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  Her eyes were closed, and her head was thrown back against the cushions. “That aged me about ten years.”

  He laughed softly. “But everything’s okay now.” For a moment he considered taking her hand in his so he could touch her, but he decided to resist the urge. He needed to figure out how to get her to relax and talk to him. “So how are you settling in? The job going okay?”

  Megan turned her head toward him and gave him a small smile—as if she knew he was trying to change the subject and distract her. “Things are going well. Work is…well…there’s always a certain level of confusion and frustration when a new system is going in, but I think I’m addressing the issues and keeping employee upset to a minimum.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  She nodded. “It is. I guess I’m the one who’s a little frustrated with the whole thing.”

  “I thought you said it was going well,” he said, confused by her comment.

  With a shrug, she explained. “Both Zach and Ethan are big on not letting me work long hours. I could be twice as far in this whole process if they’d let me work at my own pace. I’m feeling…restricted.” Then she shook her head. “I’m being ridiculous, I know that. I know they’re looking out for my best interests, but right now it’s making me a little crazy. Before Maylene took off, I was considering going in to the office today.”

  “On a Saturday? Really?”

  “It would make the most sense. I’d get a lot of work done without any interruptions, and I’d feel a little more in control of the situation.”

  Alex knew what she was saying made sense, and he agreed with her to a certain extent. However, he wasn’t about to admit that. Right now he wanted to be a little selfish and have this time with her. Looking at his watch, he had an idea.

  “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had lunch yet,” he said casually. “Want to go and grab a burger or something?” When she didn’t answer right away, he went on, “Or I can go pick something up and bring it back. You know, if you’re worn out from all the excitement earlier.”

  She chuckled. “And now I do feel silly because it wasn’t such a big deal, and yet…I’m telling you, I’m exhausted!”

  He laughed with her and figured at least she wasn’t turning him down. It gave him hope. Standing, he smiled at her. “Okay, tell me what you’re in the mood for, and I’ll go get it. What do you say?”

  And when Megan smiled back at him, he felt a glimmer of hope.

  * * *

  Okay, so maybe hanging out with Alex wasn’t the smartest choice for the day, Megan thought as soon as Alex walked out the door.

  She already felt emotional and overwhelmed from thinking she’d lost the dog, and it wouldn’t take much more for her to do
something ridiculous—like throw herself at him.

  Yeah, she was already teetering on the edge.

  With a sigh, she paced the small living room and tried to force herself to think about something else—like how she should have opted to go out with him rather than staying in. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the guesthouse. She did. The place was cute, and Summer had impeccable taste. All in all, she was happy here, but it was one thing to be hanging out here alone and another to do so with Alex.

  Alex.

  So many things were swirling in her mind where he was concerned. The obvious was how the attraction not only was still there but felt even stronger than it had before. Keeping her distance when he was near was a total act of self-control. But she wasn’t stupid. There were issues that had to be dealt with, and confrontation was something she tended to avoid at all costs.

  It was one of the most un-Montgomery things about her.

  Her family was known for going after what they wanted and not being afraid to get in people’s faces. Megan preferred to fly under the radar and blend in.

  Normally that wasn’t an issue. Honestly, she didn’t ruffle feathers at home or at work. Her relationships with men tended to end amicably.

  Except with Alex.

  Yeah, she’d really screwed that one up, and she knew it was time to deal with it.

  Or distract him with seduction. That could work, right?

  “No, no, no,” she sighed as she walked over to the kitchen table and began clearing away the decorative place mats and napkins to make room for their food. As appealing as seducing Alex was—really, truly was—this was something that had to be dealt with first.

  Then she could seduce him.

  Or hope he’d seduce her.

  A small grin crossed her face at the thought of how thoroughly he’d seduced her the day of Zach and Gabriella’s wedding.

  Tugging at the hem of her dress for the hundredth time, Megan silently cursed the fact that she’d let her mother talk her into it. The navy-blue fabric clung to every ample curve and was shorter than the dresses she normally wore, and she was feeling very self-conscious about the whole thing.