Hush, Puppy

by Roxanne St Claire

  “Summer.” He barely breathed her name, and just the way he said it sent unexpected goose bumps up her arms. “That would be…” He searched for a word as if none could possibly express his reaction.

  “Easy for me,” she finished for him. “I can do it while Destiny is at camp, but not on the weekends. Would that work?”

  “Like a dream,” he admitted, holding her gaze in a way that did nothing to make those goosebumps go away.

  “And I can go to camp?” Destiny almost howled with joy.

  “Yes,” she answered, stroking Destiny’s hair but looking up at John. “I think that would be a wonderful way to spend the rest of this summer.”

  “Oh, saints alive, I agree,” Gramma Finnie exclaimed.

  “Yay!” Destiny popped up and danced around in a circle. “I’ll tell Christian!” And she shot off, once again forgetting the dog she’d clung to for the entire day.

  John took a step forward and reached for Summer’s hand to pull her up. “You’re saving my life, you know that?”

  “Actually, you’re saving mine and making my little girl very happy.”

  “And I didn’t even have to give up my dog.”

  “Yet,” she teased.

  “Come on,” John said. “Let’s take a walk, and I’ll tell you what’s involved in the job, and we can get you moved into my upstairs apartment tomorrow, if you like.”

  As she walked off the patio with him, she turned to say goodbye to Finnie and Yiayia, but caught their quiet exchange instead.

  “I don’t know what ye think ye were doin’, Agnes.”

  Yiayia pointed at Gramma Finnie. “Do not ever question the master, Finola Kilcannon.” Just then, she realized Summer had heard her, and she lowered her finger and smiled. “Just a bit of reverse psychology, dear. I’m sure you use it on your daughter all the time.”

  Summer sighed as she realized what had just happened. “Not quite as effectively,” she admitted. “But points to the Greek grandmother on that one.”

  That Greek grandmother narrowed dark eyes at her. “Do not break his heart.”

  They shared a long look, making Summer wonder if she’d just made a friend…or an enemy.

  Chapter Seven

  John looked around the apartment that he’d spent far too little time preparing, trying to see it through Summer’s eyes. The unit was clean and sparsely furnished, but it had the necessities. Except for the kitchen, which had second-rate counters, no real working appliances, and a few missing knobs on the three small cabinets. And a hole where a refrigerator belonged.

  “Wanna slide it right in there?” Aidan asked, wiping some sweat from his brow after the two of them had hauled the half-sized fridge up the back stairs, across the deck, and through the sliding doors.

  “Yeah. But it won’t fill the space.”

  “She doesn’t need a Sub-Zero, John,” Aidan said. “She’s staying for a few weeks, and you’ve already offered her the use of your kitchen downstairs.”

  John ran a finger over the cracked Formica. “Hope her standards aren’t too high.”

  “You didn’t expect a tenant until after Christmas,” Aidan said. “And it’s free, right?”

  “Well, she’s going to work at Santorini’s.”

  “Right.” Aidan jutted his chin. “Come on, help me push.”

  He came around next to Aidan, and the two of them slid the fridge over the linoleum floor, into the hole where a much bigger unit belonged.

  “There. She won’t mind that,” Aidan said.

  “I’ll throw a bottle of wine in the fridge, and she’ll never notice how lacking it is.”

  “And she might share that wine with you.” Aidan waggled his brows suggestively. “Then everybody gets lucky.”

  John shot him a look.

  “What?” Aidan said. “I was at that barbecue after Adoption Days last night. You two didn’t take five steps away from each other, and when you did, well…”

  “Well what?”

  “I didn’t notice it, but Beck said she caught Sunshine looking at you a lot.”

  “Her name’s Summer, not Sunshine.”

  Aidan grinned. “Same difference.”

  He slapped a hand on his stepcousin’s arm. “Thanks for the fridge, man.”

  “Hey, it was just sitting in the back of Slice of Heaven, unused.”

  “And the muscle.”

  “You’ll pay me back,” Aidan said. “Just finish the landing drills and your instruction hours, log your solo time, take the tests and checkride, and get your damn pilot’s license.” He pointed at John. “Then you can start haulin’ dog ass around when I need backup.”

  “You know I will, Aidan,” John said, eternally grateful for his stepcousin’s offer to take him up for flight lessons. His pilot’s license was so close he could taste it. Aidan had been unrelenting in the cause, ever since they’d met and John had shared his dream.

  Aidan, a certified flight instructor, had planted the idea last spring, when John went up with him in the 172 Skyhawk that Waterford used to transport rescue dogs. Once John passed the written and medical tests, there would be no reason not to achieve that lifelong dream. His wretched astigmatism might have kept him from his Navy pilot fantasies, but with corrective lenses, he easily passed the vision requirement for a small private plane.

  “I want to finish those hours more than I want my next breath,” he added. “But I can’t be away from the restaurant too much this month.” Not with Tom Barnard’s surprise appearance on the horizon.

  “Just lemme know when you want to go back up,” Aidan said, just as they both heard the sound of a car coming down the long drive.

  “Hey, do me a favor and plug this fridge in, okay? I’m going to greet my…I guess you’d call her a tenant.”

  “In the military, we’d call her a hot target.”

  John snorted. “Of course you would.” He headed down the wooden stairs to the driveway, his eyes on the little SUV and the hot target inside. And he couldn’t quite wipe the smile off his face.

  He could hear Mav barking behind the sliding glass doors that led into his first-floor living area. No doubt Destiny would insist on seeing the puppy right away. And John would have no willpower where that kid was concerned. She’d go nuts when she heard the surprise he had planned, but he had to talk to Summer first.

  “Hey there,” he said, walking to the driver’s side of the compact SUV to open the door, knocked over once again by those blue eyes. “Welcome home, ladies.”

  “I hear Mavvie!” Destiny strained at her seat belt in the back seat. “Can I see him right now?”

  “I hope we’re not too early,” Summer said. “She’s been up and packed to go since six a.m.”

  “Not at all.” He stepped aside to let her get out and opened the back door for Destiny. “Aidan and I just installed your fridge, which is small but will do the job.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Summer said, taking a look around, her gaze on the horizon of blue and green rolling foothills and the Blue Ridge Mountains. “Holy cow, John. You weren’t kidding when you said there’s a view. This is incredible. Oh, hold on, Des.”

  Destiny was still battling her seat belt, ready to tear the thing off. Summer slid in between the car and John, bending into the back seat to release the latch, inadvertently drawing his gaze—and every other cell in his body—to the blue jean cutoffs she wore.

  He stepped back, the impact too much for any human, then blinking, he took another quick look at her curvy backside, tanned legs, and the adorable navy Converse sneakers she wore. Now that was an incredible view.

  He enjoyed it for the entire three seconds it took her to unhook the belt and burned the image in his brain, where he’d be calling it up for further examination about a thousand times.

  “Wh-wh-where is he?” Destiny demanded as she exploded out of the back seat. “Did he m-m-miss me?”

  “Des!” Summer chided. “Let the man breathe.”

  Her eyes widened. “He’s callin
g me!” She ran off toward the house, her insane curls flying behind her.

  “Destiny! You can’t run into someone’s house.”

  “I’ll get him for her,” he said. “And I kind of think he is calling her. No one else has squeezed the life out of him for a whole night.”

  Laughing, she came with him to the lower level walkout.

  “I can’t believe this place,” Summer said, still looking around. “A fire pit? All this yard? And that view? And so close to town. Was that a college we drove by?”

  “Yeah, the only thing between us and Bitter Bark is Vestal Valley College. These houses were built for faculty originally, and some graduate students live out here, but it’s pretty quiet. I think you’ll like it.”

  “I already love it.”

  He tugged at the slider slowly, making Destiny squeal at the sight of little Mav’s face poking through the opening. “Here’s your buddy, Des,” he said, reaching down to get the dog. “You can play with him on the grass, but don’t let him run away.”

  “Mavvie.” She reached out grabby little hands, taking the puppy and pulling him to her face. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear, the words squeezing John’s chest exactly like she was squeezing Mav.

  Summer touched his arm and added a playful warning look. “Be strong.”

  “I am, but…” He waited a beat until Destiny scrambled to the lawn, out of earshot, and put Maverick on the grass. “I have an idea I want to run by you.”

  She looked up at him, a dubious expression on her pretty face. “You will not give my daughter your dog.”

  “I will not,” he assured her, hoping to God he could keep that promise. “She will meet plenty of dogs at camp. Lots of them are still up for adoption, and she’ll no doubt find the one for her. But campers are encouraged to bring dogs that need training, too.” He waited a second, letting what he was asking sink in. “Mav’s a little young, but Shane said it would be fine if Destiny brought him. Mav’s not helping things at the deli, and I’d probably just board him at Waterford for the next few weeks during the day anyway. So, if Destiny wants to bring him to camp…”

  “And get more attached to him?”

  He gave an easy shrug. “I’ll take that risk, but…” He looked past Summer to where Destiny sat, giggling and talking to Maverick. “I think it would make it easier for her to slide into a big group of kids that way. Maybe take some of her discomfort away.” She had to notice that Destiny stuttered less when she was holding Mav, but he didn’t want to point that out.

  Summer’s expression softened, and her shoulders seemed to sink a tiny bit. “Wow, it would. But…wow.”

  “Wow…what?”

  She searched his face, her eyes as warm as the sun that blared down on both of them. “That’s pretty much the most thoughtful thing, ever.”

  “Oh, well, no.” He waved off the compliment. “It’s just selfish, you know.”

  “Really?” She laughed. “Is that what you call it?”

  “No, no. I just thought it would be nice for you not to have to worry about her adjusting to a new environment. So you can really concentrate on work,” he added, hoping it didn’t sound quite as lame to her as it did to him. “And that dog does need some training. He’s a pain to have in my office, and he is desperate for affection and gets plenty of it from her. Plus, this way I don’t have to worry about him or keep him crated or in a kennel all day.”

  “I’ll take all those excuses, John, but sorry, you gave away your true colors.”

  “My colors are black and white,” he said simply. “I’m driven by common sense and, as my brother told you, a spreadsheet. The numbers add up, that’s all.”

  “You’re genuinely concerned about her adjusting to camp.”

  “Of course I am. And really, if she hates camp, you’ll leave the restaurant, and I’ll be…” Stupidly sad. “Right back where I am, hostess-less.”

  “Oh, I see,” she teased. “Very logical.”

  “How I roll,” he assured her. “Come on, I’ll show you the apartment. Just, keep your expectations low.”

  “In case I hate it and leave you in the lurch?” she joked as they walked toward the stairs.

  “Yeah, that.”

  She laughed softly, her smile making him think his fast-developing crush was freaking obvious. Maybe it was. Oh well, he wasn’t a game player.

  “Come on, Des,” she called. “Let’s go see our new house!”

  * * *

  Summer had honestly forgotten men like John Santorini even existed anymore. Well, maybe she didn’t get out much. She’d tried a dating app a handful of times, but that had been a total dud, and having a little one certainly limited the scope of men who showed interest in Summer.

  But she was pretty sure not one of the few she’d met since Isaiah had died would have made an offer like John had just so Destiny would be comfortable. He could cover all he wanted with explanations about common sense and his need for a hostess, but she could see right through that.

  The gesture made her heart swell with appreciation for a man she already found attractive. And right now, he was…

  Right behind her.

  Halfway up the wooden stairs, a slow heat started deep in her belly as awareness sharpened. She knew that if she stopped suddenly, he’d walk into her, and that would be…nice.

  She jogged two steps, a safe distance, then turned to call Destiny in a voice that was a little tighter in her throat than it should have been. “Let’s move it, babycakes.”

  He chuckled. “Babycakes?”

  “Oh, she answers to just about anything.” She took a few more steps and glanced down at him, hoping she could hide the sudden surge of affection she felt for him with a casual statement, all nonchalance. “And, oh, by the way, the answer is yes. She can take Mav with her.”

  “Really?” A smile pulled as he took the steps and closed the gap between them, face-to-face now that he was only one stair below. “That’s awesome. You want to tell her the good news?”

  “No, I think you should. Why not have a fan for life?” She tapped his shoulder, not surprised that the muscle underneath was hard. “Actually, two.”

  His eyes flickered at the compliment. “Well, wait until you see your crappy kitchen. The Santorini Fan Club might be back to one five-year-old.”

  She laughed and spun to continue up the stairs, her feet feeling oddly as light as her heart.

  Of course it was light. Her problems for the month were solved with a place to live and a camp that Destiny would talk about for the rest of the year. She could have at least three weeks with Destiny in camp, and if they really loved it here, they could stay until school started. She could have freedom, fresh air, no students, no lesson plans. And she’d give her mother the much-needed break that she deserved every summer.

  She shook out the thought of her mother, a thought that always came with an extra dose of guilt. Mom had been a godsend since Destiny had been born. She’d sacrificed so many of her causes and volunteer programs, given up benefits she used to chair and community service she loved to perform, all to pick up the slack when Des was a baby and toddler.

  “This is absolutely glorious,” she whispered as she stepped on the ten-foot deck and leaned on the railing, still not quite able to drink in the vast and endless hills on the horizon. “I couldn’t have dreamed of finding an Airbnb as nice as this.”

  “The view won’t boil water, though, so remember, if you need a stove or oven, mine is right downstairs.”

  She looked over the lawn where Destiny was still running around with Mav, thinking more of him right downstairs than seeing how much fun her daughter was having playing outside. Close proximity all day at work and all night right here.

  An unfamiliar flutter tickled her stomach, making her head a little light. He obviously liked her, and she…

  Had still not asked him about the Shipleys. She didn’t know what was stopping her, but something was. Maybe embarrassment that she’d somehow allowed a long
-distance connection to become a one-sided romance, and then she’d ghosted the guy.

  “Come on up, Des,” she called. “I want you to see our new place.”

  “C-c-can I carry him?” She looked up, hesitant, holding Mav at the bottom step.

  “I’ll go help,” John offered quickly, hustling toward the stairs.

  Just then, a young man stepped outside to join them, the sun beaming on a mop of golden hair, highlighting bright blue eyes.

  “Say hi to Aidan Kilcannon,” John called over his shoulder as he went down the stairs. “You met last night at Waterford.”

  Aidan had been one of dozens of John’s extended family, and many friends, she’d met during the crowded barbecue after the Adoption Days event had ended. But she remembered the youngest of the “Kilcannon boys,” as his father, Daniel Kilcannon, had lovingly referred to them.

  “Hello, Aidan. We only talked for a minute, but I did have a good long chat with your wife.” She shook the hand Aidan extended. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Same, Summer. Yeah, Beck said she really enjoyed talking to you.” He gave her hand a strong squeeze that reminded her that Beck had mentioned that Aidan had been in the Army.

  “That’s an Army-trained handshake,” she joked as she let go.

  “Yes, ma’am. I was in the 160th SOAR Airborne, US Army Night Stalker.”

  She inched back, not even trying to hide how impressive that was. “Whoa, Beck didn’t mention those credentials. But she did say you’d been in Afghanistan, at Bagram.”

  He nodded with just enough of a shadow on his handsome face for her to know it had been a tough tour. “Happy to never see that place again,” he said with a tight smile.