Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 111980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
“And you ran it well,” he says, pride in his tone.
Sure. I did. For a while. “Right, but I sold it. I fell out of love with it. And you remember when it was time to sell the business? You didn’t understand why I wanted to make that move. With everything we’d done…you didn’t understand why I was leaving it all behind.”
He takes a beat, drinks some of his coffee, then sets it on the table. “It seemed that way to you, I’m hearing?”
“It was that way. I wanted to show you that I could do the same thing with this dog daycare business. And I just always thought you thought it was crazy to do that.”
He blows out a breath. “I made you think that, didn’t I?” he says with some regret.
“Well…sort of,” I say, but I’m not mad. I just want to…understand it now.
He takes a moment, clearly thinking things through as he looks around my home, maybe taking in the plants, the couch, the dog who owns the place. “I did ask you a lot of questions when you were ready to leave,” he says slowly, “but do you know why I did that?”
I thought I did. Maybe I don’t. “Why?”
“I wanted you to be dead sure of your decision. I wanted you to know in your gut it was the right choice for you. That’s why I still ask you the hard questions—so you’ll know what’s right for you.”
And hell, that does make sense. “Sure. I get that.”
“Is Dog Tails right for you?”
I think of the work I do, the way the employees love it, how I feel like I’m providing a valuable service for the community, how much the clients—human and canine—truly enjoy Dog Tails. “It is.”
“Good.” He knocks back some more coffee and then, having given his full-throated approval with that one simple word, he waits for me to go next, making it clear the conversational ball is still in my court.
“You talked a lot too about staying in the lines, sticking to the plan, maintaining boundaries,” I say, and then my gut twists, but I say the harder thing. “I guess I wanted you to approve of my decision to let the shared business go. And I wanted to make sure I was carrying on those values.”
His sigh is full of regret. “I did approve. I do approve. I’m sorry I never made that clear.”
Maybe he didn’t. But I didn’t ask either. I haven’t been clear with myself. With my employees. Or…with Chloe. “I didn’t either. But I do appreciate everything you taught me. Everything you instilled in me.”
“I know. And I’ll be clear now—I’m proud of you,” he says, and my chest warms. “I’m proud of you whether you do it perfectly or a little bit messy at times.”
I bark out a laugh. “Or a lot.”
“I’m proud of you even if you jump into a pool. Or knock someone in,” he whispers.
“Was that recorded too?” I ask, since I don’t think the phones were out till after the splash.
“Nah, but I took a guess. I was right.”
“I admit nothing,” I say, holding my hands up like I’m innocent.
“I bet you had a damn good reason to knock the guy in,” he says, then wiggles a brow. “Was it about a woman?”
“It was,” I say, and once I say that, the hole in my heart deepens. I fucking miss her.
“Had a feeling. But first, let me ask you something else—this work you do. Does it make you happy?”
“It does.”
“Then what does it matter if you jump in a pool to save a dog? And really, shouldn’t we all jump in a pool to save someone else?”
I laugh, the ridiculousness of the other day hitting me all over again. “Words to live by.”
After another drink of coffee, he asks, “What’s really bothering you? Is it the woman?”
I meet his thoughtful eyes. “Yes, but it’s also…I didn’t plan to get involved. I didn’t come here to fall in love. I wanted to set a good example at work, and instead I got into a red-hot romance with a woman I’m working with, and all I can think is what if it goes wrong? How will I face my employees then?”
“The same way you do every day. You’ll walk in, you’ll say, ‘How are you?’ You’ll ask what they need, and you’ll pay the bills.”
I chew on that. Maybe I’ve taken everything too literally. Too seriously. Maybe some boundaries are good, but some can make everything—life, love—harder. “Maybe,” I admit, a little begrudgingly.
“You love this woman?”
“So much. And I’m pretty sure I’ve messed it all up.”
“Well, you were always good at telling businesses how to fix their problems. Maybe figure out how to tackle your own,” he says, then pats my knee. “I’m going to meet Latanya at the nail salon, and when she’s finished I’ll give her a tour of the town. Check into our hotel and all that. See you at the show.”