Page 21 of Hard Evidence
Grimacing at the thought, he folded the towel and hung it over the top-of-the-line heated rail in the bathroom.This was the first time he’d lived in a house he’d actually built, and all the little touches other developers said he was dumb to include because they ate into the profit margin made him smile now that he actually got to enjoy them.He pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then shucked the jeans and added underwear, just in case the dog decided to hook a paw in his waistband.Jessalyn had already been traumatised by one prick, judging by the black eye; she didn’t need to face another.
Okay, dogs could eat cooked meat, brown rice, eggs, carrots, broccoli… Did he have broccoli?He should have gone to the grocery store days ago, but he’d just been ordering takeout instead.Then he remembered that the Stuarts had a dog, a yappy little thing named Fluffy or Buffy, and they owed him a favour after he spent three hours putting up their Christmas lights and another hour taking them down.They’d had the whole family over to celebrate in their new home—son, daughter, and five grandkids.Richard Stuart had aged ten years by the time the clan left, and he’d been no spring chicken to start off with.
“Marion, it’s Justin.”
“How are you?Did I see that pretty girlfriend of yours leaving with a suitcase last week?She tore out in quite the hurry.”
“Ex-girlfriend.She’s my ex-girlfriend now.”
“Oh dear.I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It was time we both moved on.Marion, can I borrow some dog food?I’ll replace it the next time I go to the grocery store.”
“You got a dog?How lovely!What breed?”
“I just have an unexpected canine guest.He’s only staying for a night.”
“You found a stray?My sister had a beagle show up in her yard one morning, and he’s been there for six years now.Fur-babies have a way of getting their feet under the table when you’re not looking.”
“He already has an owner.”And Justin wasn’t going to get into the details with Marion Stuart because then the entire neighbourhood would be whispering behind his back by tomorrow lunchtime.“About the dog food…?”
“Of course, of course.I’ll get Richard to leave a sack of kibble under the portico, and you can pick it up whenever you’re ready.”
“I don’t need a whole sack.”
“Take it, take it.You should get a dog to keep you company now that you’re single again.Did I mention my friend Bunny has a granddaughter?Very smart—she works at the library.”
“You did mention it.”
At least ten times so far this year.
“Should I invite you both over for dinner?”
Hell no.“I have some big projects going on at work, and I’m not looking to get into another relationship right away.”
“Well, just you let me know where you are.In the meantime, you’ll be needing that dog food.”
Yeah, he would.A heavy sigh escaped.Justin had a feeling that his life was about to turn upside down again, but when he thought of Jessalyn’s hair tumbling over her shoulders as she reached into the car for a bag, he wasn’t even sure he minded.
CHAPTER11
JESSALYN
Justin’s guest bedroom was bigger than the master back home and terrifyingly perfect.Pristine.I spread my coat on the floor by the king-size bed and signalled for Shiro to lie down on it.
“Don’t move, okay?Please don’t move.”
The wall behind the bed was French blue, and the others were painted a pale cream that matched the huge, fluffy rug on the polished wood floor.On the far side of the room, a door framed by two pale blue leather chairs led to a terrace, and another door led to an en-suite bathroom with a freestanding tub.A vase of silk flowers sat on the wooden dresser, and the books stacked on one of the nightstands looked as if they’d never been read.Had anyone ever slept in here before?
I got my answer when I slumped onto the bed, and it crackled.There was still plastic wrap on the mattress.Oh, hell.At least Shiro was white.Any hair he shed would more or less blend in, and maybe I could offer to vacuum before we left?
I rummaged through my purse and counted my remaining money.Three hundred and five bucks, and that had to last me who knew how long.At least Shiro had food.And dog kibble was supposed to be nutritionally balanced, so in an emergency… Ugh, I didn’t even want to think about it.I was ready to cry from the stress of everything when my phone rang, my new phone, and only one person had that number.
“Ohmigosh, what have you done?”
“Ridge took Shiro to the animal shelter.Can you believe it?”
“Yes, I absolutely can believe it.The guy’s a grade A, class one asshole.”
