Page 45 of The Offer

“Spoken like a true hippie.”

“It is my roots.”

“We don’t have gear to camp and it’s daytime, so no skinny dipping…”

Or hooking up with a stranger, she was going to add, but that look Kevin had given her on Calvin’s couch the other night crossed her mind. She brushed past it.

“So that leaves…”

The sounds of yipping and heavy, open-mouth breathing and jingling tags interrupted her train of thought. They rounded the corner and halted at the entrance to the town square. The lawn was flooded with gleeful couples and families, their noses peering down at tiny fur balls with wagging tails safely tucked into small fenced-in zones across the green.

“Oh my god,” Jess breathed. “Today?”

“Yes, my dear Jessica. We become dog parents. Today.”

She whipped her head toward him. His hold on her shoulder remained firm, like he was preventing her from bolting. Smart man. “We can’t afford a dog yet. We only just opened.”

“Money is required for everything on our list,” Kevin bantered.

“Then I want to rewrite the list. Only free things, from here on out.”

“No, you’re deflecting. We’re doing this.”

She growled. “How are we going to afford this, Kev?”

He shrugged, releasing his arm from her shoulders as he stepped into the square. “I’ll put it on my credit card.”

Jess froze. Kevin kept walking, oblivious to her still rooted on the spot as he drifted to a gaggle of Frenchies, his squeaky voice of delight ringing through the square.

Her hands curled into fists and she dug her fingernails into her palm. He’s not Charlie. He’s not Charlie. No amount of chanting could make her move from that spot, the words credit card pinging around in her head.

Kevin looked up from the dogs, mouth open to say something, and she watched his face fall. He made his way back to where she lingered by the entrance to the square.

“Jessica, what’s wrong?” He brushed a hand up and down her arm.

“Do you do that a lot?” she asked abruptly. “Put things on your card?”

A whoosh rushed out of Kevin’s mouth. He tightened his bandana at the nape of his neck. “Jess…”

“Do you have a lot of debt?”

His face flushed. “This seems a little pointed right now.”

She turned on her heel and walked away from him.

“Jess, hold on…Jess, stop.”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled. She stumbled back, her body all but crashing into his. He caught her, and the two of them were left standing chest-to-chest.

“While it’s not really any of your business—”

“It is my business,” she said, cutting him off. “We’re about to get a dog together.”

“Fine, fine. I sold my car to pay off my debt. Are you happy?”

Her eyes widened. “I thought you sold it for the shop.”

“I was too embarrassed to tell you the truth. You’re careful with your money and I didn’t want to seem like this big screw up. I want you to respect me as a friend. As a business partner.”