Something To Dream On by Diane Rinella Read Free Book Online

Dating games suck!
    I wish them a nice day and leave. Part of me kicks myself for not having more nerve, and part of me is proud as a queen bee for not turning into a drooling fool.

    The door closes and …
    Wow. Was that really the same girl? I’ve spent two weeks thinking about how to impress her with how well I am taking care of Etta, and then she walks in looking like that. I’ve been telling myself that I couldn’t get her off of my mind because I was seeking approval—that I needed to know I was doing all the right things—but she just made my nervous system hum like an ungrounded mic.
    She also put me in my place. I mean, she was so generous with Etta that I thought she might like me at least enough to chat. Maybe she is just a thoughtful person, which makes me all the more fascinated.
    I shrug at Etta. “Some chick magnet you’re turning out to be.” She whimpers and sets her head on the table. I massage her cheek with my thumb. Damn, how I have come to adore this sweet girl. “Sorry, honey. You know I didn’t mean it. You gotta get used to me though, because if I can’t banter with a woman, even a canine one …” I kiss her head and cuddle it into my shoulder. “You know I love you, right?”
    A warm tongue licks slobber onto my face, and I laugh. “Hey, Etta. Did I really giggle?” I look to the door that the girl I am now realizing I have spent two weeks pining for closed on me. “What is it about her?”

    This situation has made me feel awkward, giddy, hopeful, and disappointed all at once. What did I expect? That Jensen would drop everything to run over to kiss me?
    I need to learn more about him and that painting. If it were a reprint, I could totally justify that I’d seen it before. But his mom painted it? She must have copied it from something.
    Maybe if I continue to play it cool, it won’t seem fangirly if I talk to him at the next appointment. I don’t want to come off as an idolizing dork. I only want a real chance.
    Would trying to start an actual conversation be so bad?
    “Hey, can someone get the door please?” Jensen yells from around the corner.
    The paperwork I hold is dropped on my desk when I dash for the door. So much for playing it cool. Jensen turns around and his smile almost makes my hand forget how to turn a knob. Lord, I want to run my fingers through his silky hair and yank him down so he can smother me like gravy on mashed potatoes. “Everything okay?” The words choke their way out. Embarrassing!
    “So far, so good. Etta’s amazing.”
    An adoring “Aw!” slips out of me. My embarrassment makes me giggle. Seriously, I have to get a grip on the giggling. “She's sweet. I just adore her.”
    A familiar tinkle of tags coming from behind the reception area grabs my attention. Oh, no. Not Socrates. Not now.
    A hound that is as lovable as a cartoon mutt tromps and slobbers his way out of the exam area and drags his mom toward my desk. The dear thing always wants to say hello. The only problem is, he often gets a little too personal. This is not the most ideal time to run into him.
    Socrates comes out and puts his paws on Jensen’s legs so he can sniff Etta while his owner heads to the counter. Jensen smiles down at him, but his attention quickly returns to me. “I’m going to drop Etta off at home and head back to work. Tonight we are going on another wagon walk. You would have the most beautiful smile if you saw how happy she gets.”
    Socrates shoves his nose deeper into my crotch. Is he trying to bore his way inside? This is totally embarrassing and a dead giveaway that I am fully enamored! “I’ve got to get back to work. Call if Etta needs anything.”
    “Yeah, okay.” Jensen shrugs to Etta. She gets droopy-eyed, and her ears flatten as I hold the door open and Jensen carries her out. As soon as they are out of earshot, Griffin tromps over, smacks me on the arm, and shows no mercy. “What the hell is wrong with you? I thought you liked that