Reese laughed.

Alice tipped her head to study him.

Given the manners of his dog, he should have been embarrassed, too, but what the hell? It was funny. “Leave it,” he told her. “I’ll take care of it as soon as I come back in.”

“Okay.”

“Alice?”

She paused.

“Answer when I knock.” And then, rather than let her dismiss him, he dismissed her by walking away.

In an absurd voice reserved only for the dog, he said, “Come on, Cash. Let’s go, my man. That’s a good boy.”

He was all the way to the bottom of the stairs when he heard Alice’s door click shut.

So she’d watched him go? Great.

Cash continued to bound around him, so Reese walked the dog out to the grass and let him do as he pleased. After sprinkling a half dozen areas to claim them, Cash chased a bee, barked at a squirrel and ran after the stick Reese threw for him.

After a good five minutes of playing, Reese dropped down next to a tree so Cash could get in his lap.

It was odd, but he accepted the truth—he’d missed the dog, too. Smiling at that silly idea, he hugged Cash and even kissed the top of his furry head.

The dog went bananas again, making him laugh.

“You really did miss me, didn’t you? Was she cruel, is that it? Did she feed you birdseed or smack you off the couch?”

“Of course I didn’t.”

Reese looked up—and there Alice stood. She’d quickly dressed in casual slacks and now wore slip-on shoes, but she hadn’t yet combed her hair.

“I was teasing.” Reese patted the ground beside him. “Care to sit with us?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

So why had she joined them? Just to keep him from getting near her apartment again? Interesting. “Did he behave for you?”

“That depends on your idea of behaving.” But she smiled at the dog. “He ate a throw pillow while I was…that is…” The words fell away, and she ducked her head.

Interest spiked, Reese said, “While you were what?”

She cleared her throat. “Away from the couch.”

Away from the couch doing what? “Cooking?” Thinking of the occasions when Cash had done the most damage to his place, Reese offered, “Changing? On the phone? The computer?”

“Showering, actually.”

He’d have paid good money to see that. “So…you were in there long?”

“Ten minutes, tops.” She turned brisk. “But after scratching at my bathroom door, he quieted. I assumed all was well. Until I found the stuffing everywhere.”

Great. “Sorry about that. I’ll pay for the damage.”

“No need. I made the pillow, and I have fabric left, so I’ll just make another.”

Somehow it fit that she could sew. But what else? “You’re sure?”

“Don’t give it another thought.”

Cash finally plopped down, his chin on Reese’s thigh. His tail thumped hard on the ground as Reese stroked him.

“He obviously adores you.”

Was that surprise in Alice’s tone? “I’m an adorable guy.”

The slightest of smiles quirked her mouth. “Did you need me to watch him today?”

“I wanted to talk to you about that.” He checked his watch again. “Come on. Sit for a minute.”

Unsettled, she searched the ground and again shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“Actually you’re skittish. Why is that?”

“I’m not!”

Whoa. Slowly, keeping his gaze on her, Reese got to his feet. Cash went on the alert, unsure what they were doing. Hell, Reese was unsure, too. “Could we sit on the steps then?”

She looked back at the apartment, drew a breath and nodded as if she’d just agreed to enter a burning building.

With grave seriousness, he said, “Thank you.”

One way or another, Reese knew he’d figure out the problem. But not now, not with such a limited time frame, not in the lot of his apartment building with his dog craving attention.

But soon. Probably a whole lot sooner than Alice whatever-her-last-name-might-be would like.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

BY SILENT AGREEMENT, they headed back toward the steps. “Where do you work?” Reese asked.

“Here.” She waited for him to sit on a step, then put herself as far from him as she could get without actually sitting on the blacktop. “I’m self-employed.”

“Really?” Interesting. “Doing what?”

“I’m a virtual assistant.”

Never heard of it. When he continued to stare at her in confusion, she launched into a rehearsed explanation.

“Other people who work from home often need help with databases, phone calls, filing and other general forms of organization. That sort of thing.”

Enjoying how she’d opened up—in a miniscule way—Reese kept her talking. “How’s that work?”

“It’s easy enough with the internet and email. Different clients send their information to me and I keep their business lives running smoothly.”

“So you’re here…pretty much all the time?” That was so convenient, it almost felt like fate. Not that he believed in fate. If he did, he knew he was screwed big time, given that fate so far seemed to have a sick sense of humor.

“I… Yes.” She frowned. “I’m not sure I understand why you’re asking.”