“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Reeves!”
I waved to the kids’ parents as I pulled up their driveway. I watched as Mrs. Reeves pulled something out of her purse and I tried not to look like a giddy little seven-year-old as I parked my car and met her halfway between my car and hers. Mr. Reeves loaded up suitcases into the trunk of their convertible, which meant they’d be gone for a least another week. I didn’t have to worry about that, though.
I wasn’t the nightly nannie.
“I’m so sorry this is late. Our planes were delayed last night and—”
I waved my hand in the air before I took the envelope. “I promise, I completely understand.”
Relief washed over her face. “Oh, and your summer bonus is on this check as well. I figured the least I could do was give it to you a bit early so you can celebrate your birthday the right way.”
I smiled. “I appreciate that. Where are you two off to now? More work stuff?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t even get me started. I understand that this merger is important for our company, but I’ll be damned if Richard isn’t going to run me ragged. Tell me again why I decided to be his CFO?”
“Because you love him and wanted this to be a family business?”
She groaned. “Right, right. I wanted to care. Got it.”
I barked with laughter. “Do you guys have any more suitcases? I can help if—”
Richard jogged over to us. “I hate to interrupt—good morning, Molly—but we need to get to the train station.”
Mrs. Reeves’ eyes widened. “We’re taking a train!?”
I tried my question again. “If you guys need help with suitcases, I can—”
Richard shook his head. “No time, sorry to rush off. Did she tell you about your bonus?”
I held up the envelope. “She did, she did.”
Mrs. Reeves hugged me quickly. “Make sure the kids keep taking their vitamins.”
“Come on, sweetheart,” Richard said as he tugged her away.
“And make sure they stick to their bedtimes!”
“We have to go, Alice.”
“Oh, oh, oh! And take Sandy shopping! She’s had another growth spurt.”
“Alice!”
She sighed. “Ugh, Richard, you’re always so impatient.”
I tried not to laugh at them as I waved them off. Their driver tore down the driveway as if his life depended on it, and soon I was alone once more. I looked at the envelope in my hand and almost squealed, I was so excited. I’d been watching Cody and Sandy for the better part of four years, and their summer and holiday bonuses were always a treat.
But when I slid the check out of the envelope, I almost swallowed my tongue.
“Holy shit,” I hissed.
I slammed the check back into the envelope and hurried myself into the house. Never in my wildest dreams had I seen this kind of money with my name on it. I mean, my base pay per week was around fifteen-hundred, but I didn’t have to shell out for things like insurance and the like since they provided that kind of stuff for me as well. At most, my summer bonus had once been a thousand extra dollars.
But this check was made out with an extra three grand on it.
“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” I whispered as I walked inside.
“Ooooo, Miss Molly said a bad wooooord,” Cody chanted.
I giggled as I locked the door behind me. “So! Who’s ready for a snack?”
Sandy peeked her head around the corner and gazed at me down the hallway. “I’m making grilled cheese. Want some?”
I wrinkled my nose as I made my way toward her. “For breakfast? Have you guys eaten yet?”
Cody sat down at the table. “I had jolly ranchers. Does that count?”
Sandy giggled. “This is my second one. But Cody says my sandwiches smell like butts, so he doesn’t want one.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Is that true, Cody?”
He grimaced. “She burns the cheese. It’s gross.”
“No, I don’t!” Sandy exclaimed.
I held my hands up. “All right, all right! I know how to settle this.”
I walked into the kitchen and took the spatula from Sandy’s hand. “Why don’t you and your brother go watch some television? I’ll whip up some grilled cheeses with some hot soup, and we’ll have lunch for breakfast.”
“Does this mean we can have breakfast for lunch?” Cody asked.
I winked at him. “Duh.”
The kids praised our daytime food plan as they rushed their way into the living room. I heard them toggling through channels on the massive projector television they owned. Out of all the things I had to get used to while working with the Reeves’, the sheer size of their property was one I could never stomach. I mean, who needed fifteen acres and a nine-thousand square foot house for four people?
Give me a quiet piece of property with a couple of nice neighbors any day of the week.
Still, after getting the kids fed, we decided to take Max to the dog park. I knew the kids wanted to get out of the house, so the dog park across town was perfect since it had a children’s park right beside it. We were at the park at least once a week, but the dog park was a new addition that I had been aching to check out for a while now.
So, we loaded ourselves into the SUV and headed for the other side of Santa Cruz.
“Whoa,” Cody whispered.
“Wait, is all of that the dog park?” Sandy asked.
I pulled into a parking space right between the two parks, and I had to admit that even I was shocked at the extent of the damned thing. The fenced-in portion of the dog park had to be at least half an acre, if not more, which was really hard to find in Santa Cruz. There were dogs of every breed, shape, and size frolicking about, and the little tunnels, stairs, and jungle gyms made specifically for their little paws made it all the more welcoming.
“Sandy, you get Max on a leash. Cody, make sure to grab his snacks and his bottled water. I’m going to pull out our cooler just in case we get peckish.”
We gathered everything we needed and headed straight for the dog park, but it didn’t take long for the kids to divert to their own playground. I sat by our cooler, batting dogs away softly while Max rushed around and sniffed other dogs. There was a leash law, so he couldn’t go very far, however that seemed to suit both of us just fine.
Until I heard Sandy raising her voice.
“Cut it out, Cody! Geez!”
Cody laughed heartily. “You can’t get me, na-na-na-na-boo-booooo!”
“Cut it out!”
“Hey! You two!” I exclaimed.
The kids turned to face me as I drew in another deep breath. “If I have to come over there, we’re going home. Got it?”
They nodded and quickly got back to playing, but I saw Cody out of the corner of my eye throwing mulch into Sandy’s hair.
“Hey!” I exclaimed as I stood. “What did I just tell you!?”
“See!?” Sandy shrieked as she pointed to her head.
I watched Cody turn and run into one of the tunnels and I got up from my seat. I wrapped Max’s leash around the leg of the bench we had sat on and jogged over toward the fence that separated the dog park from the kid’s park. And as I leaned over the top of it, I cupped my hands around my mouth.
“Cody Reeves! I need you over here right now!”
Cody sighed and hung his head as he walked toward me, but the second I heard Max’s bark sound, I peered over my shoulder. I settled myself back down onto my feet and watched in horror as the leash loosened up, came undone, and ultimately allowed for Max to shoot across the dog park on all fours, heading straight for the opened gate someone had forgotten to close.
“Max! No!” I exclaimed.
I took off running after him, trying to gain ground as his little legs made him look as if he were soaring across the ground at lightning speed. I lunged for him, trying to step on the leash and pick it up as the kids screamed for him. Sounds sort of blurred together as I watched in horror as Max made it to the opened gate. A few people darted around from all angles, trying to help me chase down this dog that had somehow turned into the business end of a bullet.
Then, out of nowhere, an angel stepped in his way.
“Whoa-ho-ho there, buddy! Where do you think you’re going?”
The kids clapped and yelled out their thanks behind me as I jogged up to the guy at the fence, breathless and sweating. I watched the brutish man bend down, allowing Max to sniff him before he petted his head.
And I saw a beautiful German shepherd sitting next to his side as he doted on Max.
“Oh, I know, that feels good doesn’t it? Yes, it does. My Opie likes to have that spot scratched, too. Yes, he does. Yes, yes, yes he does.”
Even in his crouched position, the man seemed… out of place. His leather jacket and rugged jeans made him stand out in the crowd of people that sported designer leggings, polished tennis shoes, and bedazzled water bottles. As he continued to pet Max, I noticed that his knuckles were marred with scars. I saw the briefest glimpse of what looked like a black-ink tattoo etched against his wrist.
But when his eyes turned up toward mine, he stole my breath away.
The man was positively gorgeous, and I found myself quickly helpless in his presence.
