LIB

Chapter 7

            “Yeah, she seems really nice. We’re going out to a movie tonight.”

            “Do I get to meet her soon?”

            He rolled his eyes. “Let me get to know her a bit before you scare her away, okay?”

            I snorted. “If she lets me scare her away, then she isn’t worth your time. You get two more dates after this one and then I want to meet her.”

            He sighed. “Fine, but if you scare her off, you don’t get to meet any of my dates at all.”

            I waved my hand in dismissal. “Yeah right. I’m going to head out now. I’ll see later.”

            The walk to the park was peaceful and I enjoyed the fresh air. When we got to the park, I went directly to the benches where I’d seen Blake last time. A huge smile spread across my face when I saw that he was already there. I sat down beside him. “I knew you couldn’t resist my charm.”

            “I just wanted Abby to be able to play with her friend,” he responded.

            “You keep thinking that,” I said smugly. I unclipped Tonto’s leash and gave him the release command. Blake unattached Abby’s harness and did the same. I watched as the two dogs raced off. “It’s nice that they have someone to hang out with,” I said with a smile.

            Blake turned to face me. “Is there supposed to be a double meaning to that?”

            “What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

            He shook his head. “Never mind, I don’t want to get into it.”

            I sighed. “Is it so hard for you to admit that it’s nice having me as a friend?”

            He was silent for a moment. “I guess it is nice to have someone to talk to,” he admitted grudgingly. “Even if you are really annoying.”

            “Your words are like music to my ears,” I gushed with fake sweetness. “They just warm my heart.”

            He chuckled, and I nearly fell off the bench as I stared at him in shock. “Did- did you just laugh?”

            He sobered immediately. “No.”

            “You did too! Holy crap, I made you laugh! I deserve an award or something.”

            “You are such a weirdo,” he grumbled.

            I grinned excitedly. “Yeah, but I still made you laugh! That’s gotta be some kind of record, right?” 

            He raised one hand and rubbed his face. “Next time I won’t laugh if you’re going to make such a big deal of it.”

            “Sorry, I’ll stop talking about it now. But I’m still proud of myself.” We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before I suddenly got an idea. I stood up and looked down at him. “Give me your hand.”

            He tilted his head up. “Why?”

            “Because we’re going to do something. Arguing with me won’t get you anywhere, so it’ll just be easier if you do as I ask.”

            He mumbled something incoherent, but reluctantly held out his hand. I grabbed it and pulled lightly until he got to his feet. I led him over to the swings and turned him around. Taking the hand I still held, I placed it on one of the chains. “Sit,” I ordered.