Quite the competition between those two. And Gordon? He slept through it all.

  Lilith started out kind of shaky, trembling and trying to climb into Hazel’s armpit, but after a few miles she settled down on Hazel’s lap, content to just be chill and pretend she’d never been nervous in the first place. He admired her ability to fake it. All in all, a fairly peaceful drive.

  Since it was the fall, finding a parking space wasn’t hard at all, and they were able to park close to the beach. Once he and Hazel attached leashes to all the dogs, they got them out of the car and headed straight for the beach, the dogs excitedly lunging ahead.

  “I think they really want to be in the water,” he said.

  She nodded. “They love to play in the ocean. The good news is they’ll exhaust themselves and sleep the whole way home. The bad news is they’ll exhaust us, too.”

  He laughed as Penny and Freddie jerked on their leashes, dragging him along. “Just think of it as fresh air and exercise.”

  It wasn’t overly crowded—or actually, crowded at all. There were several people, some with dogs, some without, but no one even blinked when they arrived and the dogs excitedly started barking at the water.

  Hazel kicked off her shoes, then took the leash off Gordon and Lilith. Gordon wandered slowly toward the water’s edge, sniffed, then plopped down in the wet sand just out of reach of the approaching waves. Lilith pranced around in the water, getting her feet wet but mindful of the waves. Linc held on to Penny’s and Freddie’s leashes, waiting for Hazel’s cue.

  “You can let them off leash,” she said. “They know what to do.”

  He unhooked them, and the dogs ran happily toward the water. Of course Penny, being taller with longer legs, got there first, but Freddie ran as fast as his short legs could get him there, his floppy little ears flying in the ocean breeze. Penny ran straight into the water, and Linc could swear she was smiling as she did a dive underneath the waves. Freddie, not quite as brave, barked at the water, danced around in circles, then let the waves lap over his feet before scurrying back to the sand and repeating the process again. Lilith stayed firmly on the sand and guarded her siblings.

  Linc walked over to Hazel. “You’re right. They’re all having a good time. Even Gordon.” He motioned with his head to where Gordon had gotten up, stretched, and padded toward the water’s edge, got close enough to have a wave wet him down, then calmly extricated himself and lay down next to Lilith.

  Hazel smiled. “For Gordon, that was an enormous undertaking.”

  They watched the dogs frolic—or sleep. Hazel kicked off her flip-flops and dug her toes into the sand, trying to relax.

  She should be able to relax. This was an ideal location, the sun was shining, the ocean breeze sprayed her with cool, salty mist, and she had a sexy-as-hell man sitting next to her. The dogs were content, so why did every part of her body feel as tight as Spanx in August?

  Maybe she was overanalyzing and worrying about nothing. That was standard for her. She could try relaxing and letting her mind just . . . go. Clearing her mind and thinking about nothing just wasn’t something she did, though. Not when she had her future to think about, and where the money would come from. It was a constant worry in her head, and it wasn’t going away.

  Linc got up and went to the water’s edge, distracting her. He played with the dogs, who went crazy, barking and lunging at him as he splashed water at them. Even Gordon got in on the act—playfully bending into his downward dog pose and giving Linc tiny barks. Meanwhile, Lilith ran circles around Linc, and Hazel was sure she’d never seen the Chihuahua happier as she pranced and growled at him. And when he scooped her up in his arms and ran his hand over her head, her little tail whipped back and forth and she licked Linc’s face.

  Wow. Her girl had come a long way. To see the level of trust that Lilith had developed with Linc was a big deal. Maybe it was because Linc knew he would never hurt her, so Lilith somehow also knew that. Hazel didn’t begin to understand the inner workings of a dog’s mind. She knew they had emotions, including hurts, so she simply accepted their feelings and worked with what they felt at any given moment.

  Like right now. Right now, her dogs were all happy. Linc had been right—they all had needed this day.

  Especially her. She’d been sad about losing Boo, but she knew he was going to be so happy at his new home. And at the moment, how could she feel down when dogs were barking, sand was flying, and Linc had that incredibly deep laugh that he used with abundance as he rolled around in the surf with the pups?

  It had been so long since she’d felt that kind of unrestrained joy. It was time for her to recapture these moments and grab a bit of the happiness that had eluded her over the past few years. Even if it was temporary.

  She got up and joined them, immersing herself in the maelstrom of flinging water and barking dogs. They’d spent at least half an hour running amok with the pups until she’d laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe. When even the dogs had begun to slow down, they leashed them and went in search of something to drink, finding an outdoor restaurant and drink spot about a half mile down the beach. Linc bought some bottles of water for the dogs and a couple of beers for them. She poured water into the dogs’ bowls, and they all drank greedily, then passed out at their feet while Hazel and Linc took seats and sipped their beers.

  “That was fun,” Linc said after taking a couple of long swallows.

  “It was. Also exhausting.”

  “Yeah.” He reached out and swept his hand across the top of her head. “You have sand in your hair.”

  She shrugged, not feeling at all embarrassed at being seen as less than perfect, since he’d already seen her at her worst. “And your hair’s standing straight up. It looks like you got struck by lightning.”

  He laughed and shoved his hand through his hair. “Then I’d say we’re a pretty good match.”

  Her stomach did a tumble at his comment, but she knew it was a throwaway joke and not a come-on. “Yes, we definitely are.”

  “You hungry?” he asked.

  “A little.”

  “Let’s grab something to eat. I’ll get us a menu.”

  Fortunately, the little shop they had stopped in had food, so they ordered some tacos, which were delicious. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she bit into the taco, then ended up devouring the entire thing and wished she had ordered more than one. But she’d also noticed Linc had only had one as well.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” she asked as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

  “Yeah, but I thought we might go out for dinner tonight, if you’re game.”

  “You want to go out for dinner? With me?”

  “Yeah, with you. I told you we were taking the day off, so why not make it the entire day and have some fun? You’re always cooking, and you should have someone else cook for you for a change.”

  “Oh, well that’s not necessary.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Hazel. I want to take you to dinner.”

  “Uh, I don’t really have ‘going out to dinner’ clothes with me. Since the dogs and I are on the move a lot, I only keep the minimum with me. Most of my stuff is stored with a friend.”

  “Okay, so we’ll go shopping. How’s that?”

  She winced at the thought of spending money but gave him a weak smile. “Sure.”

  They headed back to the house. Once there, Hazel unleashed the dogs and put them out back. Typically, they’d run around, but they all crawled under the shady palms and passed out. Obviously, all the fresh ocean air and frolic had done them in, and all they wanted to do was sleep. Which would be great when she went out tonight, because she doubted they’d even miss her.

  The dogs roused themselves long enough for her to feed them, then they wandered the yard while she went upstairs to get ready.

  She took a shower and dried her hair, then dug into her kit for makeup, which she rarely wore. She settled for a bit of mascara, some brow touch-up, and lip stain, hoping that was good enough.

  Maybe she should have asked Linc where they were going. She hoped it wasn’t anywhere too fancy. She didn’t have the budget for an upscale dress and shoes. Right now all she owned were a couple of sundresses, and even those were old, and as for shoes, she only had flip-flops and tennis shoes.

  Her life wasn’t glamorous enough to need anything more than that.

  She chose one of the sundresses and her nicest pair of flip-flops—the ones that had a touch of bling, which wasn’t saying much, but it was all she had.

  When she came downstairs, Linc was holding Lilith, whispering to her as he petted her softly. Lilith leaned her tiny body against him like he was the best person she’d ever known. Her little eyes were partially closed, and Hazel could see—and feel—the bond that had formed between the two of them.

  Her pulse rate kicked up when she got a good look at him.

  “You shaved.” Her fingers curled into her palm to keep from reaching up to swipe her hand over his smooth jaw.

  “Figured I should since we’re going out.”

  She wondered how that smooth jaw would feel rubbing against her inner thighs.

  Down, girl.

  He wore dark slacks and a black button-down shirt, not seeming to care at all that Lilith was going to leave hairs on the shirt. Then again, all the dogs currently surrounded him, and Hazel knew from experience that their fur was like a magnet to clothes—especially dark clothes.

  Still, Linc bent and petted all of them, and picked Gordon up to give him extra cuddles.

  She couldn’t help but sigh. She was a sucker for a guy who loved dogs.

  He set Gordon down and smiled at her. “You look really pretty.”

  “I’m sure I’m not dressed appropriately, but like I mentioned, I don’t exactly have ‘going out’ clothes. I was kind of hoping we could stop along the way and I could pick up something more appropriate.”

  “If you’d like, but you look nice.”

  “Thanks. But I’d feel better in something more suitable to—where are we going?”

  “I thought it would be fun to eat a little upscale tonight.”

  Oh, crap. Upscale meant a nice dress and heels. “Uh, sure. That sounds great.”

  She settled the dogs with their toys and blankets and water bowls, though it appeared as if their day by the water had done its job, and they all curled up together in a ball of floof, surprising her as she and Linc walked out the door.

  “They weren’t even nervous that I was leaving,” she said as he shut the front door behind him.

  “That’s a good thing, right? Raising confident and secure dogs?”

  “Of course.” She sometimes forgot that she didn’t want the pups dependent on her. “They’re doing great, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah, they are.”

  He opened his truck and she climbed in, surprised to see it so clean in there.

  “No work tools or anything,” she said.

  “I cleaned it out earlier.” He gave her a knowing smile.

  “I see.”

  They drove to the mall—the trendy, fancy, high-dollar one. Shit.

  “Linc.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I can’t afford this mall.” She wanted to wither up and die right here in the car. And, maybe, if she was lucky, she’d subsequently disappear in a cloud of mortified ash.

  “Oh. Sure. You know, I could buy—”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  He gave a quick nod. “Got it. Where would you like to go?”

  She gave him directions to a discount store, and fortunately, he didn’t say another word until they got there.

  He got out with her.

  “You don’t need to come in with me,” she said, not wanting him to see her flail around to find something she could afford.

  “But I want to.”

  “Okay.”

  They went inside and she headed to the dresses, hoping he wasn’t embarrassed to be seen in here with her.

  Apparently, he wasn’t, because he started going through the racks, zeroing right in on the correct size, too. She didn’t know whether to be supremely impressed or irritated that he knew so much about women.

  He pulled one off the rack. “This would look great on you.”

  He had a good eye, that was for sure. It was a blue-and-white short-sleeved dress that would hit her at the knees. She wanted to immediately grab the price tag, but she could do that in the dressing room. “I’ll try it on, but I want to pick out a couple other dresses, too.”

  “Okay.”

  She found two other dresses she thought were reasonably priced, then headed back to the dressing area. The first thing she did was check the price tag on the one Linc had chosen, holding her breath as she read the tag. She exhaled when she saw it was on sale, and though at the top of her price range, at least it was in the ballpark.

  She undressed and tried on the two she had chosen. They were serviceable, but she didn’t love them, so she slipped on the dress Linc had picked out, feeling it slide over her body like silk. When she turned and looked at herself in the mirror, she smiled.

  Oh, yeah. This one was nice. Really nice. It hugged her curves, and the scoop neck showed off just a tiny bit of cleavage. Sexy without being overt, but perfect for a nice dinner out, and it wouldn’t break the bank.

  She left the dress on and came out of the dressing area. She could swear she saw Linc’s gaze sparkle with interest, but that was probably just her imagination.

  “You look amazing in that.”

  “Thanks. I think this is the one. I just need shoes now.”

  “Okay, let’s shop.”

  She was happy that he didn’t put up a fuss about her doing this on her terms.

  The shoes were the easy part. Sandals, but with a low heel, and also on sale. She slipped them on, and they looked amazing with the dress.

  Linc came up behind her as she looked in the mirror. “Now you’re ready for dinner.”

  She couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, I am.”

  She went up to the counter and paid for the items, then had the cashier remove the tag from the dress since she was wearing it out the door. Once in the car, she slipped on the shoes.

  She felt a lot better now.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  This was some kind of fairy princess night for Hazel. First, she was going out to dinner. And not just your average dinner, but dinner at a highly rated steak and seafood restaurant. She’d always wanted to eat at Victoria & Albert’s but of course could never afford it. And now, here they were, being seated in a private room that they would apparently have all to themselves, rather than in the main dining room. It was all lush and decadent and she was so excited she felt like she might burst.

  Linc held out the chair for her and she slid in, certain there must be birds singing over the top of her head. Or maybe it was just this magical night.

  Their server presented the wine list along with the menu.

  “Any particular favorite on the wine?” Linc asked as he opened the book to page through it.

  Normally, she would have let him choose, but this was her new life—the one where she promised to find her voice. “I’m fond of pinot noir.”

  He looked up at her and nodded. “Me, too. Would you like to choose?” He slid the wine list over to her.

  She perused it, her eyes nearly bugging out at the prices per bottle. “Holy crap, Linc.”

  “Stop looking at the prices and just choose one that looks good to you. I can—I have money saved up for special nights and this is one. I want you to relax and enjoy this.”

  She blew out a breath and let her pulse rate settle, then looked over the wine list until she found one that sounded good to her. She pointed it out to Linc.

  “This one,” she said.

  “You chose a California wine because it’s cheaper, right?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “You wouldn’t want to, say, go with something French?”

  “I’ve never had one.”

  “Would you want to try?” He flipped through the pages and slid the book back to her. She looked, unable to avoid seeing the prices.

  Good Lord. “Linc, I—can’t choose. You do it.” She shoved the book back at him.

  He smiled at her. “Trust me?”

  “Sure.”

  When the server returned, she wanted to cover her ears while Linc ordered a bottle of the French pinot noir that she was sure cost over five hundred dollars.

  Who did that? Not her, that was for sure. Her indulgences in wine typically came in a box from the grocery store. Not that she didn’t enjoy fine wine. She’d had her share of the good stuff, but that had been a long while ago. And never anything as expensive as what Linc had just ordered.

  “You know, a less expensive bottle would have been fine.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, but you’ve been working hard, and isn’t it fun to indulge every now and then?”

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Well, tonight you will. And you deserve it.”

  “Do I?”

  “Hell yeah, you do. You work hard. You take care of dogs who otherwise wouldn’t have someone to look out for them. You got a raw deal from your ex, and you’ve been down and out for a while, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, then. You deserve to be pampered a little. So remind yourself that you’re worth it.”

  “You have a point. But I’d rather be paying for all of this myself.”

  “Someday, you will. Until then, allow me, at least tonight? And then we can go back to sandwiches for lunch and food cooked in the tiny stove in the guesthouse.”