Christmas Romance (Best Christmas Romances of 2013) (4 page)

Central Bark at Christmas

Jennifer Conner

Chapter One

“You can keep the dog.”

Tennyson Adams struggled to pull Mobley’s collar as the dog tried to wiggle free of her grasp and out the door. “I don’t understand…what?” she asked, stunned by James’s words.

The distant, cool look in his eyes said a lot. She’d never seen this side of James. Had he saved it for a moment like now? Did this detachment make him a better lawyer? They’d lived together for the past four months, and at this moment he looked at her as though she was a stranger. His face was a mask that she couldn’t read. He didn’t look angry or sad ; there were no emotions. Her heart thudded so loud it echoed in her ears.

“The dog is the only thing I can remember that we bought with
your
money. I wouldn’t have got a mutt. As I said, you can keep the dog. You know that
I
bought everything else in this apartment— the furniture, the appliances, and most of your clothes.”

“That’s not true!
”

“Well, I didn’t buy
that
.” He snorted in disgust and waved his hand in her direction. “That’s your waitress uniform. After you get the dog in your car, I took the time to pack your things in shopping bags. Take them with you I don’t really want you to come back when Rachel’s here, and she doesn’t want to see you either.”

“Rachel?” Tennyson blinked. “As in my friend from high-
school, Rachel?” She felt bile rise in her throat and thought she’d be sick. She drew in a deep breath to keep her stomach in place. “How long has this affair been going on?” Her hand shook when she pulled the leather strap of her purse back up on her shoulders.

“It doesn’t matter now. A while. Rachel and I plan to get married.”

All Tennyson could do was nod. Her mouth felt too dry to speak. James never wanted to commit to say they “lived together” much less even hint about marriage. She tipped her chin high. Her mother raised three daughters as a single mom. If she taught her girls anything it was,  “hold your  head high. If a man  doesn’t want you, you don’t grovel.” Second choice would never work, she deserved better than that. She deserved better than James.

Tennyson led Mobley to her car and guided the key into the lock. The dog patiently waited, knowing the routine, as she slid the worn wool blanket over the front seat before he jumped in. The first raindrop hit her forehead. In a few seconds it turned into a cloudburst.

Rain dribbled down her face and soaked her clothes. She’d forgotten her coat at the restaurant. Looking up at the light in the second story window, she wondered if Rachel was there. How could her friend betray her? The sky lit brilliant white with a crack of lighting that pulled her away from her thoughts.

By the time Tennyson returned to the front, her bags were out on the steps.

James was right. There wasn’t much in this house that was hers. It was all his. She didn’t want any of it anyway. He’d even returned her heart in a matter of seconds and it was probably at the bottom of one of the reusable shopping bags.

“Oh, no…” She mumbled to herself. She grabbed for the first bag. “Please let it be here.” She rummaged through the clothes. “Damn,” she said as she went through the last bag. Tennyson’s great-grandmothers porcelain box wasn’t there. It was the only thing in the house she cared about. She looked at the doorbell and bit her lip. She couldn’t face him again. Not right now. She’d come back for the box in the next few days.

She trudged back to the car and threw the rest of her belongings in the back and then slid in. Grasping the wheel, her vision blurred with tears. Mobley, panting and wagging his tail gave her a wet and sloppy kiss that ran up her cheek to her ear.

Tennyson sniffed back tears and scratched the brown scruffy fur behind the dog’s ears. “I got the better end of the deal–James is a bastard, jerk, an asshat…” her words trailed off as Mobley gave her another lick.

She pulled her phone from her purse. She looked at the photo of her and Rachel smiling with their arms around each other’s shoulders, and pressed
Delete
. Then she found James, followed suit and dropped her phone back into her purse. She didn’t need anyone, at least not a
human
. All she needed was Mobley. He’d always be there. He’d never let her down.

Tennyson backed out of the parking space and headed out into the city. Even though she desperately wanted to look in the rearview mirror, she kept her eyes trained on the road. When she got around the corner, she pulled into an empty lot. Tennyson screamed and hit the steering wheel. Heartbreak and betrayal ate away her resolve, and she cried until there was nothing left.

December. Six-months later…

“Hey, Shel,” Tennyson said as she grabbed the leash off the hook on the wall. “I’ve got a few hours before my shift at the restaurant begins. I’m going to take Mobley to the dog park before it gets too crowded and they’re predicting a storm for later today.”

Shelly popped her head around the corner and pulled out an earbud. “I’ll be home late tonight, so leave the light on.”

“Sure. I have an extra shift too, so you might beat me.” If someone told Tennyson that her life would work out okay without James, she never would have believed them. But now, it was water under the bridge. She’d found an apartment with a girl from work, and her mom loaned her a few hundred dollars to buy necessities like new sheets and bath towels. Tennyson picked up all the extra shifts at work and even though she usually felt tired, she’d made enough to pay her mom back and keep a little on the side.

Tennyson looked around her small apartment and smiled. She and Shelly had picked out their odd mix of Goodwill furnishings together and even managed to get a hand-me-down fake Christmas tree, complete with bubble lights and ornaments her mom gave her.

She liked shopping at thrift stores. It was the ‘cool’ thing to do now. She wondered if James got the memo? She liked the bright orange and green color scheme mixed in with the tacky red and green holiday decor. This place felt like home. Hers. At James’s house everything was decorated in black and silver. Black wasn’t a color. Black was the non-existence of color. Recently, she’d noticed there was a new spring to her step and renewed energy when she woke up. Mobley was at the foot of her bed every morning and that helped her through the times when she felt lonely. Though he was a big bed hog, it was nice to wake up with his furry face looking back.

Her plan was working. Stick to the furry companions and all would be well.

Tennyson parked her car and unlocked the back doors. Mobley knew they’d arrived at the dog park. He jumped and barked in the back seat. She grabbed the leash, and as soon as she opened the back door, he leaped out and ran
toward the high chain-link gate. When she opened the first gate, Mobley bounded past her and pawed the ground until she opened the inner gate to the park. Then he rushed past.

She was surprised that there weren’t more dogs at the park that day. Even though it felt cold, it wasn’t raining. A breeze ruffled her hair and she pulled her coat closed at the neck. Tennyson followed Mobley to the clearing under the trees, then sat on the wooden bench, and stretched her legs out.

“Good morning,” a deep voice said. When she jumped in shock, the thirty-something man smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you’d have heard me on the gravel.”

“Out for a jog?” Tennyson gave him the once-over. Navy blue shorts hugged lean hips. She tried not to ogle his bare, broad shoulders and chest damp with perspiration. The brown skin of his biceps were dusted with curly black hair. It was the middle of winter and way too cold to go out without a shirt… but still. .

“I come here before work. I can run and my crazy dog can let out some of his pent up energy.” He gave her an easy smile that put a small dimple in his left cheek. His hair was jet-black and his dark, velvety eyes were the same shade as his hair, nearly black. He looked like one of the sexy leading men from the Bollywood movies she’d been addicted to a few years back. He wiped his forehead with the back of his forearm. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“Mobley is my dog, he’s over there.” She pointed. “He loves it here and would be the official dog park greeter if there was such a position. I come on most days but I work different shifts, so we bounce around.”

“Shift work can be hard when it changes.” He stretched his calf. “Where do you work?”

“I’m a manager at
The Neighborhood Grill
.”

He looked up. “No kidding. I love that place! Their turkey grilled sandwich with avocado is addictive.” He took a step closer and stuck out his hand. “The name’s Par.”

“Your parents are golfers?”

He thought for a second and then laughed. “I’ve never heard anyone say that. That’s funny.” As he grasped her wrist, she noticed his skin was a rich, chocolate color against the paleness of hers.

“I assume your name’s short for something else?” Heat flooded her cheeks as she dropped his hand and stepped back.

“Parkash. What about you? Do you have a name that I can put with Mobley?”

“Let’s keep it at dog park etiquette and casual.” Too much too soon. Arms length.

“Sure.” Three dogs came barreling around the corner. Par grabbed the tree to keep his balance as one of them brushed past him. “Hey, watch it, you hoodlums.” He pointed. “Mine’s the instigator with the red bandana around her neck. Her name’s Boci. She’s a Puggle. Part Pug, part Beagle. I got her from a rescue about six months ago.” His dog squealed to a stop almost stumbling over herself. Par bent and scratched behind her ears.

“She’s adorable.”

“Yeah, she’s my girl… for right now anyway.” He shot her a sexy look and then a grin.

Her stomach did a little flip. The chemistry snapped between them, but Tennyson quickly tamped it down. The three dogs ran off in the other direction.

He stood, straightened his back and frowned. “The other dog who’s running with ours, I wonder where his owner is? I only saw two cars out in the lot.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. If they left, I’m sure they will be back soon.” She grabbed the leash and headed toward the main gate. “It was nice meeting you, Par.”

“Likewise.”

She felt his gaze on her back as she walked away. She started to put a little swing in her hips, but stopped. She gave herself a mental tap. She reminded herself, no men. But he was awfully cute. James was blond. She’d never been attracted to anyone with dark skin and black hair, but with Par she could make an exception. But again… he didn’t have ears or four legs… so definitely no, it didn’t matter how cute he was.

She whistled with two fingers, waited for Mobley and then took him out to the parking lot. Tennyson looked over the field and caught one last look at Par as he played with the two remaining dogs. He threw a tennis ball and they both ran after it. He laughed. He’d put on his sweatshirt…
too bad
.

When she and Mobley got in the car, she looked at the clock on the dashboard. 9:45. She was off tomorrow morning at this same time, and Mobley seemed to get along with Boci and the other dog. Mobley liked to have a playmate. She’d finished all of her holiday shopping , so she had a little extra time. She might have to try and make it back here… for Mobley’s sake.

Chapter Two

Par looked at the clock that sat on the corner of his desk and then at the stack of files. He’d come in at five to get a jump on the day, but no matter how early he arrived, it didn’t seem to matter. The more he worked in his father’s corporate land trust company the more he hated going to work. This was his father’s company not his.

His father told him that if he worked alongside his brother, he promised that Par would be placed in charge of the company’s foundation. But it had been three years and it still hadn’t happened. He loved his parents, and owed them much. But since his family moved here from India when he was a child, all his father did was work. Status climbing was the last thing
he
cared about. He cared much more about mountain climbing.

He pushed away from the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. He was smart and his college education trained him for this profession, but he couldn’t keep his head in the game. He finished his protein drink, stood and walked to the executive restrooms where he quickly changed into his jogging outfit. If he timed it well, he could be out the door before the front desk people arrived and not be swamped with more work.

Par knew he deserved breaks like everyone else, though his father disagreed about taking any time off.

He took the back four stories of stairs, and headed out into the alley. He’d take an extra minute to swing by his house and pick up Boci. As he hit his stride, he wondered if the cute girl he’d seen the other day might be there again.

That just might make the morning doable.

As he jogged into the parking lot, he noticed the girl’s red car took up two slots. He smiled.
She’s cute, but she can’t park worth a darn.

Par grabbed Boci’s leash and opened the gates. He’d take a quick half-loop through the park to make it look as though he’d stumbled upon her again. He clicked his tongue and Boci trotted up alongside him. He broke through the trees. This time she faced him so he didn’t have to worry about startling her.

“Hey,” he said. “Fancy meeting you here again. We have to stop meeting like this; the dogs will talk.”

“Good morning.” She smiled and flipped her shoulder-length brown hair out of the collar of her coat as she buttoned it closed. “How’s your morning going?”

“Not great, until I came here.”

“You had a bad morning on your way to work?”

“Way to… no, I’ve already been there almost four hours.”

“Workaholic, huh?”

“That would not be a word that I’d use to describe myself.” He picked up a milk jug filled with water and dumped it into the bowl.

“Where do you work?”

“My dad owns Cascade Land Trust . I work there.” He watched her gaze drop and she took a step back. “Do you know someone who works there?”

“Well, not really
works
there, My ex is one of the lawyers who represents your firm.”

“Just for the record, I have nothing to do with the lawyers. You said ex? That’s nice to know.”

She grinned. “I guess I can laugh about it now. That’s a good thing right. I just remember him mentioning Cascade Trust. My name’s Tennyson. You asked me yesterday, but I didn’t tell you. I felt like kind of a jerk, it was a simple friendly question.”