Second Chance Girl
Page 25

Carol smiled. “I’m glad. So he was swoon-worthy?”
“Totally.” She stabbed the cinnamon roll. “He invited me back to his hotel room.”
“Did you go?” Carol asked, although she already knew the answer.
“No. I couldn’t. I’m sure it would have been amazing, but he’s leaving and I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”
Carol studied her sister. “Your lips are saying one thing but the rest of you is saying another. Second thoughts?”
“Maybe. No. Yes.” Violet sipped her coffee. “I’m not sorry I said no and I am sorry I said no. I really like him. There’s something so appealing about him.”
“Maybe you should plan a trip to England.”
“I’m not going to go all the way over there, chasing a man. If he wanted to see me for more than a one-night stand, he would have said so. He would have stayed, or suggested we keep in touch. He did neither.”
It appeared that bitch logic had it out for the Lund sisters this morning.
“I wish I knew how to make it better,” Carol admitted.
“Thanks. I’ll be okay. It was just dinner, right? One evening in a lifetime of evenings. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Which sounded great but left Carol with the nagging feeling that both of them were lying about something really important.
* * *
CAROL SPENT THE NEXT twenty-four or so hours waiting for the text/phone call/visit that never came. Mathias had totally dropped out of sight and she honestly had no idea what to think. Embarrassment was one thing, as was regret, but this? What was the man thinking?
As her mind was more than willing to provide a hundred not-flattering-to-her scenarios to answer that question, she tried another tack. Was he sick? Injured? Had he moved to Borneo to avoid a humiliating morning after? Had it really been that awful?
She did her best not to think about what they’d done, only telling herself not to think about it was pretty much the same as thinking about it All. The. Time. It seemed there was no win in what had happened—at least not for her.
She’d nearly convinced herself that maybe she should consider a lunchtime cocktail as a distraction when her phone rang. She lunged for it, grabbed too hard so it slipped from her fingers and hit the floor of her office, then spun under the desk. She dropped to her knees and finally got hold of it and was able to see the screen even as she pushed Talk.
Mathias!
Her chest tightened, her stomach lurched and her mouth went dry, which made it hard to say, “Hello?”
“It’s me. Sophie’s missing. Somehow she opened the gate and got out of the backyard.”
Two actual seconds passed before she was able to process what he’d said. He wasn’t calling about them—he was calling about the dog. Who was missing. Her brain kicked in.
“Oh, no. Do you think she’s in the preserve?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say yes. I thought I could come there and we could go out and call her. Do you think any of the animals would hurt her?”
“No. They’re all grazing animals.” Unless Sophie got curious and ventured too close. Then there could be some serious kicking.
She winced as she thought of the little dog being injured. “I’ll grab my golf cart and head out right now.” She had her Jeep as well, but the electric golf cart would be quieter and less likely to scare any of the animals or Sophie.
“I’m at the house. Give me five minutes and I’ll meet you.”
“I’ll be by the barn.”
She hung up and called her father, then hurried to the barn. She’d barely backed the golf cart out of the bay when Mathias pulled up.
For a second all she could do was stare at him. He was so tall and handsome, she thought foolishly. So appealing with his eyes all dark with worry. What they’d done that night—
“We’ve got to find her,” he said by way of greeting. “My mom’s going to kill me if we don’t and I’ll feel guilty for the rest of my life.”
So much for a romantic reunion. “I’ve already talked to my dad,” she told him as he got into the seat next to her. “He and my uncle are going to drive down the main road and be on the lookout. We weren’t sure how far Sophie could get on her own.”
“Clear to Iowa if there’s enough time.”
“We’ll find her.” Carol headed out past the barn.
“She could be anywhere.”
“Sophie wants adventure, not to run away. I’m sure she’s stayed close.”
She followed the main path, stopping every hundred yards so Mathias could call out. As he yelled the dog’s name, Carol watched for her own charges. Quietly grazing zebras and gazelles meant a Sophie-free zone. If the animals were agitated or running, chances were they would find their beagle in close pursuit.
They went by the gazelles first. There was no sign of flapping ears or a wagging tail. The zebras were equally quiet. Even Harriet, the water buffalo, barely raised her head as they zipped by.
“I can’t imagine Sophie hanging out with Millie,” Carol said, “but we should check on her anyway.”
She headed toward Millie’s favorite midday spot only to stop when she heard a happy yip of excitement.
Mathias shot her a look of confusion. “Can Sophie even see that high? Wouldn’t Millie just be weird legs to her?”
“I have no idea.”
She followed the path, then stopped. Millie stood nibbling on branches Carol had hoisted into place that morning. Sophie danced between her long legs, moving perilously close to giraffe feet. Before Carol could do more than feel the cold flood of panic, Millie lowered her head so that she gently butted Sophie in a gesture that was almost maternal. The bouncing beagle swiped the side of Millie’s face with a kiss.
“Holy crap,” Mathias muttered. “What is she doing?”
“Making friends?”
Sophie spun toward them, barked happily and darted toward them. She jumped into the cart, landing on Mathias’s lap. After planting her front paws on his chest, she licked his face, then grinned at Carol. Millie returned to her meal.
“You’re a troublemaker,” Mathias told the dog. “What am I going to do with you?”
Sophie sat down on his lap and leaned against him as if indicating she was ready to go. Carol used her walkie-talkie to let her dad and uncle know the little dog had been found.
“Millie could have killed her,” she said. “It wouldn’t have taken much for her to crush her, but she didn’t. She seemed happy to have a friend.”
Mathias lightly touched her hand. “You’re getting her a herd.”
“It’s taking too long. I worry about her being happy.” She shook her head. “Sorry. Not your problem.”
Now that the crisis was over, the realization that she was back in Mathias’s company had her wondering how to bring up what had happened...and not happened...between them.
“So you’re, um, feeling better?”
He gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about the other night. There’s some stuff going on. I hope I didn’t say anything stupid before I passed out.”
She waited, but that seemed to be all he had to say. Questions formed, then faded. Weren’t they going to talk about—
Her mouth dropped open. No. No! There was no way on this planet that he couldn’t remember what had happened, was there?