Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
At least Nelson loved Buzzy. That was one thing he didn’t have to worry about. It was too cute how his little guy followed Buzzy around, looking up to the bigger, more confident dog to see how things were done. It reminded him again of when he’d first had dinner at the Davenport family home. Watching Betsy Davenport was how he’d learned table manners. He shook his head. Maybe he was getting soft now that he was in his mid-thirties, but he was really going to miss Nelson even though they’d only spent one night together.
If only he could get the idea of spending the night with Erin out of his head.
* * *
Erin might be doing Jay a favor by house- and dog-sitting, but the truth was that when she walked into the beautiful home she’d admired for so long, the favor was all his. Although it was strange moving out of her own home just up the street for the two nights Jay would be in LA, she could fantasize that this was her place. She’d cook herself dinner in that impressive kitchen and sit in the library and read whatever book appealed to her from his well-stocked shelves. And as much as she’d love to settle down for the night in that big, beautiful master bedroom, as Jay had said she must, she’d told him she was perfectly happy with one of the guest rooms. He hadn’t pushed the matter, just shrugged and said he’d leave it to her.
Part of the reason she didn’t want to sleep in his bed was because she’d surely end up in the sexy-thought land that she was working so hard to leave.
Since Buzzy and Nelson had already decided to be best friends, it was an easy enough gig. As she walked around at her leisure, really taking things in, what surprised her was how comfortable his home was. It wasn’t show-offy at all. Sure, in his office he had a couple of trophies and a framed picture of himself with some of his bigger clients, but everywhere else the house was understated—as though Jay was more interested in allowing his tasteful art collection to shine than in displaying his famous connections. And not a single piece of furniture was ornamental rather than comfortable. Each piece had been chosen to be used and loved rather than simply to impress, and she was beginning to wonder if Jay envisaged this place as being more than just an incredible bachelor pad. Maybe he had a family in mind.
But then she laughed at herself. She was getting carried away. Jay, who only dated lingerie models interested in the next big shoot, was about as far away from starting a family as a person could get. The gorgeousness of this house was definitely doing a number on her, because now she was imagining her own family in here. Two, maybe three kids sitting at the huge kitchen table, drawing or doing their homework. Buzzy sprawled out happily in his dog bed by the stove, Nelson next to him in his bed. And then for a split second, she saw Jay’s strong, sturdy outline, gently stirring a copper pan of hot chocolate.
Luckily, a bark from Nelson tugged her back to real life. She shook her head at herself. Just because this house was a romantic dream didn’t mean that she was actually living in either one. Besides, Jay wasn’t the kind to have children. Or was he? She was learning so much about this man she’d thought she already knew. Maybe he would keep surprising her.
But what did it matter if he did want to have a family? She was never, ever getting together with Jay.
She continued her solo tour of the house—solo except for the two dogs, of course. Her editor had agreed that she could work from home for the next two days so she didn’t have to leave Nelson. Pat, like pretty much everyone else in Carmel-by-the-Sea, was a dog person and understood how important it was for Nelson to remain in the same place while he was still becoming accustomed to living with Jay. Not that he seemed to be having any trouble settling in. If anything, in the few hours she’d been here, it already seemed as though he’d been the dog of the house for years, not two days. He had good manners too. He didn’t beg at the table and sat before she offered him a treat. No one could guess what his past had been. All Emilia from the shelter had been able to tell them was that he’d been found wandering with no collar on, and since he hadn’t been chipped, there was no way to find his owner, if he had one. He’d clearly been living on the streets for some time. But now that he was settled in a house, Erin could see that at some point he’d been trained. Or else he naturally had good manners. Either way, he was a pleasure to look after. And it was nice for Buzzy to have company. Her dog didn’t seem to mind the hero worship at all and was quick to put Nelson in his place if he got too rambunctious or enthusiastic.