Page 43 of Colton On Guard
Slowly, he nodded. “Stay safe.”
Watching her walk away, he ached. He didn’t know what he would do if anything happened to her.
Once the door closed behind Genna, Hetty touched his arm. “How long have you been in love with her?” she asked. “And more importantly, does she return your feelings or are you on your own?”
Genna kept up a brave front, strolling outside as if she didn’t have a care in the word. She maintained her brave front until she reached her car and climbed inside. Promptly locking the doors, she made sure JB’s tote was secured with the seat belt before starting the ignition.
Then, because she had a feeling Parker and Hetty might be watching her out the front window, she forced herself to put the shifter in Reverse and backed up enough to turn the car around.
Though leaving was the absolute last thing she wanted to do, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and drove away.
She’d barely reached the first streetlight on the outskirts of Shelby when little JB poked her head out of the tote and whined. Chagrined, Genna realized she’d forgotten to let her pet outside to relieve herself.
Though tempted to pull over and take care of that right now, her location felt too isolated. For all she knew, she’d get out of the car and that black SUV would come racing around the corner. Might be foolish, but she didn’t want to take any chances. JB would have to wait until they were actually in town. The restaurant Genna had in mind for lunch had an actual dog park out back. There’d be people and other dogs around, and she didn’t think her stalker would dare make a move under those circumstances.
At least, she hoped not.
By the time she got to the restaurant, the usual lunch crowd had begun to thin. She parked, grabbed the tote and went directly to the dog area out back. Once JB had taken care of her business, Genna decided to walk her over to the patio area. The little dog made an immediate beeline for one of the strategically placed water bowls, which also had Genna realizing she’d forgotten to make sure her dog had water.
“I’m sorry,” Genna said, scratching JB’s neck. “I promise I’ll get better at this dog mom stuff.”
“I bet you’re excellent,” a masculine voice said. Startled, Genna looked up to find one of the wait staff smiling at her. “Can I show you to a table?” he asked.
“Thanks, Ty,” she replied, reading his nametag. “I appreciate that. June Bug and I would like to sit out here on the patio. It’s such a beautiful day.”
“It is,” he said, leading her to a small table in one corner near the railing. “Will this work for you?”
“It will.” Sitting in the chair he pulled out, she accepted the menu he offered. When he also handed her a smaller pet menu, she laughed out loud. On it were things like bone stew and mac and kibble.
Since she didn’t want to mess up JB’s digestion any more than she had to, she didn’t order anything for her dog. For herself, she chose a strawberry, fresh greens and chicken salad, with light dressing on the side.
While she waited for her food, she people watched. The pace in Shelby felt different than it had in Anchorage. Maybe because the town was popular with tourists, it had a more relaxed, accepting vibe. Growing up, she’d never realized this, and it had taken living in the hustle and bustle of a larger city to make her appreciate her hometown.
Her food came. She took a moment to admire the beauty of the salad, which looked so fresh and colorful, before she dug in. It tasted as good as it looked.
While she ate, JB lifted her head once or twice, but didn’t try to beg for anything. The little dog just seemed happy to be there, out in the fresh air with her new owner, the sun on her fur.
“You’re such a good dog,” Genna said, resisting the urge to slip her a tiny piece of chicken. JB gazed up at her and wagged her tail.
After finishing her salad, Genna pushed away her plate and exhaled. It had been a nice lunch. With the sun on her skin and a light breeze keeping her cool, she’d been finally able to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.
The muted conversations going on at other tables merged with birdsong and light traffic in the street nearby. From her seat, she could not only see the snowcapped mountains in the distance, but the beautiful cloudless sky. People strolled the sidewalk out front, and customers entered and exited the restaurant. She watched food being served and tables being cleaned. Her server checked on her, asking if she’d like anything else, before removing her plate.
Just because she felt like she deserved it, Genna asked to see a dessert menu. Ty immediately brought it, telling her he’d be back after giving her time to decide.
JB had stretched out on the cool pavement under the table and watched people with interest, though she never barked.
“Such a good dog,” Genna murmured. She thought Revis, despite his much larger size, might also be great to take out in public.
Maybe because they’d come from the same shelter and had been adopted on the same day, Revis and June Bug would always be linked in Genna’s mind. Remembering the unabashedjoy Parker took in his new dog made her insides go all soft and squishy. A special dog for a special man.
She couldn’t help but miss Parker. He would have enjoyed this place, she thought. She’d even spent far too much time guessing what he might have gotten to eat.
Clearly, she, who wanted to steer clear of any romantic entanglements, had it bad. She’d be seeing the man that evening, for Pete’s sake. She was staying at his house. Seeing him every day at work. And now she couldn’t even enjoy a solitary lunch without missing him?
To be fair, he’d been the first person she called any time she’d been scared. And he’d showed up every single time she’d needed him. Like today, when she’d thought that black SUV had been following her.
Now that some time had passed, she’d halfway convinced herself that she’d imagined it. After all, the SUV had driven on once she’d turned into the RTA drive. If it had been some random stalker, they would have continued on with her, maybe boxing her in with their vehicle so she couldn’t escape.