Page 6

Chapter six

Evie

“What did you do?” I cry out as I close the door to Rhett’s apartment behind me. Ruthie doesn’t move a muscle from where she’s passed out on top of the cushion on his couch. Obviously, she tired herself out plenty, destroying what looks like both of the cute toys I bought her yesterday, along with one of Rhett’s socks. To say nothing of the pillows and blankets she must have tugged all over the floor.

“How did you even get out?” I murmur with dismay, looking at the mess. I could have sworn the door to the bathroom was closed before I left for Aikido class, but that door is wide open now.

I’m tired, both from a lack of sleep and from a grueling class where we focused on sparring, but I get to work tidying up the mess. Who knows when Rhett will be home, but I’m sure he won’t be pleased by my screwup.

If I can at least get all the things that are ruined put into the garbage, and the blankets into the laundry, then maybe he won’t be too upset.

Of course, any hope of having everything cleaned up is out the window — or rather, the door — when he comes in just as I’m bent over, my ass in the air, as I try to pull out a piece of fabric Ruthie somehow managed to get under the couch.

“Ah-ha!” I say, waving the fabric triumphantly.

“Am I interrupting somethin’?” Rhett’s amused voice has me turning, my hand dropping to my side. He’s smirking at me, and his eyebrows raise as he pointedly looks down at my hand.

“Shit,” I swear, a rare occurrence, but warranted this time as I realize the fabric I was waving around a second ago is a pair of red lace panties. I stuff them in my pocket and move to stand, knocking my knee on the corner of the table. “Ow.” I grimace, and Rhett moves swiftly to my side.

“You okay there?”

I nod and step away. “Yep, totally fine,” I say, probably sounding far too chipper, but I’m mortified. “Sorry about the mess. I’ll have it all cleaned up super fast, I promise. And I’ll replace anything she wrecked. I think a pillow and some socks might have fallen victim, but other than that, it was just her toys and a couple of my towels I put in the bathroom for her. I guess I didn’t close the door, and…yeah. Sorry.”

“Evie, it’s alright.”

That delicious drawl of his stretches out the words, the sound a soothing, warm wave covering me. But I take another step back, glancing down at the innocent-looking puppy still snoring away on the couch.

“It’s not. You’re being so kind to me, and then I do something stupid like not close the bathroom door properly and now your property is getting destroyed.”

Rhett closes the distance between us in just a few strides, and one hand cups my chin, lifting it from where I was staring at the floor.

I can’t help but gasp at his touch. Has he ever touched me like this?

“It’s a pillow and some socks, Evangeline, not a prized possession. And she’s just a lil bit. She’s gonna make messes.”

I open my mouth to protest some more, but he fixes me with a look that has me staying silent.

“But we can get her set up with a few things so that leaving her won’t result in warfare against my pillows.” His hand drops away and he smiles. “You said you’ve never had a pet before, so I’m guessing you didn’t know all the things a young pup needs. I’ll help you make a list if you want. My mama was a vet assistant, so I grew up with all kinds of animals around.”

My grateful nod comes automatically. “Please, that would be wonderful.”

Then he starts listing things off, and with every item, my eyes grow wider.

“A crate is the most important thing so she can have a safe space to go. That’s where we’ll keep her when we have to leave. We’ll need lots of toys and treats to entice her into likin’ the crate. A soft bed that fits in the space, and we can use one of my sheets or a towel to cover it and create a dark place. Some pee pads for when she has accidents. Speaking of accidents, we better make sure we have some appropriate cleaning supplies that aren’t toxic. A good stain remover, too. Have you thought about training methods? Gettin’ her into a puppy class would be good for socializing and making sure she stays a good girl.” He gives me a small smile before glancing down at the puppy, clearly unaware just how out of depth I feel .

“Right. Yeah, that all makes sense,” I eventually manage to say, even though my head is spinning, not only with all the things I apparently didn’t know I needed for the puppy that I didn’t plan on getting, but also with how much all of this will cost.

“And of course we’ll need to register her with the city. Get a license and all that.” Rhett strokes her soft nose before looking up at me, a surprisingly bashful expression on his face. “Sorry, darlin’. I keep saying we , as if I have any claim over Miss Ruthie. Guess I just got caught up in havin’ a dog around again.”

I blow out a slow breath, some of my tension and worry leaving me. He means every word he says, I can tell.

“Okay. Well, thank you. Um, do you think you could text me that list right now? So I have it when I go to the store?”

Something crosses his face. Panic? No, that doesn’t make sense. But Rhett moves away, almost stumbling over himself. “Naw, no need. I’ll come with you.”

My brows furrow in confusion. “You don’t have to do that.”

He glances back at me briefly, his brows pulled together in almost a frown. It’s clear something’s still off. “It’s fine, Evie. We’ll take Ruthie with us and go together. That way I can help if you have questions.”

I stare at him for a moment, but he’s not facing me. I don’t have a clue what I said, or what happened to make him react the way he did. Even though he’s offering to come with me to the store to help, there’s a stiffness to his movements, a nervous energy that wasn’t there before.

“Alright,” I reply softly, moving to pick up the leash. I clip it on Ruthie’s collar, and she finally stirs from her nap. Her little yawn makes me smile, despite the tension that’s still buzzing between Rhett and me. But when he glances over and sees her, I see those brows relax with a small upturn of his lips.

The power of puppy love, I guess. Even if I do wish I could be the one to bring a smile back to his face. Or at the very least, not somehow be the reason for that tension in his shoulders.

The drive to the pet store is quiet. Well, between the two humans it is. Ruthie keeps up a steady stream of noises, from excited barks to lower whines. I try to keep her down at my feet, but she keeps trying to climb up until finally, I cave and put her in my lap.

Rhett glances over, one hand holding the steering wheel while the other spins his cap around to face backward. “Looks like we also need a restraint for her so she’s safe in the back seat.”

I kiss the top of her head and get a lick in return. “She’d whine the entire time.”

“Better whining than havin’ her fly through the windshield if I have to stop suddenly.”

That makes my throat tighten. “Good point,” I manage to say.

I hear Rhett’s exhale, my gaze on the bundle of fur I’m now holding a little bit tighter.

“I’m sorry, Evie, I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“It’s fine, you’re right. About all of it. You know way more than I do about caring for an animal, obviously. I just hate the idea of anything happening to her.”

He darts a quick look over at me before reaching his free hand over to stroke the top of her head. His hand comes dangerously close to my chest with how she’s resting in my lap .

“You know she deserves to be loved. That’s the most important thing about havin’ a pet. The rest you can figure out as you go.”

I’m saved from having to say anything in reply to that sweet statement by our arrival at the pet store.

The same store clerk that helped me yesterday recognizes me and Ruthie and comes over with a big smile that turns into a look of disbelief when she realizes who’s with us.

“H-hi again,” she stammers, her gaze bouncing between me and Rhett, obviously trying to figure out why we’re here together.

But if Rhett is annoyed by the obviously starstruck clerk, he doesn’t let it show, giving her a wide, charming smile. “Hey there. I’m hoping you can help my friend and me find a couple of things for this little lady.”

He gestures down to Ruthie before flashing the now-blushing girl a wink. I shouldn’t be jealous of a pet store clerk. Really, I shouldn’t. But that smile, that wink, I’ve never once seen it turned my way. And a part of me really wants to.

“Of course, whatever you need. It’s so cool you’re here, like, in our store. My boyfriend is gonna go nuts when I tell him, he’s a huge fan. Of the team. And you, of course. Oh my God.”

I watch the interaction curiously. I’ve seen Kai get fawned over by fans before, but he’s my brother, so it’s easier to roll my eyes and move on. Besides, his cocky swagger makes me want to vomit sometimes.

But Rhett... It’s easy to see why he’s known as the southern charmer on the team. He’s friendly, polite, and yes — hopelessly charming .

“Well now, if you help us find all that we need, maybe we could give your man a quick call and say hi.” Another wink, another smile, and the girl, even though she has a boyfriend, almost melts into the floor.

“Ohmygosh, that would be so amazing! What do you need?”

Rhett rattles off the list, and with how easily he remembers it, I can’t help but wonder why he wouldn’t just text it to me like I suggested. It might be a lot for me to take in, but for someone like him who knows animals, it would be simple.

There’s no time to ponder that too much before I’m trailing after the two of them, the clerk now pushing a cart as she and Rhett both add things — far more than I remember being on the list, but what do I know.

When we come across a young boy and his mom in one aisle, the boy’s face lights up. Not at Rhett, to my surprise, but at Ruthie. He starts tugging on his mom’s sleeve, and I watch her crouch down and start to move her hands, forming letters and words in sign language. His noises of excitement are obvious, and I squat down to his level as well. My hands are too full to use the rudimentary amount of sign language I know, but I try to keep my speech clear in case he can read lips at all.

“Would you like to say hi to the dog?” I keep my face pointed toward the boy, but my eyes glance over at his mom.

Mom smiles, and quickly signs to the boy, saying to me at the same time, “Thank you, that’s so kind. He loves dogs, but we can’t have one right now. We’re here to look at fish, but he’s not so excited about that.”

I chuckle at that just as the little boy makes another sound and stretches out his hand. I tuck Ruthie’s leash under my foot, secure enough that she can’t jump on him, but freeing my hands so I can sign, “Her name is Ruth.”

This time, both the boy and his mom look at me with happy surprise. “You can sign?” his mom asks as we both watch the little boy laugh as Ruthie covers him in kisses.

“A little. I took some courses during my master’s degree. I’m going into special education, and it seemed like a very useful skill to have,” I admit.

Her hand reaches out and clutches my arm. “Thank you. Thank you for caring enough to learn, and for this. You’ve made his whole week.”

We sit there for a few more minutes, the boy loving on my puppy, and my puppy loving him right back before the mom gets to her feet. “We’d better go,” she says, tapping her son on the shoulder. She signs and talks at the same time. “It’s time to leave, Ryan. Say thank you to the nice lady and goodbye to the puppy.”

Ryan looks like he’s going to protest, so I quickly try to cobble together some signs of my own, still speaking clearly since I noticed his gaze going to my lips often. “Thank you for petting Ruthie, but I have to go, too. She needs her dinner.”

Ryan’s mom gives me a grateful smile as Ryan reluctantly stands, then looks at me and signs thank you before bending down to give Ruthie one more hug.

I give them a wave before realizing I have no clue where Rhett and the salesclerk have ended up. Making my way to the front of the store, I see him leaning against a wall, his hat facing forward now and tucked down lower. If he thinks that makes him any less noticeable, he’s wrong .

Then I see the bags at his feet.

“Rhett, you shouldn’t have paid for that,” I protest as he scoops up the bags and leads me outside. We reach his truck and he puts the bags in the back behind his seat before moving to the front. I still haven’t opened my door as he looks at me over the hood.

“You were busy, darlin’. I wasn’t gonna interrupt you. Not when it was clear that little boy was in heaven.”

He opens his door and gets in, as if that’s the end of that. Eventually, I do the same, lifting Ruthie into my lap and securing my seat belt. But when I go to open my mouth to insist on paying him back, it becomes clear that Rhett’s not done.

“You’re a good person, Evie. Real good. You’re smart, and kind, and you know how to take care of yourself. I see that, I swear. But you gotta realize it’s not a bad thing to let other people do good things for you sometimes. It doesn’t make you any less smart and kind and capable.”

It’s still hard for me to accept that people might do nice things for me, not because they think I need to be taken care of, but simply because they might want to. A lifetime of being the baby of the family and feeling like I had to prove my ability to take care of myself isn’t easy to forget.

But with Rhett’s words, warmth steals over me. I look out the window so he doesn’t see my blush. What the heck am I meant to say? Thank you?

That seems silly, so I say nothing.

“By the way, I got the little lady somethin’ special. Open up that small bag, would you?”

My head turns to face him, but he’s staring straight ahead at the road, a soft smile curving his lips.

I twist in my seat and locate the smaller bag he must be talking about. It feels like there’s nothing in it, but then I open it up, and a small dark green piece of metal shaped like a heart falls out.

“It’s the closest to Tridents green I could find. Hope that’s okay.”

His words register as I flip it over and see Ruthie engraved in gold letters.

“I thought Ruthie suited her best. But if you prefer Ruth, we can go back and get it redone.”

Somehow, I find my voice. “I love it. Thank you, Rhett.” I clear my throat and bend down to take off her collar so I can attach the tag. “And Ruthie is perfect.”

I chance a quick look in his direction, and his gaze flashes to mine at the same second. Something burns between us, quiet and subtle, but it’s there, nonetheless.