Page 44 of What He Never Knew

“I don’t need a dog.”

“I firmly disagree.”

He chuckled at that. “I haven’t had a pet my entire life, Sarah.”

“What?” I blanched, not bothering to hide the dramatic drop of my jaw. “You never had a pet?Ever?”

Reese shook his head.

“A dog? Cat? Rabbit? Hamster? Fish?”

He just kept shaking his head as I listed off all the possible pets he could have had in his lifetime.

“That’s absurd,” I finally said, still shocked. Then, I held my head higher, straightening my spine where I sat. “And all the more reason for you to get a dog.”

Reese slid my glass of water toward me with an amused smile. “Dogs are a lot of work. I can barely keep myself alive, let alone another living, breathing thing.”

“Right, because you’re justso busythat you don’t have time to pour dry food into a bowl or open that door to let a dog outside while you smoke your cigarette.” I pointed at the sliding glass door between us and his backyard in example, but Reese just watched me, taking a sip of water.

I huffed, verbally confirming the frustration I felt inside. I had thought all night about the proposition, about what I could do to bring a little joy into his life. A dog was a great stepping stone. It was a step forward, a new relationship, a new beginning.

I had to make him see that, too.

“Look, it’s been two years since everything went down between you and Charlie. You go to work every day with her, see her happiness, and sometimes even spend time with her family. Herentirefamily,” I pointed out, and Reese’s face sobered at that. “And then, you come home to this big, empty house that’s entirely too large for a bachelor. It’s sad, and as much as thebroody, broken sad boy imagemight be great at getting you laid, it’s time to make some moves forward. And a dog is step number one.”

Reese’s brows had slowly climbed the more I talked, and they shot all the way up into his hairline when I mentioned him getting laid — which, admittedly, had also made me blush fiercely once I’d realized what I said.

“Doesbroody, broken and sadreally come off as appealing to the opposite sex?”

I rolled my eyes. “Like you don’t know that that… that…thing,” I finally said, hand flying up toward his face. “That you do with your eyebrows is ridiculously enchanting.”

He smirked. “I do athingwith my eyebrows?”

“We’re getting off topic.”

“I think I like this topic better.”

I shook my head, biting my lip against the smile that threatened to break. “Ithink we should go to the shelter and adopt a dog,” I said firmly. I pulled my shoulders back, eyes meeting Reese’s with confidence. “Today.”

Reese’s amused smile warped, concern etched in his features as one hand reached back for his neck. “Honestly, Sarah — I really don’t know the first thing about taking care of a dog.”

My heart picked up a notch when he said my name like that, like I was his closest friend in the world. It wasn’tMiss Henderson, butSarah— like we were friends.

Werewe friends?

“I’ll help you,” I assured him. “And, it’s not as hard as everyone makes it seem. I promise. You don’t travel a lot, you have a great house and a big backyard. You’re home plenty, especially in the summer, and you can hire a dog walker during the school year.”

Reese’s face screwed up like he still wasn’t convinced.

“Come on,” I begged, sliding off the barstool and rounding the counter until I stood in front of him. “Imagine having a fluffy, adorable, overeager dog greeting you at the front door every time you walked through it. And someone to cuddle with at night.”

My neck warmed when that last sentence slipped out, but I didn’t apologize, though it was the second slightly inappropriate comment I’d made that afternoon. Instead, I waited with my hands clasped together under my chin, hoping he’d say yes.

For a long moment, he just stared at me, eyes bouncing between mine as he tapped one finger on the counter like a drum. The longer he looked at me like that, the more I felt like a silly little girl. He didn’t want a dog. He’d said as much, and his face was echoing the sentiment now. It occurred to me that my idea was kind of stupid, childish, and he was probably just trying to figure out how to say no without crushing me.

Like I was his child instead of his student.

My hope dwindled when his brows tugged inward, and my shoulders sagged, head following suit as I prepared to accept defeat. I was just about ready to climb into my shell of embarrassment and hide away for the rest of our lesson when he spoke.