Home Is Where the Bark Is (25 page)

“C’mon, get moving,” she said instead. “We’ve got guests arriving at any minute.”

“Yes, Boss,” he replied. Then in a lower voice: “Just tell me what you want me to do most and I’m at your command. Anything.”

She flushed a deeper shade of pink. “Ah,” she said, looking up—avoiding his gaze—“Brutus’s family is here.”

Nick looked over to see Maddy, with another tray of those deceptive-looking cakes; a tall, well-built brown-haired guy whom he recognized from his photos as Tom O’Brien; and an elegant gray-haired woman who must be Tom’s mother. She held in her arms another ugly, squashed-faced little dog who could only be the progeny of Brutus.

“Gotta go greet the guests,” said Serena.

“Yes, Boss,” said Nick with a mock salute. “Anything you say, Boss.”

“Suck-up,” whispered Kylie.

The
puppy party was well under way. Serena stood just inside the temporary fencing and surveyed the festivities with a poignant mix of pleasure and sadness. Paws-A-While meant everything to her, and she couldn’t bear to believe it was under threat. She and her wonderful team did this kind of thing so well. It would be Halloween in a few days and that should prove to be fun, too.

She smiled as she watched Brutus bolting down a cupcake. He had refused to wear his Birthday Boy hat. He had, in fact, squashed it flat in his effort to rid himself of it. Same with his “I’m the Birthday Boy” tank top. The only thing that remained of the star of the day’s party finery was the jaunty blue Birthday Boy bandanna. Brutus didn’t seem to mind bandannas. He often arrived in day care with one tied around his neck. He looked very cute. Well, as cute as such an ugly little mutt could look.

The rest of his pack were in various stages of disarray. Only Cleo the basset hound and Pixie the teacup Pomeranian had kept on their hats, though the basset’s had fallen to the back of her neck. Coco was fastidiously licking the carob coating from a kibble cookie. The rest of Brutus’s pack buddies—and his puppies—were snuffling down pupcakes with no finesse or manners but, hey, what else did you expect from dogs?

Snowball was practically breathing in an oat-and-alfalfa cupcake and had pink cream-cheese-and-strawberry frosting smeared all through the white fur of his muzzle. As soon as he’d gulped down the last bite, he pushed aside the Pomeranian and snatched her brownie. The tiny dog let him take it without putting up any defense, then looked up appealingly to the nearest human—who just happened to be Nick—for help.

“Snowball—drop it!” Serena ordered, but Nick was already troubleshooting.

Within seconds both dogs were chewing on liver brownies.

She signaled her thanks with a wave. Nick was really good with the dogs. And he looked good in the Paws-A-While shirt she’d had made for Tom for the center’s launch. It was tight on him, the fabric taut across every bulge and ripple of his magnificent chest and shoulders. Her breath caught and her nipples pebbled and tingled as she imagined tracing her fingers across the bare skin of that chest. Of kissing a path down and along his six-pack . . .

She shivered. Not with cold; it was warm in here with all the furry bodies and frantic activity. No. She might have tried to send desire packing, but it sure didn’t want to stay on vacation. It was back home in full, fierce force. And focused entirely on this man.

She wrenched her gaze away from Nick’s biceps and back to the doggy party. She couldn’t stand here by herself enjoying the view for much longer. With this number of dogs, there was always work to be done.

There was the odd growl and yip as a tasty tidbit was defended and a few water bowls were tipped over but, between herself, Kylie, Nick, and the human guests, everything at Brutus’s birthday party was going great.

She caught Nick’s eye and smiled. His carefully controlled expression told her what he thought of the extravagance of it all. Maybe he had a point. But the party and the dog treats and the indulgences were all about the pleasure they brought to people rather than pups. Serena didn’t kid herself for a second that the dogs could care less about their party.

Nick might deride the term “dog-kid.” However, to many of her clients who didn’t have kids in their lives, for one reason or another, their dogs were child substitutes. Serena counted herself among their numbers.

She lavished love on Snowball. But she considered she got the better deal of the bargain. Snowball gave her unconditional love in return for very little. He had even risked his life for her that horrible time when Brutus’s would-be murderer, Jerome, had her helpless in a choke hold. Her little white dog had latched onto the villain’s thigh with a ferocity that had surprised everyone. Jerome probably bore Snowball-bite scars to this day.

Even on that dark day in February, when she had been reduced to a squeak toy to hear the words “I love you” on Valentine’s Day, Snowball had quietly licked her arm as she sobbed. A dog was a wonderful confidant at times when you didn’t want the world to know you were hurting.

“Snowy is having fun,” Maddy called over, as if she could read her mind.

“I’ll make him send you a thank-you note,” she said in reply, “you know, signed with his paw print.”

Nick rolled his eyes heavenward, which made her smile.

She was proud of how well Paws-A-While balanced the line between practical care and indulgence, proud of how she’d built the business to be what it was in six months. And she’d fight with everything she had to save it.

Late Monday afternoon she’d reported the crime to the police. Not with Nick by her side; it was something she wanted to do by herself. To her surprise it hadn’t been as bad as she’d thought. The cop who had made her so uncomfortable was nowhere in sight. In fact the officer taking the report had treated her with interest and respect.

Maddy’s laughter rang out again over the doggy pandemonium as she took photos of Brutus’s big day. She was such a good friend. After the walk with Nick at Fort Mason, Serena had gone straight to Maddy’s house. When she’d told her friend about the identity fraud, Maddy had hugged her and told her not to worry about Brutus’s investment just now. And Tom was there for her with help and advice and an offer of free legal representation. Tom was definitely one of the good guys.

She noticed Nick had moved around the table and was talking to Tom. Good. With a private investigator and an attorney on her side, she might just have a chance to beat this thing.

She looked at her watch. Dammit. Where was Jenna with the party favors? Serena wanted the B biscuits arranged in a basket out of the way of the dogs as a party centerpiece. For the benefit of the humans, of course. If Jenna didn’t get here soon, it would be too late.

A sudden thought chilled her. Please don’t say Jenna wasn’t supplying them because her last invoice hadn’t been paid?

“Serena!” Maddy called over. “Come over for a photo.”

“Oh no, I—”

“I won’t take no for an answer.” Maddy put down the camera and stood, hand on hips, waiting for her. “Don’t stand over there being the boss. Join in the fun.”

“Okay,” she said. Posing for a photo was once second nature to her. Now she did not like to give any of herself away to the lens.

She headed to where Maddy stood between Tom and Nick behind the picnic cloth where the dogs were munching up a storm. Maddy made a space for her and pulled her in so Serena stood with Maddy on her left and Nick on her right. For a moment she stood there, paralyzed by his nearness, rendered shaky-kneed by the rush of desire that hit her. He smelt so good it was intoxicating.
Sexy beast.

“I’m proud of that brave face you’ve put on,” he murmured in an undertone. “No one here would know how worried you are about everything. Well-done.”

He was proud of her? It was a nice feeling.

Maddy handed the camera over to Helen O’Brien.

“Can you please take a nice one of the four of us?” Maddy asked her mother-in-law.

Since when was there a “four of us”?

She could tell both Maddy and Tom liked Nick. He was so quickly at ease with her friends, even with Tom, who was not the most outgoing of men.

Maddy winked and slung her arm around Serena’s shoulders. Serena stood in an agony of discomfort. Every instinct urged her to snuggle against Nick’s side, embrace his strength and warmth. But although they’d kissed, she wasn’t sure when she stood with him. Then there was the fact that in the staff ’s eyes he was meant to be her employee, not her date. She didn’t want to risk Nick’s undercover status. Or her authority.

“Move a bit closer, kids,” ordered Helen. “I can’t fit you all in the frame.”

Nick put his arm around Serena and pulled her close. She stiffened for just a second before she relaxed against him. Then looked up at his face just at the precise instant he looked down at her. He smiled as their gazes met and she smiled back. The look he gave her made her feel as though she was the only person in his world. Again she had that feeling that everything else faded away, the noise of the dogs, the laughter of the human guests, to just him and her.

Helen’s camera went off.

Serena edged away from Nick but his arm was firmly clamped around her and he would not release her. She loved the feeling of security and safety it gave her.

“I think I blinked,” Maddy complained.

“Another one, please,” said Helen. “Say ‘sex.’ ”

Serena couldn’t. She just couldn’t say that. Not standing so close to this man who made her think of nothing but sex. Not when she was being watched by the staff, Kylie’s eyes bright with curiosity. Not when she thought of how much she wanted everything to be perfect with Nick if things between them ever got that far.

“Sex!” hollered both Maddy and Nick, while she and Tom just laughed.

Helen snapped again. “That’s a lovely one of all of you,” said Helen.

“Great,” said Maddy. “I’ll email it to everyone.”

“You haven’t got my email address,” said Nick.

“We’ll get it from Serena,” said Helen with a big smile for Nick. Tom turned to Nick. “Better you than me caught forever on film in that god-awful shirt. You’re very welcome to it.”

The little group fell apart as arms dropped and they stepped aside from one another. Serena felt suddenly self-conscious, flooded again by doubt. The photo had grouped her with Nick as a couple. She’d liked the feeling. Maybe liked it too much.

Nick chatted easily with her friends. He fit in. Was that from genuine liking for them? Or was it all part of his game, to get people to warm to him so he could extract from them the information he needed? What happened afterward? When the job was done, did the instant intimacy evaporate?

What did that mean for her? When he—or the police, whoever moved fastest—tracked down the criminal who was stealing her clients’ identities and put him behind bars, would that be the last she ever saw of Nick Whalen? It was tempting to lean on him, let him help solve her problems. But what if he pulled that support away and she went under?

The thought sent a stab of pain through her, the intensity of which surprised her.

She looked up to see Jenna bustling toward her with a big cane basket. At last.

“So sorry I’m late,” Jenna said, “but they’re all done up and ready to go.”

Sure enough, the B-shaped dog biscuits were each wrapped in cellophane and beautifully tied with paw-print-patterned blue ribbon. “I . . . uh . . . got held up,” said Jenna, flushing and smiling up at the man behind her. The sexual innuendo was obvious and it made Serena’s skin crawl.

What was
he
doing here?

Serena tensed.

“What’s up?” said Nick in a low tone that only she could hear.

“My boyfriend, Tony,” said Jenna, by way of a general introduction.

“I don’t like the guy,” Serena whispered back to Nick. “I never like any of her boyfriends, but this one really gives me the creeps.”

For such a smart woman, Jenna had appalling taste in men. She always ended up with bullies. Men who appeared charming at first but then ended up intimidating her, even to the point of violence. Serena had no idea why—maybe some childhood abuse or violence her friend had never chosen to confide in her about. Who knew?

Whatever the reason, her track record with men was one of the reasons someone as brilliant as Jenna was reduced to baking dog biscuits to help get her through her studies. Almost without exception, she dated guys who thought nothing of accepting expensive gifts from her. Gifts Jenna foolishly thought would make them love her. She’d had a good job in IT before she decided to study for her PhD. But she didn’t appear to have a cent in the bank.

Jenna had managed to hang on to this guy for nearly a year. They’d just moved in together in a nice apartment in Oakland. The kitchen was so tiny Serena couldn’t understand how Jenna could bake in there—but then, what the heck did she know about baking? Jenna had moved there because Tony liked it and that was that.

Three of the dogs scampered away from the table to mill around Jenna’s ankles. The dogs loved her treats so much they must be able to scent them through the cellophane. Jenna nudged them aside with her foot.

“Thank God Mack isn’t here,” she said to Serena. “He would have bowled me over to get at this.” Jenna was always nervous of the enormous animal who, with his unerring instinct for treats, could sniff her sample goodies out from wherever she hid them. He was particularly partial to the carob-frosted doughnuts.

She put the basket of dog goodies on top of the table. “Happy birthday, Brutus,” she said, with a wave to Maddy and her family.

“Thanks so much, Jenna,” said Serena. “You’re just in time to sing ‘Happy Birthday.’” She indicated the large, chocolate-frosted cake Maddy had placed on the high table. A six-inch-high red candle in the shape of a bone sat in the middle. Nick would be pleased to note that this cake was for human consumption.