With This Ring

“That’ll be eighteen dollars and ninety-seven cents,” the cashier said.

John opened his wallet and handed her a hundred-dollar bill.

“Yep,” Brent said. “Toothbrushes are great on grout.”

“I’ll remember that.” John pocketed his wallet and picked up the bag. “Guess I’ll see you around.”

“You bet.”

John started to walk away, then stopped. “You know, most guys wouldn’t be telling people they were buying a spare toothbrush to clean grout.”

Brent pulled a couple of loose bills out of his pocket and smiled. Guess I’m not your average guy, he thought to himself as he watched John cross the parking lot.

“Will that be everything?” the cashier asked.

“No, I’ll take one of these, too.” From a bin near the checkout he chose a small brown teddy bear with a pink ribbon tied around its neck and placed it on the counter beside the toothbrush.

LESLIE STEPPED out of the bath, feeling a little calmer and a lot warmer, and toweled herself dry. She picked up her bra and panties and dropped them again. After that wonderful warm bath, there was no way she could wear cold, wet underwear. She pulled Brent’s T-shirt over her head, breathing in the clean, fresh-but-still-masculine scent, and reached for his sweat pants.

She’d never worn a man’s clothing before and the whisper of the fleecy fabric was unexpectedly intimate, especially against the part of her that should have been wearing underwear. After she adjusted the drawstring and tied it, the pants settled comfortably onto her hips. The legs were way too long so she rolled them up, then slipped her feet into the socks.

Her beautiful wedding gown was a crumpled heap on the floor. She set the jewelry on the edge of the vanity and shook out the dress over the tub. It was an absolute dream of a dress. Or at least it had been until she’d run through the rain in it. It had been the first and only dress she’d tried on and even Allison, who never bought anything until she’d tried on half the things in the store, had agreed it was perfect.

Everything about this day was supposed to be perfect. But she had been so preoccupied with planning the perfect wedding that she’d missed seeing that the perfect groom was cheating on her.

She hung the dress on a hook on the back of the bathroom door, next to Brent’s jacket. After she’d neatly draped her wet towels over the towel bar, she gathered up her bra and panties. “Brent, I really hope you have a clothes dryer here.”

She opened the bathroom door and Max, who must have been sprawled on the floor outside, leaped to his feet.

“Were you guarding the door?”

His tail wagged in response.

“Good boy. Is Brent home yet?”

The dog cocked his head to one side.

“I take it that means no.” Besides, the house was small enough that she would have heard him come in. “Is it okay if I have a look around?”

The tiny hallway was lined with doors. Aside from the bathroom, there were two closets and two bedrooms. Both bedroom doors were open. The one with the huge four-poster bed and chest of drawers must be Brent’s. The other had a desk, a small bookcase crammed with books and magazines, and a neatly made single bed. Until now she hadn’t given any thought to where she might spend the night, but found herself hoping it would be here. Too bad there was no way to let Gerald know she’d be spending the night with another man.

Except Brent hadn’t offered to keep her overnight.

And even if he did, she wouldn’t technically be spending the night with him. But then Gerald wouldn’t need to know that.

Max disappeared into Brent’s bedroom, but she decided not to follow. Instead she went through to the living room.

Max loped into the room behind her, carrying a gray teddy bear in his mouth.

“How adorable are you? Is that your favorite toy?”

He set the bear on the floor between them.

“Are you giving it to me?”

He wagged his back end.

She reached for the bear but he grabbed it and dashed out of reach.

“So that’s how it’s going to be.” She clapped her hands and Max trotted ahead of her into the kitchen. Leslie followed. No doubt he expected her to chase him, but first she had to dry her underwear and there was no laundry equipment in here.

Surely he had a washer and dryer? She returned to the hallway by the bathroom and opened a pair of folding doors. Sure enough, there was a washer and dryer. She took a quick look at the care tag sewn into her bra. It wasn’t supposed to go in the dryer but desperate times…

“As if ruined lingerie is the worst thing that could happen today.” She tossed both garments into the dryer and closed the door. Five minutes on low should do it, she decided. With any luck she’d be wearing them by the time Brent returned.

She went back to the kitchen. She loved well-equipped kitchens, and Brent had done an amazing job of fixing up this one. It even had an old wood-burning cookstove that appeared to have been converted to gas. She was impressed.

Max dropped his bear on the floor next to an empty bowl and gazed up at her. As if she wasn’t already falling for the silly mutt, his pleading look was completely irresistible.

“Your dish is empty. Would you like something to eat?”

His tongue rolled out the side of his mouth.

“Poor Max. Where does Brent keep your food?”

She looked at him for a moment, then shook her head. “It’s one thing to talk to a dog. Waiting for an answer is a good indication that you’re losing your mind.”

She opened the fridge. Three bottles of beer, an empty pizza box and an assortment of individual-sized condiments. In spite of the impressive kitchen, it appeared that Brent ate out a lot. And there was no dog food. She opened the cupboard nearest the dog’s empty dish.

Max leaped to his feet, nearly knocking her over in the process, and raced back and forth across the kitchen.

Inside the cupboard was an enormous bag of doggie kibble. She peered into the bag and saw a red plastic scoop. “How much am I supposed to give you?”

For heaven’s sake, Leslie, stop asking him questions. She hauled the bag out of the cupboard and read the daily portions, which were broken down by weight.

How much did Max weigh?

At least this time she hadn’t asked him. She dumped a scoopful of food into the bowl and Max dove into it eagerly. “That should do for now. If you’re supposed to get more, Brent can give it to you when he gets home.”

But now that Max had something to eat, he couldn’t be less interested in her.

The dryer buzzed. Dry underwear! She hurried back to the hallway, pulled the two items out of the dryer, took them into the bathroom and locked the door. She shed Brent’s clothes as quickly as she could and put on her bra and panties. Who knew warm underwear felt this good? She’d have to do this more often. She pulled the shirt and sweat pants back on and tightened the drawstring on her way back to the kitchen.

The ring of the telephone startled her. She had no intention of answering but instinctively she glanced at the call display.

C. Girling.

Cappuccino Girl?