Read Online Catch a Falling Star by Jessica Starre - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jessica Starre
Ads: Link
because Natalie had to try on Every. Single. Dress. Pure delight for Natalie, and torture for Brianna as she tried not to watch the time ticking away.
Finally Natalie had decided on the one she wanted to rent, and put it on hold, and patted it lovingly, and taken photos of it with her phone — “I’ll need shoes and accessories to match.” Which Brianna hadn’t thought about and hadn’t budgeted for, but that was a worry for another day.
So Brianna had brought her home and dropped her off and grabbed her proposal for Virginia. Now, if she could just make it to Virginia’s house in — she glanced at her watch — twenty minutes, she’d be okay.
Richard was standing on the sidewalk, looking up at the house.
She turned her shoulder on him, locked the door behind her, and decided what to do. She would just pretend he wasn’t there. She stepped around him without acknowledging him and went to her car. Piece of cake. He just wasn’t there.
“Brianna,” he said. “You’re right.”
That made her stop, which was stupid, because there was nothing her father could say to her that she would ever want to hear.
“What am I right about?” And wished she had just shut up.
“You’re right that I owe you more than an apology.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” she said, and got into the car.
“I’ve got a job,” he said. “Remember how you used to tell me, ‘Dad, get a job’?” and she slammed the door.
• • •
A dog barked at him. Richard turned around to see the little black mutt race down the porch steps and come in his direction. It was the same little dog that had barked at him the first time he’d been here. He took a step back. He didn’t think he was in any danger from the mutt but he wasn’t really a dog person. It was hard to know what a dog was likely to do.
The blonde girl came out, shutting the door behind her. “Oh, good grief, Jasmine, what’s — ” And then she saw him and said more sharply, “That’s enough, Jasmine,” and the dog went over to where she was standing and flopped down by her feet.
She had a cup of yogurt in her hand, and she had obviously intended to come outside to eat her lunch, even though the October afternoon was a little cool for a picnic. He had no idea how long he had been standing here on the front walk, watching down the street in the direction where Brianna’s car had gone.
The little blonde — Natalie, right? — sat down on the porch swing. He could hear the squeak of the chain as she rocked. The dog got up and went to join her, leaping nimbly up onto the seat and resting her head in Natalie’s lap.
“Brianna always wanted a dog,” he said to no one.
“She got her wish,” Natalie said. “She’s got this crazy malamute now. That dog is completely nuts. They’re like soul mates. Dakota’s out back now. She’s not allowed out front without a leash.”
“She dangerous?”
“No, Dakota is the sweetest dog ever. Loves everyone, even the thieves, long as they rub her tummy. We rely on Jasmine here to be the guard dog. Dakota just has a lot of, you know,
joie de vivre
. And an extremely short attention span.”
“She’ll go chase after a squirrel for the fun of it and never listen when you tell her to cut it out,” Richard guessed.
“Exactly.”
“Pretty dog, a malamute, isn’t it?” He was glad Brianna had gotten her dog. What he wished, he wished —
“Gorgeous. You want to meet her?”
Richard tried to figure out how he’d ended up in this conversation. “No, thanks. I’m not a dog person.”
“How do you know?”
Richard blinked. “What?”
“People are always saying stuff like that but I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. Like, did a dog bite you so you hate all dogs? Or you’re allergic to dogs? Or what?”
Richard shook his head. “I never had a dog, not even as a boy. I guess I never got used to having them around. Don’t rightly know what a dog is like.”
“Come here,” Natalie
Finally Natalie had decided on the one she wanted to rent, and put it on hold, and patted it lovingly, and taken photos of it with her phone — “I’ll need shoes and accessories to match.” Which Brianna hadn’t thought about and hadn’t budgeted for, but that was a worry for another day.
So Brianna had brought her home and dropped her off and grabbed her proposal for Virginia. Now, if she could just make it to Virginia’s house in — she glanced at her watch — twenty minutes, she’d be okay.
Richard was standing on the sidewalk, looking up at the house.
She turned her shoulder on him, locked the door behind her, and decided what to do. She would just pretend he wasn’t there. She stepped around him without acknowledging him and went to her car. Piece of cake. He just wasn’t there.
“Brianna,” he said. “You’re right.”
That made her stop, which was stupid, because there was nothing her father could say to her that she would ever want to hear.
“What am I right about?” And wished she had just shut up.
“You’re right that I owe you more than an apology.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” she said, and got into the car.
“I’ve got a job,” he said. “Remember how you used to tell me, ‘Dad, get a job’?” and she slammed the door.
• • •
A dog barked at him. Richard turned around to see the little black mutt race down the porch steps and come in his direction. It was the same little dog that had barked at him the first time he’d been here. He took a step back. He didn’t think he was in any danger from the mutt but he wasn’t really a dog person. It was hard to know what a dog was likely to do.
The blonde girl came out, shutting the door behind her. “Oh, good grief, Jasmine, what’s — ” And then she saw him and said more sharply, “That’s enough, Jasmine,” and the dog went over to where she was standing and flopped down by her feet.
She had a cup of yogurt in her hand, and she had obviously intended to come outside to eat her lunch, even though the October afternoon was a little cool for a picnic. He had no idea how long he had been standing here on the front walk, watching down the street in the direction where Brianna’s car had gone.
The little blonde — Natalie, right? — sat down on the porch swing. He could hear the squeak of the chain as she rocked. The dog got up and went to join her, leaping nimbly up onto the seat and resting her head in Natalie’s lap.
“Brianna always wanted a dog,” he said to no one.
“She got her wish,” Natalie said. “She’s got this crazy malamute now. That dog is completely nuts. They’re like soul mates. Dakota’s out back now. She’s not allowed out front without a leash.”
“She dangerous?”
“No, Dakota is the sweetest dog ever. Loves everyone, even the thieves, long as they rub her tummy. We rely on Jasmine here to be the guard dog. Dakota just has a lot of, you know,
joie de vivre
. And an extremely short attention span.”
“She’ll go chase after a squirrel for the fun of it and never listen when you tell her to cut it out,” Richard guessed.
“Exactly.”
“Pretty dog, a malamute, isn’t it?” He was glad Brianna had gotten her dog. What he wished, he wished —
“Gorgeous. You want to meet her?”
Richard tried to figure out how he’d ended up in this conversation. “No, thanks. I’m not a dog person.”
“How do you know?”
Richard blinked. “What?”
“People are always saying stuff like that but I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. Like, did a dog bite you so you hate all dogs? Or you’re allergic to dogs? Or what?”
Richard shook his head. “I never had a dog, not even as a boy. I guess I never got used to having them around. Don’t rightly know what a dog is like.”
“Come here,” Natalie
Similar Books
