Read Online Dates And Other Nuts by Lori Copeland - Free Book Online Page A

ears.
    He brushed a hand over his hair, hoping to discourage the animal. It didn’t work. The cat leaned forward to smell his hair, then nudged Craig with its nose. Its hot breath on his scalp made his skin crawl. He suppressed a shiver as well as the desire to scratch his nose.
    â€œNice cats.”
    â€œAren’t they?”
    â€œAnd you’ve got two dogs?” His skin was beginning to itch.
    â€œYes, Harry and David. I just love their products, don’t you?”
    He ducked the amorous cat again. “Excuse me?”
    â€œYou know, Harry and David? I get these wonderful catalogs through the mail? They make sinfully delicious cheesecakes. That’s where I got the idea for the dogs’ names. Harry and David.”
    â€œOh.” The woman was nuts.
    He was rescued from further comment when the front door opened and a large red chow straining against a heavy leash leaped in, followed by a more sedate rottweiler whose challenging gaze locked on Craig. The teenage girl who’d walked the dogs unsnapped their leashes and disappeared into the kitchen.
    The chow zeroed in on Craig, sniffing at his pants cuff, then rubbed against his leg, leaving a thick layer of red hair from knee to hem. Craig moved over slightly.
    Gabrielle grabbed the chow’s collar as it began sniffing Craig’s shoe with more determination. “No, no, Harry.”
    She smiled apologetically. “He’s very proprietary. Sometimes he marks his territory.” So far, the rottweiler had contented itself with standing guard at the corner of the coffee table.
    Pulling from Gabrielle’s grasp, the chow leaped up and planted its paws on Craig’s shirtfront.
    Gabrielle relaxed back into her chair, beaming like a proud parent. “Harry likes you.”
    Any response Craig might have made was wiped away by the dog’s tongue as it washed his face. Trying to avoid the animal’s wet licks, Craig’s head smacked against the back of the sofa, sending up a cloud of cat hair.
    Gabrielle continued to smile. “You’re wonderful with animals. You really should get a pet.”
    Craig was fending off the aggressive dog with his forearm, when the teenager slouched out of the kitchen with a sandwich in one hand and a can of soda in the other. “Later, dude.”
    The door had hardly closed behind her when the doorbell rang.
    Gabrielle popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “That must be the ribs. Hope you don’t mind that I didn’t cook. I’m not very good at it.”
    She went to the door while Craig elbowed away the chow and moved to the edge of the couch in an attempt to keep the cats out of his hair. He wanted to leave, but he stayed because Gabrielle was Temple’s friend. He couldn’t see how they’d maintained any kind of friendship. Temple’s apartment was always clean, fresh, smelling faintly of vanilla. He felt comfortable there. So what was he doing here?
    A gangly teen in an embroidered ball cap stood angled in the doorway. “Smokey’s Bar-B-Q.”
    â€œWhere have you been? I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
    â€œSorry. Had trouble finding the address.”
    Gabrielle flipped open the cardboard box. “Geez, they’re cold!”
    â€œHalf price ’cause I was late. Traffic.”
    Craig escaped the cats and took the box from Gabrielle. He didn’t intend to have this turn into another Gina fiasco.
    â€œHow much?”
    â€œTwelve-fifty.”
    Craig handed him fifteen dollars, and shut the door.
    Gabrielle took back the box.
    â€œThey’re cold as ice. I’ll reheat them.” She carried the food into the kitchen. “Want another beer?”
    â€œThanks, I’ll finish the one I have.”
    He tripped over a cat on his way back to the sofa. Stumbling, he caught himself, cracking his shin on the coffee table. He sank onto the edge of the couch, swallowing an expression his mother