Tease

“Oh my God,” Calvin said, a huge smile spreading across his lips as he crouched down on the floor of Scottie’s office in the back of Steamin’ Beans, Scottie’s coffee shop. “She’s so cute, Scottie.”

The adorable golden lab puppy scampered across the tile floor to jump up and lick Calvin’s face as he gave her an affectionate scratch behind the ears.

Scottie Chambers couldn’t help but smile as he saw the way his best friend handled the new puppy. Calvin had an affinity for animals that warmed Scottie’s heart, but it was the way Scottie’s new puppy reacted that made his smile grow even wider.

“Isn’t she?” Scottie asked, doing his best to corral the little ball of energy as she careened around the small confines of his office. “I knew from the moment I saw her that she was mine.”

“I didn’t even know you were considering getting a dog,” Calvin’s fiancé, Jack, said. “But Calvin is right—she’s absolutely adorable. Have you picked a name yet?”

“Sasha,” Scottie answered without hesitating. “She’s my little fierce fur-baby.”

“Not so little,” Calvin laughed, steadying himself against the wall as the hyper-active puppy nearly took his legs out from under him. “But super fierce. I love the name. I love everything about her, Scottie. I think she’s going to be a good little buddy for you.”

“I think so, too,” Scottie said, sitting down on the floor to gather the puppy into his arms once she ran back to him. “She’ll definitely keep me busy.”

It wasn’t like he needed anything more to occupy his time, though. Between running the coffee shop and his endless failed attempts at dating, Scottie always had something going on. But maybe he could channel some of that time toward something that actually mattered—like making sure this puppy had a good life.

And making sure she learned a few simple commands, like sit. And stay.

Those were clearly things she’d have to learn another time, though. She was simply too hyped up to do much more than bounce around exploring her new environment today.

“We should probably go soon,” Calvin said, nibbling at his bottom lip as he looked over at Jack. “Before I try to talk Jack into getting a playmate for our cat.”

“Oh, man.” Jack looked like a deer in headlights as his eyes went wide. “I somehow knew that was going to happen once you told me Scottie adopted a puppy.” He turned his attention from Calvin back to Scottie. “See what you’ve done? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to talk this man out of something he has his heart set on?”

“I think there’s a pretty easy solution to that…” Scottie said, grinning. “Don’t try to talk him out of it.” Scottie threw his hands up in a mock surrender as Calvin was about to speak up to agree. “But I won’t keep you guys—and I certainly won’t get in the middle of that conversation. I’ll walk you out and take Sasha around to do her business.”

Scottie attached the bright pink, rhinestone-encrusted leash to Sasha’s matching collar and kept her close by as they walked through the front of the store. Scottie beamed as half a dozen people took time out to fawn over his new puppy, loving that she seemed to brighten the day of each person she came into contact with.

Scottie hadn’t really considered letting her interact much with the customers when he’d picked her up that morning—he hadn’t really considered much of anything except the fact that he needed that dog, if he was being honest. But seeing Sasha in action made him realize that she was the perfect addition to the positive, relaxed atmosphere he had done his best to cultivate at Steamin’ Beans since the day he opened the doors for the first time.

The moment they stepped outside, Sasha nearly dragged Scottie over to the strip of grass to the side of the building. Away from the traffic and street noise, it was fun to watch her sniff and bark and roll around.

“She’s going to be a handful,” Calvin said, hand in hand with Jack as he followed behind Scottie and Sasha. “Are you sure you’re ready for all of this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Scottie called back over his shoulder, holding tightly to the leash as Sasha led him away. “She just wants to have fun. And after the last couple of months, I just wanna have a little fun, too.”

Neither Calvin nor Jack objected to that, and Scottie knew why they wouldn’t. He had spent enough afternoons talking to them about all the possible reasons why his love life never seemed to be heading in the right direction. Time after time, they had told him to be patient, to relax, that he’d just somehow know when the right guy happened to come along.

But Scottie wasn’t patient.

He didn’t do a lot of relaxing.

He owned a coffee shop, for God’s sake, and spent most of his life over-caffeinated, running from one project to the next—a trait he seemed to share with his new puppy.

“You deserve to have some fun,” Jack called after him. “Just don’t get in trouble with the fun police over there…”

Scottie stopped and looked back across the street. He didn’t even have to ask who Jack was talking about. There was only one person it could be.

Trenton, the owner of the other coffee shop in town, Topped Up.

When Scottie had moved to Silver Lake and opened his shop, he’d had dreams of working together with Trenton on fun projects and promotions that would benefit both of their businesses.

To say that Trenton hadn’t shared Scottie’s vision would have been a pretty big understatement.

Scottie was pretty sure the man viewed him as a rival, if not his mortal enemy. And though their competition was mostly one-sided, Scottie couldn’t help but notice that his business had definitely picked up over the past several months, while Trenton’s seemed to be dwindling.

“He won’t mind seeing a puppy around here,” Scottie said, finally approaching Jack and Calvin again as Sasha made her way back up the strip of grass. “A person would have to be completely heartless not to love this sweet girl.”

Calvin grimaced. “I’m sure you’ll be able to put your theory to the test soon enough. He’s been watching us like a hawk since we stepped out here.”

Scottie squinted against the sun, then shook his head when he saw what Calvin meant. Sure enough, Trenton was standing in the big front window of his shop, arms folded across his chest as he looked their direction. He was too far away for Scottie to be sure, but it didn’t take much imagination to picture the scowl on Trenton’s face as he stood there staring.

Fun police, indeed.

“Trenton doesn’t scare me,” Scottie said, shrugging. “Well… not much, anyway. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He reached down and scratched under Sasha’s chin. “Just look at this face. You saw the way everyone in the shop loved her. I might even take Sasha over to see Trenton—maybe see if she can melt his heart a little.”

Jack snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“Be sure to let us know when that day comes,” Calvin added. “We’d love to see it.”

Scottie waved as they walked away. “Don’t worry, guys. If Trenton Lewis cracks a smile in my presence, you’ll be the first to know.”

He looked down at Sasha before letting his gaze wander back across the street, just in time to see Trenton turn away from the window.

“Well, girl…” Scottie sighed as he led Sasha back toward the coffee shop. “Maybe we’ll wait until another time to go over and introduce you to Trenton. I think you both might need to prepare a little more for that.”

Still, Scottie couldn’t help but look back across the street as he reached the front door of his shop. He didn’t really know Trenton very well, but there was one thing Scottie did know for sure.

Trenton could use a little more fun in his life. He could definitely smile a little more.

And Sasha might just be the one to make it happen.

Trenton Lewis sucked in a sharp breath as he gingerly removed the hot plate from the microwave.

One of the good things about making a pot roast on the weekends?

Leftovers for days.

One of the worst things about making a pot roast on the weekends?

Leftovers for days.

But pot roast was easy and filling, and… well, that was about it, really. It was efficient. It got the job done.

And it wasn’t like he had anyone else to cook for or to impress.

That was one of the perks of being a bachelor, right? Not needing to worry about what anyone else wanted to do?

Those were the things Trenton had always told himself, anyway. And for the most part, he was content with being single—or at least, that was also what he’d told himself.

Being content wasn’t the same as being happy, though.

He took his microwaved meal over to the dining room table and sat down, his mind wandering back to earlier in the day. It was hard to imagine finding the kind of happiness that Calvin Berry and Jack Roberts had. Even Scottie Chambers seemed happier than Trenton was, and he was single.

Then again, it was hard not to smile at that hyperactive puppy. In Trenton’s opinion, that dog was a perfect match for Scottie—high-strung, loud, and likely to get into trouble if left alone for too long.

Trenton poked at the roast on his plate with a fork and sighed. Maybe he should get a puppy, too. It might be nice to have a little noise, a little chaos in his too-big, too-empty, old Victorian house.

But no.

Puppies took time. And energy. And money.

Three things that Trenton seemed to be in short supply of these days.

If anyone had told him ten years ago that he’d be thirty-five and still single, still struggling to keep the doors open at Topped up, still hopelessly lost when it came to love and business, he would have never believed it. He would have probably even laughed at how ridiculous that sounded.

Here he was, though—a month past his thirty-fifth birthday, eating leftovers by himself on a Wednesday night.

He took a bite and chewed the meat that had gone a bit rubbery in the fridge over the past three days. It wasn’t that he had a bad life—not at all. Trenton knew he was fortunate to own a business and a home, even if both had been handed down to him by his parents. He might not have any real dating prospects, but he had some friends, and that was almost as good, right?

Sometimes it might even be better to have close friends rather than lovers. If he didn’t ever fall in love, he didn’t ever have to worry about falling out of love, either. He was his own man, with his own agenda, doing things his own way.

Nothing wrong with that.

Except, it didn’t feel like things were going very right for him, either.

As long as the city council got rid of that damned ordinance in three weeks’ time, Silver Lake could finally welcome some real businesses to town. And Trenton would be waiting with open arms, ready to sell his little coffee shop to the highest bidder.

It was in a great location, after all. He’d give someone a hell of a deal.

And maybe they’d have better luck with the place than he had. Maybe they would be able to take Scottie and his friends down a few notches.

Trenton could just cash a big, fat check and spend some time sipping margaritas on a beach somewhere.

Then, maybe he could find the time and the will to date, or to at least consider dating.

Right now, it felt like he was barely staying afloat. Sometimes it didn’t even feel like he was doing that.

He knew one thing for sure, though.

Something had to give. Something had to change.

Quickly.

“You see that dog that guy has across the street?” Clarence Finley called across the coffee shop to where Trenton was standing at the front window. “Over at that other place?”

Trenton grimaced. That other place. His regular customers knew not to even mention Steamin’ Beans by name. That guy and that other place were all Trenton needed to hear to know exactly who Clarence was talking about.

“I’ve seen it,” Trenton muttered, unsure whether Clarence had heard him. Not that it mattered. If Clarence had something more to say, he would say it regardless of whether anyone else was participating in the conversation. “What about it?”

“I just don’t see how it can be sanitary, that’s all.” Clarence paused a beat while Trenton turned and shot him a quizzical look. “You can’t have animals running around in there while you’re making food and drinks. It’s just not right.”

Trenton turned back to the window and squinted his eyes, trying to see inside Scottie’s shop from where he stood. If that dog really was running around loose in the coffee shop, that would be an issue.

An issue for the Health Department, most likely. While Trenton didn’t love the idea of getting the authorities involved, it could be a matter of public health.

Nobody was above the law, after all. Not even bright, cheerful Scottie with his cute little puppy.

The glare from the sun on the large windows was too bright, though. Trenton couldn’t see a damn thing. He’d have to rely on Clarence for the information he needed.

“You said the dog is running around where customers can see it?” Trenton asked, finally turning away from the window to fully face Clarence. “Just out in the open?”

“More than out in the open,” Clarence answered. “The dog came right up to me when I stopped in to get a scone—you know he really does have good scones over there—and damn near would have eaten out of my hand if I hadn’t stepped back.”

Trenton frowned. “And where was Scottie while all of this was going on? Was the dog completely unattended?”

“Oh, no,” Clarence shook his head. “He was there—had the dog on a leash, in fact. One of those long, stretchy leashes that is pretty much pointless—you know the kind I’m talking about?”

Trenton grunted something that would have to pass for an answer and waved a dismissive hand as he stalked back toward his office. He didn’t know or care about stretchy leashes. Clarence had given him all the information he needed to make a decision.

The dog wasn’t dangerous, of course. But it wasn’t appropriate to have a pet running around inside a coffee shop, either—no matter how cute and fluffy. Scottie should really know better, but it was just the sort of thing Trenton could see his rival dismissing as a silly, stuffy rule instead of the courteous, professional thing to do.

What if some of his patrons didn’t like dogs, and were too afraid to speak up? What if some of them were allergic?

Had Scottie even taken those people’s thoughts or medical conditions into consideration?

Trenton already knew the answers to those rhetorical questions. Still, was he really prepared to call the Health Department? Should he just call Scottie and raise his concerns that way, man to man?

Just the thought of trying to get Scottie to see reason made Trenton grimace.

If it was something else, some other concern, then maybe Trenton would be willing to discuss it with Scottie. But people were touchy about their pets, and Trenton couldn’t see how a conversation with Scottie about his new dog could possibly end well.

It would be better coming from someone with some actual authority, someone whose business it was to make those kinds of calls.

Someone at the Health Department.

His mind finally made up, Trenton reached for the phone on his desk and dialed the number.

It might not be the neighborly thing to do, but it was the right thing.

And at the end of the day, doing the right thing was what mattered most… right?