Pawsitively Fetching: Romance with a Canine Helper (Romantic Beginnings Book 3) Read online

  “Great!” she chirped in a falsely happy voice.

  “Perfect,” Doug replied.

  They both started heading back toward the field and then Casey turned around. “Hey Sam,” he called stepping up to her. “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday. I’ve always been jealous, you know.” He took a breath. “When he’s ready to hear it, tell him I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” She gave him a quizzical look.

  “Because you’ll be around when he is. I can just tell.” He winked and then trotted back onto the field.

  After the game, Doug came over to blanket and dropped a kiss on her lips and then tossed himself next to her as Clara wiggled all around. “What do you want to do?” he asked.

  “Did you want to go out with everybody?” she asked, hoping that he didn’t really want to. Watching them reminded her of all the reasons she’d hated high school. She was confident Sam now. She was so glad Doug was in her life, she didn’t need any of the rest of them.

  “If you do, I’ll go. But if you’re asking, I’d rather hang out with my ladies.”

  She giggled then.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling it out, she nearly didn’t pick it up, because she didn’t recognize the number. But suddenly she knew. “Hello?”

  “Hi Samantha? This is Liz from Am--” a cracking bat interrupted the rest of the word, though Sam didn’t near to hear it.

  “Hi Liz.” She sat up then, still holding Snow.

  “We’re pleased to ask you back for a second round of interviews.”

  “Second interview? That’s great.” She replied. In her wildest dreams, she’d hoped to be offered the job, but this was an amazing accomplishment.

  “You’re one of three candidates from a pool of over a hundred.” Liz assured her.

  “Wow, thank you. When is the interview?” her mind was jumping all over the place. What would she tell work? What would she wear? What if she didn’t get it.

  Doug grabbed Snow from her arms.

  “A week from Monday. Thank you for considering us as an employer.”

  “Thank you for considering me, I’ll see you then.”

  She looked over at Doug who was grinning at her. “Second interview, huh?”

  “I guess so.” She beamed back.

  “I’m so proud of you, Sam.” He gave her a soft lingering kiss in front of everyone. The kind that really made her feel like his girlfriend. Because she was. Dream job interview, dream guy, adorable dogs. Life was pretty damn good.

  Epilogue:

  Six months later.

  Sam walked into the smell of grilled chicken. It had been a long grueling day and she was exhausted but the smell of dinner made her feel so much better.

  “Hi Hon,” Doug called.

  “Hey, how was your exam?” she asked.

  “Good I think. How was work?”

  “Great. Busy and exhausting but awesome. I’m getting in the swing of the new place now, though.” It had been four months since she’d started and it really felt like she was figuring things out.

  Her phone rang and as she glanced at it, she hit talk. It was her mom and they hadn’t talked in a couple of weeks. “Hey Mom.”

  “Hi Honey. How are you?”

  “Good, how about you?” she watched Doug start fixing them both plates.

  “Well, we have some news. We put an offer in on a co-op here in New York.” Her mom gushed.

  “Wow, Mom, that’s great. Are you selling the house? When do you need us, I mean me, out?”

  “Oh please, honey. We all know Doug is living there. I think it’s great he’s getting his masters degree. And you don’t have to move out. Your grandfather willed us that house. We’ve never had a mortgage and we’ve saved our money to buy the apartment. We’re hoping you’ll just stay in the house. It’s going to be yours anyway. In fact, We’re thinking of signing it over to you.”

  “Sign it over?” she asked.

  “Well, we’ll work out the details.” Her mother said. “Just think about it.”

  When she hung up the phone, Doug was looking at her. “What was that?”

  “They’re giving me the house.” She looked at him, unable to process.

  “What?” He stopped serving dinner then.

  “And they know you’re living here. They said grandpa gave it to them in thee will and they want to sign it over to me.” She shrugged looking out the window. “It’s a good thing I got over the living at home, because it doesn’t look like I am ever leaving.”

  When she turned back, Doug was down on one knee. Her hands flew to her mouth. “Sam. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” He gave her his boyish grin.

  She dropped down to her knees too. Clara and Snow bounced around them. “I love you, too. Yes, I’ll marry you.” Tears glistened in her eyes, as he pulled a box from his pocket, and flipped open the lid.

  A beautiful solitaire diamond sat in the black velvet lining. He plucked it out, and holding her hand, slipped it on her finger.

  “Did you ever think, back in second grade, that we’d be getting married?” he asked, kissing her lips.

  “Oh sure I did.” She threw her arms around his neck and he pulled her into his lap, sitting on the floor.

  “I love you, Saminator,” he whispered.

  “I love you, too.” She rested her head against his shoulder. It was so perfect.