Home Is Where the Bark Is (41 page)

She played to a doggy audience. The three dogs had placed themselves around her in a protective semicircle. Mack was closest, head on paws, brow creased, his eyes watching her every move. She could still see the wolf in her beloved gentle giant. Whether Jenna would have used the gun or not, Serena would never know because she and Mack hadn’t given her so-called friend a chance in hell.

Snowball lay to one side of Mack, Bessie the other. The music seemed to soothe the little dogs, but they also didn’t sleep. Serena knew they were still watching out for her.

She kept on playing. Gradually she felt her fears fade away with the music. Nick was here. The dogs were here. She was safe.

 

 

Nick
stood at the doorway to Serena’s living room. He thought he had never seen such a beautiful picture. Serena’s head bent over her guitar, her dark hair falling across her face, her elegant fingers creating music that seemed to soothe the soul of everyone in the room. Dogs included.

He’d seen the guitar on his first visit to her apartment but had never had the chance to ask her if she played. There was still so much he looked forward to finding out about her.

Mack thumped his tail in greeting and Serena looked up. She smiled that special smile that Nick knew was only for him. For a long moment their gazes locked. A knot of emotion seemed to tighten around his heart. He would never, ever forgive himself for not having been there when she needed him. Though Wonder Woman had done an amazing job of defending herself and disarming her assailant.

He cleared his throat. “You okay?”

She put down her guitar. “Much better, thank you. It . . . it was such a shock. I still can’t believe Jenna had been building up to all that since high school.”

Nick settled down in the armchair beside her. “It was traumatic all right. Do you need to see anyone? The police suggested a counselor.”

She shook her head. “All I need is you.”

He picked up her hand and held it. “I’m here.”

Serena squeezed his hand in reply. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Serena spoke again. “You know what was one of the biggest shocks for me?”

There were a lot to choose from. “No,” he said.

“That Jenna didn’t make those expensive dog treats. She paid a couple of college kids a pittance to cook them for her.”

“It was just another scam for her.”

“I don’t think she even liked dogs. She just saw them as an opportunity to make money.”

“I daresay other, worse things she’s done will surface.”

“And yet . . .” Serena’s face was pensive.

“And yet you still feel sorry for her?”

“Yes. And that’s just plain dumb, isn’t it?”

Nick shook his head. “There was a genuine thread of friendship there before Jenna twisted and distorted it.”

“I keep wondering what I could have done differently.”

“Nothing.You can’t be responsible for Jenna’s warped mind. Just remember the fun times you had with her and put the rest behind you.”

“Well, I certainly won’t be baking cookies to take to her in jail.”

Nick laughed. “Uh, if your cookies are like your lasagna . . .”

Serena’s eyes danced. “I might surprise you with some home baking some time. It can’t be that difficult.”

“Remind me to be out of town that day, will you?” He’d decided there was only room in the kitchen for one person in this family, and that would be him.

Serena unfolded her long, willowy limbs and got up from the floor. To his delight she promptly sat down in his lap. Nick smoothed her hair back from where it had fallen across her face. Then he kissed her, long and thoroughly. This was where he wanted her. With him. The sight that had met him at Paws-A-While would be emblazoned forever in his mind. If Mack hadn’t been such a hero, it could have been a different story.

“I should have gotten there earlier this morning,” he said. “But I had a good reason for being late.”

Serena pulled back from his embrace so she could better see his face.

“Aunt Alice came home,” he said.

“Wasn’t she still on vacation?”

“She decided to come back early.”

Serena couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice. “So you have to move out. Oh, Nick, that’s such a shame. I love that house.”

“I know you do. Which is why I want to buy it.”

Serena crinkled her small, straight nose. “Huh? I don’t get it.”

“After all the years in Sausalito, Aunt Alice has decided to move to Seattle.”

“Seattle? How could she leave her beautiful house?”

“Her mind’s made up. She wants to sell.”

“And you want to buy.”

He cradled her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes. “I want to buy that house for us, Serena.”

“For . . . for us? To . . . to live in? Together?”

“Yes.” He didn’t want to wait any longer to show his hand. “What do you say?”

She smiled her luminous smile. “I say yes!”

His heart sang at her answer. Now would be the time for him to whip out a little velvet box and pull out a diamond ring. But for Serena to agree to living with him was an enormous step forward. He’d give her some more time before he talked marriage.

 

 

Serena
could not contain her joy. She planted tiny kisses all over Nick’s face until he was laughing and protesting and kissing her back all at once. But finally she sobered and pulled back from his kisses, though she had no intention of vacating his lap.

“Nick, you know how much I love your aunt’s house and I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than living there with you in it. Snowball and Thelma will be moving in, too, of course.”

“Of course.”

“What about Bessie? Do we get to keep her?”

“She’ll be going with Aunt Alice. But she’ll visit.”

How could she ever have thought that his eyes were cold?

“But I’m wondering about house prices in Sausalito,” she said. “Your aunt will want a fair market valuation.”

Nick drew a deep breath. “I own a plot of land back in the valley. My grandfather left it to me, and my brother farms it for me. It’s valuable land. My neighbor has wanted to buy it for years. I intend to sell to him.”

Serena twisted around in his lap. “Nick. No. You can’t do that. Do you know how amazing it is, to own land your grandfather farmed? No way can you sell it.”

As a kid she had longed to have those deep connections. If you were lucky enough to have it, you did not sell your heritage. Even for a wonderful house in Sausalito.

“I don’t want to sell the land, Serena. But my business is new and you’re right about house prices in Sausalito. If I want to buy Aunt Alice’s house for you, I have to sell my land.”

“For
us
. You said you were going to buy it for
us
.” She liked that word, “us.” Or at least she liked it when Nick said it. “There is another way, Nick.”

She saw hope in his eyes. And relief. Nick did not really want to lose that land. But he would sacrifice it for her. That made her all the more determined that he would not have to sell.

“Keep talking,” said Nick.

“Every week my agent calls me and asks me to reconsider my decision not to pose for the chocolate people again. Their sales started sliding when the campaign ended. Each time the offer from them gets higher. It’s really high now, Nick. Sausalito-house-price high.”

He shook his head. “Serena, you said you would never get into that bathtub of chocolate again. You spoke about it as if it were your worst nightmare.”

“You’re right. I also said I would never wear sexy clothes again. Certainly not a Wonder Woman costume. Before I met you, I’d vowed to never have sex again.”

“I’m glad you changed your mind about all those things.” He kissed her mouth slowly and tenderly. “But what about your stalker? I thought you weren’t going to risk ever encountering someone like him.”

Serena still couldn’t help shuddering at the memory of her stalker. But she was determined not to let the past damage her hopes for her future. “I realize what happened was his problem. Not mine. I didn’t make him a psycho. And there’s another thing. I was scared of a total stranger. Then my close friend turned out to be just as much of a psycho. How much worse than that could it get?”

Nick’s expression was sober. “Those are brave words, Serena. I’m wondering what’s brought about this change.”

Now it was her turn to cradle his face in her hands. “I wasn’t brave before, believe me. It’s all because of you, Nick. Can’t you see? You’ve shown me how strong I am.You cherish me and protect me and make me feel safe.You’ve given me back my confidence.”

He put his hand over hers where it rested on his cheek. “I’m honored you think that way. It’s quite a turnaround.”

“Turnaround? I’d rather call it transformation. It’s love, Nick. I . . . I . . .” She faltered. But she couldn’t lose her courage now. Not when their future depended on it. She thought of that love-heart chew toy, crammed in the bottom of a drawer in her office. It had served its purpose, but she didn’t need to hear it ever again. Not when she could put voice to the words herself. And maybe . . . maybe hear them back in the deep, husky voice of the man she adored. “I love you, Nick.”

“Serena, I love you.” The expression in his eyes gave her no cause to doubt that. “I love you more than you can know.”

“It’s . . . it’s love that’s made the difference to me,” she said. She kissed him again. When it ended they were both flushed and short of breath. She was beginning to think bedroom, and all signs indicated that Nick was, too. But she had more to say. She pulled away from the kiss. “So what do you think of my idea?” she said.

“That you slide back into that bathtub for another ad campaign? No. I don’t approve, not when you’ve hated the idea so much.”

“Not the bathtub. The agency is talking something less racy. Something I think I can handle. I’ll be doing it for us. Oh, and for my grandchildren.”

“Grandchildren?”

“Maddy says I should shoot another campaign before I get old and wrinkly and overweight so I can prove to them I was once young and slim.”

Nick smiled. “It’s a thought. But I’d rather you said ‘our’ grandchildren.”

“
Our
grandchildren,” Serena said, loving the sound of it. “And by the way, this time it’s a swimming pool.”

“A swimming pool of molten chocolate?”

“You got it. In Hawaii. A beautiful pool with palm trees and everything. Don’t ask me how they’ll do it. Or how they’ll clean it up afterward. I just have to swim around in the chocolate.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I wonder if you would need a private assistant? Someone to lick all that chocolate off of you after the shoot?”

“I think you should apply for the job,” she said with a delicious shiver of desire. “We could practice lots before the shoot.”

“Sounds great to me.”

“There’s something else about Hawaii, Nick.” Serena wound her arms around his neck so his face was very close.

“Apart from the palm trees and the swimming pool of chocolate?”

Her heart started to pound so hard she felt he must be able to feel it. “Yes. They . . . they say Hawaii is a wonderful place . . . well . . . a wonderful place for a honeymoon.”

His eyes darkened fully two shades of blue. But he didn’t miss a beat. “Really?” he said. “I hear San Francisco is a great place for a wedding.”

“I’ve heard that, too,” she said.

“Perhaps we should try it,” he said. “Do you think the boss lady could schedule a wedding in sometime soon? Her own wedding?”

She smiled, her heart making as much music as her guitar ever had. “Yes, please,” she said.