Heart on a Leash by Alanna Martin

Author:Alanna Martin [Martin, Alanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2021-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

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THE INTERVIEW HAD gone well, or so Taylor thought. She’d spoken to a lot of people, been asked smart questions, and had asked smart questions in turn. The preparation she’d spent most of yesterday doing had paid off. She should have been excited and cautiously hopeful about the end to her unemployment. Instead she felt a whole lot of whatever.

She was, she realized with chagrin, anxious to return to Helen. After Taylor had spent nearly three weeks up north, slipping back into those L.A. designer heels wasn’t as great as she’d anticipated. Her feet, like the rest of her, had not grown bored with her hometown’s comfort yet. In fact, her hometown’s comfort was very much on her mind as the Southern California temperatures edged toward triple digits.

Well, her feet—and every other part—would get their comfort back soon. She’d gotten in late Friday, had spent the weekend prepping, and would be flying out tomorrow morning. And between now and then, she had the one plan she’d most looked forward to—drinks and dinner with Stacy. She’d dearly missed their regular get-togethers while she was gone.

After changing out of her interview clothes, Taylor popped into the post office right before it closed to collect her mail since she’d forgotten to get it on Saturday. That, apparently, was a mistake. She hadn’t expected much since all her bills were handled online, but the pile of junk mail the clerk handed over was absurd.

Taylor flipped through stacks of paper she had no interest in and no intention of carrying to the restaurant. “Is there a recycle bin?”

“Over there.” The clerk pointed to her left. “And there’s one more thing. Hold on.”

One more thing? Another bundle of catalogs she hadn’t signed up for and offers for credit cards she didn’t want?

The clerk set a package down on the counter. “You want the hold order to continue?”

“Yes, thanks.” Distracted by a package she hadn’t ordered, Taylor checked the sender information, but all it provided was the name of a major online retailer.

Had she ordered something before she’d left and forgotten about it? Who knew anymore. Her last days home had been a blur.

After disposing of the junk mail, Taylor tucked the package under her arm and continued on to the restaurant. Stacy had already grabbed a table, and amid much hugging and catching up, Taylor brightened with a new realization.

“Mexican food.” She let out a happy sigh into the extensive margarita menu.

“What about it?” Stacy asked. “Did you want to go someplace else?”

This restaurant had always been one of their favorites, and Taylor shook her head. “No. I’m reminding myself that one of the things I missed about being here was the Mexican food. So that’s another thing on my list.”

“You made a list?”

“A mental one. I’ve been recounting to myself everything I missed.”

“I see.” Stacy made a curious face. “What else made the list?”

“You.”

“I’d better have. What else?”

“Oh, well, you know. Having a place to myself. My own bed. All the shopping options.

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