Not Just the Girl Next Door by Stacy Connelly

Author:Stacy Connelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-11-22T15:42:45+00:00

Chapter Nine

“Mollie! Over here!”

Mollie glanced across the crowded coffee shop to see Rebekah Taylor waving at her. After making her way between the full tables with her morning mocha latte in hand, Mollie slipped into the seat the new shelter director had saved for her.

“It always amazes me how busy this place is,” the dark-haired woman said as she glanced around with an assessing eye.

“Well, Whole Bean kind of has the market on the caffeinated crowd. Spring Forest doesn’t exactly have a coffee shop on every corner.”

“This must be a prime location for networking. I bet if you sit here long enough, you’ll see just about everyone in town.”

“I suppose.” Mollie had already done a visual sweep of the shop for the one person she didn’t want to see. Most days Zeke would grab a coffee before he headed into Raleigh, but by now, he would already be at the office. Not that Mollie was purposefully avoiding him. She was just...

Purposefully avoiding him.

She wouldn’t be able to keep her distance forever. As angry as she was, she already missed him. Over a week had passed since the barbecue, and she’d picked up the phone more than once to update him on Charlie’s training. But each time she’d hung up without making the call.

First Josh and then Matt... Both men seemed to see something more than friendship or big-brotherly concern in Zeke’s actions. Their comments were enough to make Mollie want to hope, but hope was such a dangerous thing when it came to her heart and Zeke Harper.

So instead of calling Zeke, she’d called Josh and arranged for another date that weekend. He’d suggested going with some of his friends to see a jazz band play in Raleigh, and Mollie wished she was more excited by the prospect. But whenever she tried to think about the other man, her mind was immediately hijacked by memories of Zeke’s kiss.

Each time, she was assailed by a wave of guilt, although she wasn’t entirely sure what made her feel worse—going on a date with Josh after kissing Zeke or kissing Zeke after going on a date with Josh.

Either way, that living-in-the-wild option was looking better and better.

“I’ve brought the intake paperwork on the shelter’s newest rescue,” Rebekah was saying. “With Furever Paws still under construction, we’re hoping to find a foster quickly. I thought you might want to review her history before we head over for the introduction.”

“I, um, sure.” Mollie reached for the manila folder Rebekah handed over. She had to hide a bit of a smile when she caught sight of the photo clipped to the front. She wasn’t sure how much “history” a four-month-old golden retriever mix could have, but she appreciated Rebekah’s attention to detail.

More often than not, Mollie was working with little to no information on the dogs she evaluated. Most were strays dropped off by good Samaritans or animals pulled from the overcrowded local county shelter. Still, she flipped through the paperwork as Rebekah said, “We have a foster in mind for her, but the family has children and pets.

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