Page 87 of Dad Next Door
I enlarged the picture to take a closer look. On them were cartoon cats sitting on slices of pizza with a galaxy background, making it look like the cats were riding the pizza slices in space.
Tristan: those are the best things I’ve ever seen
Quinn: I love them. I used to have a matching sweater but I have no idea where it ended up. I know I packed it, but it’s not in any of the boxes I’ve gone through
Tristan: maybe it’s in one you haven’t opened?
Quinn: that’s possible. I’ve unpacked all the ones that had clothes on the label, but I found my missing turkey pan in a box labeled sheets and towels and my spice rack in the same box as a bunch of old paperwork I need to sort through so who knows where I put it
Quinn: I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing, but I’ll see you in a few hours.
Tristan: see you then
He added a kissy face emoji. Feeling way giddier than I should, I sent one back.
Tucking my phone away, I returned my attention to my closet. Not counting the wedding, I hadn’t gone on a date since before I was married. And I didn’t count the wedding because it might have ended as a real date, but it started as a ploy to piss Simon off.
Not thinking too hard about my choices, I pulled a pair of black slacks and a blue shirt that matched my eyes off the rack. Should I wear a tie? I glanced at my tie rack. I wasn’t a fan of ties because they felt restrictive and like I was being strangled all day. Nope, I wasn’t going to wear one if I didn’t have to.
Once I had my clothes laid out on my bed, I triple-checked to make sure Koda wasn’t hiding in my room, then went into my bathroom to take a shower.
The doorbell rang at exactly five, setting off a series of barks as both dogs let me know someone was at the door.
Freddie came bounding into the foyer, then dropped to his butt and slid to a stop a few feet away.
“Down,” I commanded, not wanting to repeat what happened the last time Quinn came over.
He gave me a big doggy grin and lay down.
“Good boy.” Pulling in a deep breath, I opened the door.
Quinn stood on my porch looking like a fantasy brought to life. His black slacks and lavender button-up were perfectly tailored to him and looked incredible with his coloring, but it was the bouquet of flowers in his hand that made my breath catch.
“They’re artificial.” He extended the flowers to me. “I know most flowers are toxic to pets, so I figured this was a good way to bring you flowers without endangering anyone.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice thick with emotion, and took the bouquet. “They’re beautiful.”
“I know yellow roses are supposed to symbolize friendship, but you mentioned they were your favorite, so I thought they’d still work for our date.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I love them. Thank you.”
I’d never gotten flowers before, but I hadn’t told Quinn that. It meant everything that he’d picked these out with so much care and consideration.
“Do I have time to put these in a vase?”
“Definitely.” He looked around me. “Hey, Freddie. Have you made good choices today?”
I glanced behind me just in time to see Freddie put one paw over his eyes in a classic shame pose.
“Please tell me that wasn’t just a coincidence, and he did something he shouldn’t have today,” Quinn said, his eyes bright with laughter.
“He knocked the spare roll of toilet paper on the shelf onto the floor so Jinx and Shadow could shred it and scatter the remains around the house while I was getting dressed. I’d say that wasn’t his best decision.”
He rolled his lips inward to cover his grin, but the effect was ruined by a little snort-laugh he couldn’t contain.
“I’ll be right back. And keep an eye out for Maple. Black slacks are like a personal challenge for her. She likes to do sneak attacks and run up to you, rub against your leg, then take off before you know what happened.”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”