Nacho Figueras Presents Read Online Free PDF Page A

filling in the silence. He told her how pleased his neighbor was with the way she’d looked after their dog’s luxating patella. He didn’t like to think what would have happened if she hadn’t spotted the wobble in his walk. “The family thinks you’re some kind of dog-whisperer now, Georgia. Kept telling me you saw the problem before it even was a problem.”
    Georgia shrugged him off, embarrassed. She did seem to have a knack for sometimes noticing things that other people might not, but she put that down to paying attention and a dose of beginner’s luck. Taking it any more seriously might jinx things.
    She politely asked about his work, and he chatted happily about tax season. Georgia tried to stay focused, but she couldn’t help it—the minute Sam started talking about money, he always lost her.
    After a few minutes, he seemed to realize she’d checked out and abruptly changed the course of the conversation by telling her that a space had come up for rent in the building he owned—right under his office—and how he always thought it would make a good place for a clinic.
    He’s right , Georgia thought. It would. And she was sure the rent would be cheap. She imagined what it would be like to have him just a stairwell away all day long and half smiled. Not a landlord you could complain about. But still, the complications felt infinite so she put him off, saying she was still learning so much at the animal hospital she wasn’t ready to branch out on her own just yet.
    He offered to park, but Georgia told him she’d be fine so they pulled up to the drop-off lane at the airport. While Georgia scrolled through her phone for her e-ticket, he jumped out and grabbed her bags. She awkwardly gave him a kiss on the cheek as a good-bye and said thanks again, but as she pulled away, he grasped her arm with one hand and produced a small, wrapped parcel in his other. For one breathless and irrational moment, she thought he might actually be about to propose.
    “A late Christmas present,” he said, smiling bashfully. “I’ve been carrying it around, hoping I’d get the chance to see you, but you’ve made yourself scarce.”
    It was a necklace. A contemporary silver pendant. Sleek and pretty, and so obviously expensive that, for a split second, Georgia could not help but imagine selling it to help with the cost of a new roof for the barn. She chased this ungrateful thought away, but paused before thanking him, not sure she was ready to accept all that this gift implied.
    “Sam, I…”
    He waved away her equivocation. “Please,” he said as he lifted the chain, “just try it on.” He clasped the necklace at the nape of her neck, and as his knuckles brushed against her skin, Georgia felt an involuntary shiver of pleasure. It had been a long time since any man had touched her—her dad’s occasional absentminded pat on the top of her head most definitely did not count—and for a moment, she allowed herself to fantasize about being with Sam again, how easy it would be.
    He stepped back. “It looks perfect on you.”
    She touched it, hesitant, and then relented. “Thank you. It’s lovely.”
    Sam gazed at her intently. “Georgia, I know now’s not the right time, but I do want to talk with you. When you’re back? Can we have dinner?”
    Georgia’s smile faltered. But he’d been so decent, how could she say no? “Of course. I’d like that.”
    She walked away and then glanced back and saw Sam was still standing there, watching her go. He raised his hand and gave a sweet, easy, just slightly beseeching smile. Georgia firmly made herself smile back at him, waving with what she hoped looked like real enthusiasm.
    She boarded, filing past the smug first-class passengers and into her seat. The cabin was cramped, she was sitting in the center, and the elderly man sitting next to her smelled distinctly of Bengay cream, but she suddenly realized that she was happier than she’d been in weeks. It was almost