Henry growled, and Andy glanced into the family room to find him rolling around on the sectional couch, burrowing his nose under one of the cushions.
"Hey, cut it out."
Pulling the bag of dog food from the pantry produced enough familiar noise to distract him, and Henry lunged across the room and skidded into Andy"s feet. Andy filled one of the bowls and placed it on the floor, then ran tap water into the other.
Henry sniffed at the colorful kibbles, then turned and looked at Andy over his shoulder.
"It"s dog food. You"re a dog. Bon appet.i.t."
He lapped up nearly half of the water in the bowl, then shook his head so that the leftovers showered the floor, the cabinet, the refrigerator, and Andy"s leg.
"Oh, you are going to drive Sherilyn insane."
Henry looked up at him and panted; he appeared to be laughing at the notion.
"You won"t find it so funny when she gives me the It"s-meor-the-dog speech and you find yourself packing your bags and heading out the door." The dog c.o.c.ked his head. "Okay then. You"d better start working on your manners."
To which Henry replied with a juicy doggie belch.
Andy knew what he"d find when he tried the television remote, but he pushed the b.u.t.ton anyway. Nothing. He tossed it to the other end of the sofa and sat down. Pulling the coffee table toward him, he unloaded the deli bag upon it. Russian roast beef . . . cole slaw . . . garlic pickle. Pulling back the tab on a cola, he downed half of it and set the can on the table as nearly one hundred pounds of nose, paws, and fur hopped up beside him, expectantly eyeing his roast beef sandwich.
"Forget it."
Whimper.
"Not a chance, bud."
Whine.
One blue eye twinkled, while a brown one glistened. Andy had never noticed how adorable the Old English Sheepdog breed could be. Henry panted, and his pink tongue flopped out of one side of his mouth, giving the appearance of a lopsided dog grin.
With a shrug, Andy pulled a strip of meat from his sandwich and tossed it toward the dog. Henry snapped it out of the air and happily gulped it down.
"Now, go away. That"s all you get."
Henry shifted but made no move to leave, instead watching with great fascination every bite Andy took.
"I"m sure you won"t like this," he said of the pickle. But when he offered a bite of it to the dog, Henry chomped it right down. "Really? Huh. I wouldn"t have guessed."
After securing the dinner trash in a plastic bag on the kitchen counter, Andy headed upstairs with Henry close at his heels. Thoughts of rummaging through boxes for a blanket and a pillow turned to sweet-smelling grat.i.tude as he pa.s.sed through the doorway to the bedroom and found an inviting fully-made bed there to greet him.
He pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open, pressing #1 on the speed dial.
After several rings, Sherilyn answered, breathless. ""lo."
"Is this a bad time?"
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, I can call back later. I just wanted-"
"Emma. Torture."
He chuckled. "What?"
"We"re hiking," Emma called out to him from the distance.
"And your fiancee is a wuss."
"L-leg cramp."
Andy laughed. "Where are you?"
"Vickery Creek Trail. Long. High."
"Wuss," he heard Emma taunt.
"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for making up the bed, and for buying the groceries."
"Oh. Yeah. Good."
"Are you going to be all right?" he asked, only slightly in jest. "You don"t sound good."
"Yeah. After the heart attack, I should be-" She coughed and wheezed. "-just dandy. Don"t worry about me. I"m sure the paramedics will take very good care."
"See you tomorrow?"
"Could be. If I live through today."
Andy chuckled again. "Love you."
"Yep." And with that, she groaned and disconnected the call.
He picked up the card on the nightstand and dialed the number across the top of it, wondering what had brought on such an uncharacteristic outing. Sherilyn was hardly the athletic, hiking-the-great-outdoors kind of girl.
"Yes. I"d like to schedule an appointment to have my cable hooked up. As soon as possible, please."
Henry panted out a grin of agreement.
Sherilyn debated much longer than usual about what to wear that night. Consequently, she sent Andy ahead to the ballroom while she changed into one last option; this time, a dark raspberry chiffon Notte by Marchesa gown she"d bought on sale at Bergdorf Goodman the last time she"d been to New York City. She thanked G.o.d that it still zipped and studied the one-shouldered sweetheart neckline in the mirror. The flowy nature of the gown did a nice job in camouflaging anything extra she might have added beneath that empire waist.
She fluffed her curls and decided on the ruby earrings Gavin had given her on her last Christmas in Atlanta; they were a little dangly for her normal tastes, but the gown seemed to invite it. She slipped one foot into a Kate Spade Lalita crepe sandal and turned it slightly to get a good look in the mirror; a girl needed all angles to make sure about swelling. Four puffy black bows draped a leather T-strap slingback, showing off her champagne frosted toenails; no swelling in sight, thank the Lord. She checked her lips before dropping a tube of Raspberry Ice gloss into her favorite crystal and clear beaded minaudiere.
When she reached the lobby, Gavin"s telltale laughter drew her toward the restaurant instead of down the hall to the ballroom. Just before she reached the entrance, however, a clamplike grip s.n.a.t.c.hed hold of her arm. The shriek in her throat never made its way up and out before she was yanked into the consultation room only a hair before the door slammed shut behind her. Her heart pounding, she spun to find Fee clinging to her firmly.
"Fee! What are you doing? You scared me half to death!"
"Dude. Wow. You look great. But tell the truth. Do I look like a pageant contestant?"
Sherilyn chuckled and took a step back, looking Fee over from head to toe. Her raven hair barely touched her shoulders in full waves, and her lips shimmered with ruby gloss. She"d never seen this side of Fee before.
Her pale taupe satin dress was ruched at the top, drawn in at her narrow waist by a black velvet belt with a rhinestone buckle. The knee-length skirt was overlaid with black velvet spotted tulle, and she wore short black gloves with rhinestone b.u.t.tons at the wrist, simple black pumps, and a velvet shawl.
"Oh, Fee, you look beautiful."
"Don"t placate," Fee warned. "I need the truth before it"s too late."
"That is the truth, I swear. You look really lovely."
Fee shifted to one foot, her hand on her hip, a thoughtful grimace pasted to her face.
Outside the door, Sherilyn heard Andy"s voice as he greeted Gavin.
"Have you seen Sherilyn yet?"
"I haven"t. I"m just on my way into the ballroom, though," Gavin replied. "If I see her, I"ll let her know you"re looking for her."
Suddenly, Fee"s hand clenched Sherilyn"s arm again as she whispered, "Grab him."
"What? Who?"
"Andy. Get him in here." She nodded toward the door before adding, "Quietly. Don"t let anyone see."
"You want Andy?"
"Get him in here," she repeated through clenched teeth.
Sherilyn shook her head and opened the door slightly just as Andy reached her.
"Sheril-"
"Shh," she interrupted him. "Come in here a minute, will you?" When he paused, she rolled her hand at him. "Come in."
He complied with a big grin on his face, and he wrapped his arms around her waist the moment he stepped inside.
"No, no," she said, pushing him away with a giggle. "We"re not alone."
Andy seemed startled when he looked up to find Fee standing there.
"I need a guy"s opinion," she said seriously, and she waved her hands from the top of her dress to the tips of her shoes. "Hot? Or so not?"
Andy looked to Sherilyn. "I"m sorry. What?"
"Fee has a very important date tonight. With Sean. And she"d like to know if you, being a man, find her attractive."
He looked like he was just about to burst into laughter, and Sherilyn gave him a quick shake of her head.
"Seriously?" he asked.
"Yes."
He looked at Fee with a raised eyebrow.
"I"m not asking you for a date," she rea.s.sured him. "I just want to know if I look like someone you"d want to. Date, that is."
"Oh." With one more quick glance at Sherilyn, Andy"s face turned completely serious as he looked Fee over. "Well," he said, folding his arms, "I think . . . you look exquisite. Katy Perry meets that chick, Abby, on NCIS. Yeah. Yeah, I"d absolutely ask you for a date."
Sherilyn felt her heart pinch a little as Fee melted down into relieved schoolgirl for no more than an instant. "Really?"
"Really. You"re a knockout."
"I told you," Sherilyn confirmed. "Now, where are you meeting him?"
"Outside the ballroom."
"Let"s go then. You can walk with us."
"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "You two go ahead. I just need a couple of minutes, and I"ll see you there."
"You"re sure?"
"Yeah. Yeah, go. I"m good."
Andy opened the door for Sherilyn, and Fee grabbed his arm. "Listen, uh. Thanks."
"Any time, Beautiful. You"re going to knock his socks off." She bit her lip. "Promise?"
"Guaranteed."
Sherilyn softly closed the door behind them, leaving Fee alone in the tiny consultation room. She looped her arm through Andy"s and smiled.
"You"re a very sweet man."
He tipped his head into a partial shrug, and he squeezed Sherilyn"s hand. "You look like a million bucks tonight, by the way. Outfit number sixty-eight gets my thumbs-up."
"This old thing? I"m so glad."
When they"d almost reached the ballroom, he leaned down toward her and whispered, "I want you steering clear of Sean tonight. Apparently, he has special powers I"m not enthused about."
"Only for Fee," she replied. "You"ve got all the special powers I need."
"Happy to hear it."
A banner over the ballroom door announced the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation as the beneficiary of the night"s events, and red and gold balloons punctuated the reminder for each guest entering. Andy presented their tickets to a woman with bright orange lipstick, and she checked them against a list before handing them a large white envelope with table numbers written across the front.
Sherilyn spotted Emma"s mother, and her heart palpitated a little. Avery Travis lit up the room in her beaded blue gown and elegant grace. Gavin stood at her side, and he caught Sherilyn"s eye right away.
"Avery, look who"s here."