Читать книгу Dogwood Hill - Sherryl Woods, Sherryl Woods - Страница 12

6

Aidan was halfway up the walkway to Liz’s when she opened the front door. Archie bounded out with an ecstatic bark, paused to pick up a tennis ball, then almost knocked Aidan to the ground in his exuberance.

“Is it me or the pizza he’s excited about?” he called out to Liz, who stood where she was, laughing and leaving him to extricate himself from the situation.

“Let’s just say I’ve never seen him get that worked up over pizza before, and it’s a staple around here,” she said. “Archie, behave! Get back here.”

Instead of obeying, Archie sat down in the middle of the sidewalk blocking Aidan’s way, dropped a tennis ball at his feet and looked up at him with adoring eyes. Despite himself, Aidan couldn’t help chuckling.

“If you want me to play with you, you have to let me inside so I can put dinner down,” he scolded.

The dog’s response was to pick up the ball, then drop it again in an attempt to get his own message across.

Aidan cast a helpless look in Liz’s direction. “I think we’re at a stalemate. Can you grab this pizza?”

She came out wearing shorts and a tank top that almost caused him to swallow his tongue. With her feet bare, he couldn’t help noticing that her toenails were painted a pale pink that reminded him of seashells. Though her hair had been pulled back neatly all day, tonight she’d swept it up on her head in a careless knot that left damp blond tendrils framing her face. She looked as if the weight of the day had been washed away by a quick shower.

“You look...” Words failed him.

“Clean?” she suggested.

He laughed. “Way better than that.”

“I needed to get out of those clothes and into something comfortable,” she said. “A shower helped, too. I was feeling pretty grungy.”

“You looked great before, but you look even better now. Being relaxed suits you.”

“Doesn’t it suit everyone?” she replied, reaching for the pizza. “You have five minutes with Archie or I can’t promise there will be any of this left by the time you get inside.”