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  Reed laughed and shook the dog's foot. "Well aren't you smart," he cooed to the dog.

  A small dark haired woman rushed over to his side. "Did you have any questions about this dog?" she asked cheerfully.

  "It's a Border Collie, right?" he asked.

  "Yes. She is a really smart dog. We haven't had a chance to groom her, so she looks a little disheveled," she replied wringing her hands.

  "Would you like to go home with me?" Reed asked the dog. She rolled over onto her back. He patted her belly. "I'll take that as a yes," he laughed.

  "Really? Oh thank God!" the woman exclaimed and bent down and hugged the dog. When she stood up she had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just that today was her last day. If she didn't find a home the Humane Society was going to put her down. She was found wandering out in the county. Working dogs like her are often dumped if they don't take to herding. The only things this dog seems to want to round up are tennis balls and children."

  "So she's good with kids?" Reed asked.

  "The best. I've honestly never seen a more gentle dog," the woman answered.

  "What about her friend?" Reed asked concerned. I could only hope he didn't decide to take home two ugly dogs.

  "Big Red? Well we can't let him get put down either. I'm going to take him home. He's old, and unlikely to find a family. He likely only has a few years left anyway. She is still pretty young though, only about a year old. She's had all of her shots. The only thing she needs is a bath," she rambled.

  Reed crouched in front of the dog. "Do you have a name? How about Jenny?"

  The dog made a grumbling noise.

  "I don't think she likes that name," I said.

  "Well we can figure that out later," Reed looked at the small woman, "Is there paperwork I need to fill out?"

  Reed went into a temporary cubicle to sign the pet adoption papers, and I sat in a chair outside of the tight space. The dog walked over to me and stared into my face. "I guess you aren't so ugly." She made a grumbling noise that wasn't a bark or growl, but almost like she was talking to me.

  "I'm sorry. That wasn't very nice. You've been through a lot lately haven't you?" I asked her. I felt a little silly talking to a dog, but there was a pain in her eyes that I knew too well.

  "It's hard to know who to trust sometimes isn't it?" I said quietly. The dog laid her head on my leg and shifted her brown eyes up to look at me. "I think you made a good choice with Reed," I said, gently stroking her fur.

  "I'm glad to hear you say that," he said, startling me.

  "You should trust your friends, right?" I responded lamely.

  Reed gave me a partial smile. "It's definitely a good place to start."

  "I think you should call her Belle," I said.

  Reed smirked at me. "Doesn't that mean beautiful? I was under the impression you thought she was kind of ugly."

  "She kind of grows on you," I answered honestly.

  "Okay, Annabelle, let's go home," Reed said to the dog.

  I felt the blood rush out of my face. "What did you call her?"

  "Annabelle. I think she likes it," he said watching the dog.

  "It's a good name. But why that one?" I asked nervously.

  His brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't know. It just came to me," he shrugged.

  "Uh, Reed...I forgot I needed to...uhm...I've got a thing to do down the road. I'll just call Cameron and get a ride later," I stammered. I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the store before he could ask me any questions. Annabelle was a name I hadn't heard in years, and hoped never to hear again. I knew being friends with a cop was a bad idea.

  I dug my phone out of my purse and dialed Cameron's number from memory. I didn't store numbers in my phone, or any personal information. "I need you to come and get me," I said when he picked up.

  "Who is it baby?" I heard a girl pout in the background.

  "What the hell, Cam? I thought you were done living like this," I snapped.

  "Look who's talking. I thought you were out with Reed. We both run, Kate," he fired back.

  "This isn't the same thing, Cam! He named his dog Annabelle," I whispered.

  "Shit! I'll be right there. Do we need to leave? Does he know?" he asked.

  I could hear the tremble in his voice. The weariness of living constantly looking over our shoulders had worn us both down. I'd done this to him. I needed to find a way to free him from the drama I'd brought into his life.

  "I think maybe we just need to keep to ourselves for a while. If we leave that might inspire too much suspicion." And maybe you'll find a way to be happy just as you are, I thought.

  "We'll do it your way for now," Cameron conceded.

  "Thanks, Cam," I sighed.

  "You know I'd do anything for you, sis," he said.

  "I know." He would, he had proved that more than once.

  Chapter 6

  Reed

  Kate had a few minutes head start out of the store because I had to write a check for Annabelle's adoption. I knew Kate spooked easily, but I mistakenly figured I would have to do something to scare her away.

  As soon as I bought a collar and leash, Annabelle and I ran out the door to chase after Kate. I saw a few blondes walking around, enjoying the unusually warm temperatures for February. They were all either too short, too blonde, or too fat to be Kate. I drove around the surrounding streets; even traced a path back towards her house, but there was no sign of her.

  I tried her cell a couple of times, but it went straight to voice mail. There was only one other person I could think of that would know where she went, unfortunately I didn't have Cameron's number, but I knew who did. "Jeremy, could you call Cameron and ask him if he picked his sister up on Main Street?" I asked.

  "Why don't you call him?" he hesitated.

  "I was going to call Becca and see if Kate got a hold of her instead," I answered.

  "I'll do it, but I can't promise he'll answer. If you didn't notice, Cameron and I aren't exactly on great terms," Jeremy explained.

  "I'm sorry to ask you to do this, Jer, but I appreciate it."

  A few minutes later Jeremy texted me to let me know that Cameron didn't answer. Becca hadn't seen her, and Toni said she hadn't been home.

  "Well, Annabelle, it looks like Kate doesn't want to be found right now." The dog whined, and I patted her on the head. "I know. I'm not very happy about it either, but we have to give her space."

  I went back to work Monday morning. Even though I was riding a desk, I still had enough work to keep my mind off the fact that Kate never called. For four days, I worked until my supervisor sent me home, went to the gym, took Annabelle for a walk, and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  I wanted to be mad at Kate, but she had made it clear, over and over, that she wasn't interested in a relationship. I refused to accept it and pushed a friendship she obviously didn't want.

  I'd followed after that girl like a lovesick puppy for almost a year. It had been almost a year of ignoring women who were actually interested in me. I'd tried to go out with a few women in the beginning, but my mind always wandered back to Kate. I've never been a douchey type of guy that moved from one woman to the next.

  My parents were one of those disgustingly cute couples that were obviously meant to be. My dad died the summer before high school started, and I only had my mom to turn to for dating advice. Which sucked, and I avoided it when at all possible. Between my mom and my younger sister I'd seen enough heartbreak caused by men thinking with their dicks that I didn't want to be one of those guys.

  Yeah, sometimes mine had it's own opinion, but I didn't think my dad would have approved. He worshipped my mother, and he was happy. Why would I want to risk cock rot banging every thing with tits when I could skip that part and be happy?

  Maybe nice guys did finish last. I certainly wasn't winning any points with Kate, but at least my dating habits didn't require antibiotics.

  Still I was done being stuck on a woman that clearly didn't wa
nt my attention. Sometimes I'd catch her looking at me, and I'd swear there was longing in her eyes. I'd let those moments give me hope that someday she'd come around. But it was false hope.

  Kate wasn't going to come around. It'd been a week and she'd made zero effort to contact me, and the only way I'd see her is if I chased her down. She knew how I felt, but she continued to throw it in my face. There had to be an option between nice guy and syphilis.

  Since I'd met Aiden and Becca I hadn't spent much time with my old friends. Maybe I just needed to step back into my life, the way it was before Kate. Decision made, I called my best friend from high school, Lance, and made plans to meet up at the Pub for dinner and a few games of pool.

  "What the hell have you been up to, Martin?" Lance shouted as he walked into the bar.

  "Work. Not much else," I answered.

  Lance plopped down in the booth, and a waitress brought over a pitcher of beer without either of us even ordering.

  "Come here a lot?" I asked.

  "Enough I guess. Jacqui was asking about you the other day," Lance said.

  "How's she doing?" I asked faking interest.

  I should be interested. Jacqui was stunning, petite, with perfect curves and chocolate brown hair. We were friends in school, flirted on occasion, but for some reason we never hooked up.

  "Ask her yourself," Lance said with a mischievous smirk on his face.

  When I shrugged Lance turned serious. "How long are you going to chase after the nurse?"

  "I'm done. She doesn't want anything to do with me," I answered into my beer. I wanted to be done at least. I wanted the constant ache in my chest to disappear. I wasn't sure how to accomplish that, but large quantities of beer seemed like a good place to start.

  "What you need to do is find your balls and get back out there. And I know the perfect place to start," Lance said.

  Lance tipped his beer toward the bar, and I noticed Jacqui Ross move from the doorway and saunter up to the bar to order a beer. She was the head cheerleader in high school. The girl everyone wanted, and most had had.

  "Asshole, did you set me up?" I accused.

  I had to admit it was hot that she didn't order some fruity wine cooler or snobby glass of wine. She took her time on her way to our table, stopping and flirting with every man that called out to her. I finally caught her eye, and in one look I realized she was putting on a show for me. Every stop was a message that she was desired.

  I leaned back in the booth, draping my arms across the back of the seat, and waited for her to finish her parade past her admirers.

  "Reed Martin, have you been avoiding me?" she asked with a practiced pout.

  "Why would I want to avoid one of the prettiest women in town?" I replied, playing her game.

  "Good point," she said and sat down next to me. "Hey, Lance. Nice to see you," she greeted.

  "Always good to see you, Jacqui," he flirted.

  Girls like Jacqui never went anywhere alone, and within a few minutes the three of us were joined by one of her friends. After a few pitchers of beer flirting with Jacqui felt more natural. We moved from the booth to the pool table. Lance and I tried to teach the girls to play pool, but our hand eye coordination had deteriorated with every pitcher.

  On my next turn to shoot I lined up the cue ball, called my shot, and sent the cue ball straight into the pocket. "I think I'm done with pool for the night, guys," I said and handed my stick off to Lance.

  "C’mon, Jacqui. Let me get you a beer," I said and led her to the bar. I stumbled a bit and bumped into a girl on my way for a beer I obviously didn't need. I reached out to keep her from falling, and realized I mowed down Toni.

  "Hey there, Toni. I thought you'd be at Jeremy's party," I said, slurring my words slightly.

  "I was, but it got kinda weird. Jeremy and Cameron were doing that tense fighting/flirting thing. He got pissed when Jeremy and I were dancing together and stormed off. Which was stupid, because Jeremy and I are just friends.

  "Becca and Aiden started making out on the dance floor and took off to a hotel since her mom is in town watching Scott. Kate spent the night watching the door, and she seemed really uncomfortable. I could tell she wanted to leave. So I convinced her to come here with me," Toni rambled.

  "Kate is here?" I almost shouted. I felt like I was caught doing something wrong, and then I reminded myself she blew me off.

  "Who's Kate?" Jacqui asked draping herself on me to show Toni we were together.

  Kate walked over to Toni. I hadn't seen her sitting at the bar.

  "I'm just a friend. Who are you?" Kate challenged.

  "I'm an old friend from high school. Reed and I have some unfinished business," Jacqui said.

  Jacqui's weight against me caused me to stumble a bit.

  "Your unfinished business will have to wait until another time. I think we need to see Reed home tonight," Toni ordered.

  I could have argued with her, but I was starting to sober up enough to see how bad of an idea taking Jacqui home would be. I was never into one-night stands, and that was the only future I had with Jacqui.

  I nodded to Toni, and turned to say goodbye to Jacqui. "Toni's right. I've had too much to drink. Another time, okay?"

  I'm not really sure why I left her with a promise of another time, other than I didn't want to feel like an asshole leaving her like this. One night out and I was venturing into the douche bag zone.

  I followed Toni outside, and tried to ignore Kate's presence as much as possible. Toni climbed into the driver's seat, and Kate finally decided to speak up. "You didn't come tonight," she whispered.

  "You made it clear that you didn't want me around. It took a while, but I got the message. I won't bother you anymore," I said and climbed into the car.

  Chapter 7

  Kate

  Reed slouched down in the back seat, and looked out the window. Toni watched Reed in the rearview mirror, and shot me a disapproving look when Reed never glanced back.

  "What did you do?" she mouthed at me.

  I shrugged. Reed had kind of disappeared over the last week, and I knew I was the reason. I wanted to step back and think. When he said the name Annabelle I panicked. I hadn't heard that name in years. I thought I had left everything from the past behind me, but it has a way of sneaking up on you.

  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do about Reed, but it seemed I already burnt that bridge. It was probably for the best. Toni, however, had other ideas. She grabbed a disc out of her visor and slipped it into the stereo. She looked back at Reed and smirked as "Classy Girls" by the Lumineers began to play.

  Reed chuckled, and finally glanced up, catching Toni's eyes in the mirror. "Remind me to thank you for saving me later," he said.

  "What are friends for if not from keeping you from hooking up with bar hags?" she said and smiled back at him.

  Reed laughed again. "Jacqui seemed different in high school, now she just seems like..."

  "A predator out to capture your love juice?" Toni added.

  "Gross, Toni," I uttered.

  "Actually, that seems like the perfect way to describe her," Reed defended.

  "How's the dog?" I asked.

  "Ann...she's good," he said.

  Toni pulled in front of Reed's house. He grabbed the handle and started to open the door.

  "Reed, wait," I said without thinking.

  He let go of the handle and looked at me for the first time since he got into the car.

  "I'm sorry for how I acted last weekend," I blurted out.

  "Don't worry about it, Kate. I was the dumbass that continued to push for something you didn't want. I get it now. I won't bother you anymore," he said and got out.

  "Shit," I exclaimed.

  "No kidding. What the hell is wrong with you?" Toni agreed.

  "I don't know," I mumbled.

  "Yes you do. You've got demons in your past. Do you think after living with you for three years I haven't noticed? You never want to talk about it, so I don't pry. I
pushed Becca because her shit caused her to sabotage herself at every turn. But I think I've been wrong to let you continue to hide. There is more than one way to destroy your life, and what you're doing is as bad as Becca's partying was. The result is the same. Worse, you isolate yourself. At least Becca was willing to let people in. You keep everyone at arms length," she lectured.

  "It's better for everyone this way," I said.

  "For whom? Not for you," Toni shot back.

  "You don't understand," I argued.

  "And I never will if you don't open up. Look, Kate, we're all here for you, but you have to take that first step. Whatever it is, don't you think you've dealt with it alone long enough?" Toni asked.

  "I appreciate it, Toni. But I just can't," I said defeated.

  "I assume you want me to take you to Cameron?" she asked.

  I nodded. She knew me better than she thought. She knew I needed to talk to someone and she also knew the only person I would talk to was my brother. I didn't deserve friends like her and Becca.

  She turned away from our house and headed back toward the campus. Cameron lived in a small studio apartment nearby. I knocked on his door, and prayed he was home. He opened the door, and I waved to Toni to let her know he was home.

  "I knew you would show up here tonight," Cameron greeted.

  "Is this okay?" I asked him.

  I walked in and he shut the door. "It's always okay."

  "What was going on with you and Jeremy tonight?" I asked him, avoiding my own issues.

  Cameron shook his head, as if to clear out bad thoughts. "I can't stop thinking about him, and that's why I can't see him," he said.

  "That doesn't make any sense, Cam," I said.

  "Bullshit. I know you understand what I'm talking about. Don't forget I picked you up when you ran from Reed last Sunday," he snapped.

  "We can get to that in a minute. Why can't you be with Jeremy?" I pried.