Chapter 3

The next morning when I stumbled into my bathroom I found a message scrawled in pretty light link lipstick on my mirror. "Say"Hi"to a cute guy today", followed by a huge winking smiley face with long eyelashes.

Oh Courtney, I thought, I just came to the conclusion that I don't need a man. I left the message on my mirror , though, as a reminder to have fun and not take things too seriously.

Since I had the whole day off with no special plans, I decided to go for a work out in the park . After a quick shower, I donned on my Capri yoga pants and a sports tank, then I coated my exposed skin with sunscreen. I knew my mother was smiling down on me for that. She had always insisted on moisturizing and protecting. I pulled back my thick, brown hair into a simple ponytail, skipped makeup ( other than cherry chapstick of course ), and tied my bright purple tennis shoes.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I decided that I was a solid six with my glossy chestnut hair and big brown eyes . I wasn't going to win any beauty contest but with make up on and a sexy dress, i could pass for a six-and-a-half, maybe a seven. At least I wouldn't scare anyone off. "Ready as I'll ever be" I said to no one on particular , since Courtney likely wouldn't roll out of bed until it was time for lunch shift at Joe's.

Buster, one of Courtney's strays that she was constantly taking in, shifted his head along the floor to watch me go. I told myself that it would be a much better workout without him, but the spotted basset hound had such sweet, sad eyes that I couldn't resist him.

"Do you wanna go?" 'Go' must have been the magic word because he thunped his tail twice and started to maneuver his squat little legs in an attempt to gain enough traction to stand up on the hardwood floor. It was such an operation, that I was tempted to go help him, but instead I grabbed the leash and waited for him to join me at the door. Looking at his pudgy little body, I decided that a lack of food was definitely not a problem in Buster's life before Courtney rescued him.

Inset my ipod to play "Brown eyed girl " which was the song my dad used to sing to me . As I walked, I relished the memory of him using a toothbrush for a microphone as he serenaded me. Buster and u made our way to the park. I liked that I liked being forced to slow down a little. It felt like I was always rushing somewhere, even though I didn't know why I was hurrying. Habit, I guess .

Almost everyone we passed smiled at Buster. I could see why Courtney had fallen for him so quickly and taking him in. He was cute in a droopy kind of way. Unlike that awful yellow cat, Thabitha who skittered off or had a hissing fit anytime I came near. I think Courtney believed , at first, that ibwas meant to Tab behind her back. Now that we had become so close, Courtney knew that I would never intentionally harm an animal. The cat just didn't like me for some reason, she probably just wanted Courtney all to herself .

As Buster and I walked along, I lifted my face to the sun and enjoyed the light breeze off the water. It was a truly glorious day. I heard him before I saw him. "Buddy come" he yelled. Just then, a big golden retriever barreled towards him with an orange frisbee in its mouth. I was walking up behind them so I couldn't see if he was a "cute guy", but his broad shoulders and great ass suggested that he probably was.

When the dog reached him and he bent down to lovingly ruffle it's ears as he took the Frisbee, I made a snap decision to say hi to him. It was completely out of character and to-the-moon-and- back out of my comfort zone to walk up and speak to a stranger. I kept reminding myself that it was only one word as a forced myself to walk towards him.

When Buster and I got within a few feet of him, his dog gave a quick "Woof" in greeting. He turned and I was met with one of the most gorgeous men I had ever laid eyes on. His dark hair was just a smidge too long, and he used an elegant hand to swoop it back off his forehead. And those eyes-they were the most amazing green eyes I had ever seen. They may not have been the eyes from my naughty dream, but they were fantastic and draped by long dark lashes that most women couldn't dream of having, even with the help of a mascara. He took my breath away.

I felt completely tongue tied and we were too close for me to just walk away like I hadn't intended to speak to him. "Ummm" I stalled. Jeez! What is wrong with me? My breath was coming fast and I could feel my face flushing. I had to do something. After what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds, I finally got the words out. "Hi" I mumbled crossing my hands awkwardly and intending to make an exit.

"Hi!" he responded and flashed me with a grin that just about bowled me over. He was way out of my league, and I just wanted to get away from him before I embarrassed myself further. Of course, Buster chose that moment to plop his butt on the ground and sit for a spell. I coaxed him with a "Come on Buster, let's go get a treat!" I whistled and tugged at him, but the damn dog refused to budge.

Handsome man and his happy, energetic dog stood there watching the whole exchange. Both of them had big grins on their faces, looking extremely amused at my predicament. Taking mercy on me, the man finally said, "It doesn't look like you are going anywhere for a while. I'm Seth. Seth Davis." He extended a hand to shake with mine.

"Abigail Brown, nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand gently. Nice to meet you?? My thoughts screamed at me. How clever. I tried to push the negative self-talk out of my mind, but it seemed to be just as stubborn as Buster, who was panting and lolling on the ground as if he intended to stay there indefinitely. "Come on Buster. We need to go," I tried again.

Buster finally harrumphed and started the process of standing up. Sumptuous Seth, as I had decided to call him silently in my head, surprised me by saying, "Wait."

This gave me an excuse to pause and look directly at him. He was a sight - all tall, dark and handsome, but that standard description didn't do him justice. He was all of those things, but he was also one of the most ruggedly good-looking men I had ever seen. His jeans and tee shirt were snug enough to give a hint of the tight, tan body that they covered. I licked my lips and realized that his full attention was focused on me. It was almost as if he was waiting for me to say something.

Oh no! Did he ask me a question? "Huh?" I asked. Oh, way to dazzle him with your witty repartee, Ab.

He didn't seem to be phased by my inner turmoil. "I said that Buddy and 1 were just getting ready to head to Treats, the bakery on Beach Street. Would you like to join us?"

I knew the place he was talking about. It was a local favorite. They had a few alfresco tables that overlooked the water. People took their dogs there all the time. The bakery even offered specialty dog treats, and they kept water bowls outside for their canine visitors.

I didn't have to think about it. "I'd love to," I answered instantly, and the four of us set off. That is when it happened.

He was so handsome, and I was so nervous that my diarrhea of the mouth set in. I started chattering non-stop and couldn't seem to stop myself. It only took a few minutes to walk to the bakery, but by the time we arrived, I had already told him about my job, Courtney, and that I was divorced. The only things I knew about him were that his name was Seth Davis, he was super-hot and he had a dog, named Buddy.

I finally took a breath once we had arrived, and Seth took that moment to say, "If you want to stay with the dogs and grab us a table, I'll go in and order. What would you like?"

"English Breakfast tea with cream and sugar, please."

"Coming right up, Ma'am," he said before flashing his amazing smile at me and dashing inside. As I flopped down in an available chair, I shook my head in disbelief at my incredible fortune and the way my non-stop rambling was likely ruining it.

"I'm glad you're here, Buddy," I said to the dog. He thumped his tail upon hearing his name. "I have acted like such an ass that I'm quite certain he would sneak out the side door if he didn't need to get you back."

It took quite a while for Sumptuous Seth to come back. I almost had myself convinced that he had left out the back entrance and would come back later to collect his dog. I took a deep breath and vowed not to beat myself up like this. If he was gone, I wasn't any worse off than I was when I started my walk, I rationalized; and if he was still here, I needed to slow down and let him do some of the talking.

My breath hitched a little when I saw him opening the door to come out to our table. He was so damn good looking, and I couldn't believe he was here with me. I clearly wasn't the only one who noticed how handsome he was. Every woman and even a man or two gawked as he walked past. Seth didn't even seem aware of all the attention he drew.

He had his hands full with two cups, a pink box, and a white bag filled with bakery goodies, so I started to get up to take something from him. In that moment, Buster lunged faster than I'd ever seen him move. He managed to tangle his leash with Buddy's, which caused Buddy to try to dart around me to get out of the way. My legs became tangled in the leashes just as I was taking a step toward Seth, and I started to fall forward. I fell face-first into Seth's chest. He caught me by wrapping both of his strong arms around me somehow balancing the drinks and goodies and it felt like heaven.

Humiliation quickly crept in as he helped me get untangled and back to my chair. "I'm such a klutz," I muttered, shaking my head. "And you caught me and managed to keep a hold of all the stuff in your hands," I said as I blew on my tea.

Seth brought a warm blueberry doughnut out of the classic pink bakery box and set it on a napkin in front of me. "It could have happened to anyone," he reassured me kindly. Then he chuckled, "I've never seen a basset hound move that fast." "I know, right? I wonder what he was after." "Well, I hate to reward him for almost knocking us both down, but I did enjoy catching you." His eyes twinkled as he grinned at me. He lifted two dog treats out of the white bakery bag.

"Do you think he'd prefer peanut butter or chicken?"

"From the way he licks our jars clean when we are done with them, I know he's a fan of peanut butter."

Seth leaned down to give the dogs their bone-shaped cookies, and I took a deep breath to calm myself. Then I shifted the conversation and started asking him some questions. I learned that he was a boat builder, that he loved nature and that he wasn't just handsome. He was also funny, smart, and sweet.

Mr. Finley, the grandfatherly bakery owner, stopped by our table to see if we needed anything. When he leaned over Seth's shoulder to refill the hot water in our tea mugs, he caught my eye and waggled his bushy eyebrows, making me smile.

I kept looking for the fatal flaw that must be present in Seth, but I sure didn't see one. With this level of perfection, women must be throwing themselves at him all the time. It didn't make sense for him to be spending time with me, while seeming to enjoy himself. I almost had myself convinced that he was gay when he asked if he could see me again.

I made a valiant attempt to control the excitement in my voice as I responded that I could probably work him into my busy schedule, texted him my cell phone number and told him goodbye. Then I proceeded to float on cloud nine all the way home, thinking about what a fantastic day this had turned out to be.