LITMIR.BIZ

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think the same thing Sam did. We’ll find a place for him. We always do.”

      Julia stroked the dog’s silky ear. She’d planned on leaving the Weimaraner at the shelter this morning. “Can I foster him? Until the waiting period is over or someone shows interest. I’ll work on basic training commands to help offset the shock of the smile.”

      Vera hesitated. “You’ve got a lot going on right now, honey. Weims aren’t easy dogs. They can have separation anxiety and get destructive.”

      Frustration crept across Julia’s neck and shoulders. “You know being in a foster home is better for a dog’s well-being.” She couldn’t believe her mother would insinuate the dog would be better in the shelter than with her.

      “Of course,” Vera agreed, as if she realized she’d crossed some imaginary line. “If you’re willing to, it would help him immensely.”

      “Have they named him yet?” Julia knew the shelter staff named each animal that came in to make their care more personal.

      The young woman shook her head.

      “Call him Casper,” Julia said.

      “The friendly gray ghost?” Lainey asked, referring to the breed’s well-known nickname.

      Julia nodded. “It fits him and will give people a sense of his personality.”

      “Perfect,” her mother said then asked the young woman, “They’ve done a temperament test?”

      She nodded. “He’s a big sweetie.” The walkie-talkie clipped to her belt hissed. “I’ll finish the paperwork with Julia as the foster.” When Vera nodded, the woman smiled and walked out of the office.

      “It’s settled.” Julia was going to make sure this dog found the perfect home. She straightened. “Charlie will be thrilled.”

      She turned to her mother. “I need to get Charlie from Ethan and drop him to the sitter before heading to the salon.”

      “I’ll take him today,” her mother said, in the same no-argument tone she’d used earlier.

      “Really? I’m sure your schedule is packed after your trip.”

      “I’d love to.”

      Julia gave her mother a quick hug. “Thank you.” She turned to Lainey. “Both of you. It helps to know I’m not alone.”

      “You never have been,” Vera told her.

      “And never will be,” Lainey added.

      * * *

      As she gave Charlie a bath later that night, Julia had to admit Sam had been right. Talking about the situation with Lainey and her mother had made her feel more hopeful. She might have flitted from job to job and through a number of cities during her twenties, but now she’d settled in Brevia. She was close to the point where she could make an offer to buy the salon, assuming this custody battle didn’t wipe out her meager savings.

      She wrapped Charlie in a fluffy towel, put on a fresh diaper and his pajamas, Casper at her side the whole time. She didn’t mind the company. She’d taken him for a walk with Charlie in the stroller earlier, after the dog had spent the day with her in the salon.

      A few of the clients had been shocked at his wide grin, but his affectionate nature had quickly won them over. It also made Julia feel more confident about his chances for adoption.

      When the doorbell rang, Casper ran for it and began a steady bark. Carrying Charlie with her, she put a leash on the dog. A part of her hoped Sam was making another unexpected evening call.

      Instead, Jeff Johnson stood on the other side of the door. Casper lunged for him but Julia held tight to the leash. She stumbled forward when the shock of seeing her ex-boyfriend combined with the dog’s strength threw her off balance.

      “Watch it,” Jeff snapped as he righted her.

      Casper smiled.

      “What the...? Is that thing dangerous?” Jeff stepped back. “He looks rabid. You shouldn’t have it near the baby. Are you crazy?”

      “Casper, sit.” Julia gave the command as she straightened. The dog sat, the skin around his mouth quivering. “Be careful, or I may give the attack command.” She made her voice flip despite the flood of emotions roaring through her.

      For a satisfying moment, Jeff looked as if he might make a run for it. Then his own lip curled. “Very funny.”

      “Good doggy.” Charlie pointed at the canine.

      “He talks,” Jeff said, surprise clear.

      “He does a lot of things,” Julia answered, her eyes narrowed. “Not that you’d know or care since you beat a fast escape as soon as you found out I was pregnant.”

      Jeff flashed his most disarming smile, a little sheepish with his big chocolate eyes warm behind his square glasses. That exact smile had initially charmed her when he’d come in for a haircut at the salon where she’d worked in Columbus, Ohio.

      For several months dating Jeff had been magical for her. He’d taken her to the theater and ballet, using his family’s tickets. They’d gone to poetry readings and talks by famous authors on campus. Some of what she heard was difficult to process, and in a moment of vulnerability, she’d told Jeff about the extent of her learning disabilities. He’d been sympathetic and supportive, taking time over long evenings to read articles and stories to her, discussing them as if her opinion mattered. It was the first time in her life Julia felt valued for her intelligence, and she became committed to making their relationship work at any cost.

      Soon she realized what a fool she’d been to think a well-respected professor would be truly interested in someone like her. It was clear that Jeff liked how his friends reacted when he’d shown up at dinner parties with a leggy blonde on his arm. He’d also gotten a lot of use out of the way she’d bent over backward cooking and cleaning to his exacting standards when she’d moved in with him. If she couldn’t be on his level intellectually, she’d fulfill the other roles of a doting girlfriend. She’d wanted to believe that a baby would make him see how good their life together could be. She’d been dead wrong. Once she wasn’t useful to him, he’d thrown her off like yesterday’s news.

      “Come on, Julia,” he said softly, his grin holding steady. “Don’t act like you aren’t glad to see me.” She’d been fooled by that smile once and wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

      She flashed a smile of her own. “I don’t see anyone throwing a ticker-tape parade. You can turn right around. I’ve got no use for you here.”

      “I’m here to see my son,” Jeff said, as any trace of charm vanished.

      Charlie met his biological father’s gaze then buried his face in Julia’s shoulder, suddenly shy.

      “Why now, Jeff?” She rubbed a hand against Charlie’s back when he began to fidget. “Why all of this now?”

      He sighed. “The custody request, you mean.”

      Jeff’s IQ was in the genius range, but sometimes he could be purposefully obtuse. “Of course the custody request. Do you know the hell you and your parents have put me through? We’ve barely scratched the surface.”

      “Invite me in, Jules,” he said, coaxing, “and we can talk about it. I have an offer that may make this whole mess go away.”

      It had felt different when Sam stood at her door waiting to be invited through. Her stomach had danced with awareness and her only doubt had been worrying about her heart’s exhilarated reaction to him. Still, Julia relented. If she had a chance to make this better, she couldn’t refuse it.

      Jeff stepped into her apartment but froze when Casper greeted him by sticking his snout into Jeff’s crotch. “Get away, you stupid mutt.” Jeff kicked out his foot, hitting Casper in the ribs. The dog growled.

      “Casper,

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