Dean eyed me. “You really want to put Walter through a messy divorce?”

I sighed, but grinned. “He’s very cute. I’ll admit that.”

“And look. He likes you.” Dean put Walter down and he came up to try to play tug of war with the leg of my jeans, growling and wiggling his butt as he tried to backpedal.

I wrestled with him for a few minutes until he apparently decided he needed a spontaneous puppy nap. Walter rolled on his back with his big puppy belly up to the ceiling and his arms all tucked in. It was adorable, and I could feel myself already falling for the little guy. Damn you, Dean. The last thing I needed was to get attached to a real puppy in addition to the human shaped puppy that had been playing havoc with my feelings for over a week now.

“My mom loves you,” I said.

Dean produced an apple and took a big bite, speaking around a mouthful. “Yeah? I like her too. She’s really nice. I like all of your family, actually. Especially those guys from Alabama. Weird, but highly entertaining.”

“You really like them?”

“Hell yes. I have brothers and my little sister. My dad is… Well, he’s never really been the same since we lost Mom. He pretty much retreated into work and I think once you go too deep into something like that, you can’t ever completely come out of it. But, the point is, I never had shit like that. Family get togethers. Doting parents. A weird, perverted grandma. Scary cousins from Alabama with an unhealthy love of Crisco. It’s all great. Seriously.” He took a bite of his apple again.

“You’re talking like it’s going to keep going after this week. But we both agreed things will end after that. Didn’t we?”

“We did,” he said carefully. “And they should.” He added that last in a tone that made me unsure if it was a question or a statement.

“We should,” I said without much confidence. “Because even if you were ready for another relationship, I doubt you’d have time for one. You work all the time, don’t you?”

“I mean, not exactly. I’ve been focusing more on work since I split with Annabelle, but I make my own schedule.”

“Oh,” I said. “Well, I’m pretty busy. With work and…”

“Your booming social life?” he asked with a grin.

“I have a social life, thank you very much.”

“Work friends?” Dean asked.

“I’m friends with Marley.”

“And?”

“And do I need a whole squadron of work friends? Marley is just the one I get along with. I mean, I talk to other people at work. I just don’t make time to hang out with them afterwards. Who has time for hanging out after work, anyway?”

“Not you, apparently. So it sounds like you’re the one who wouldn’t have time for a relationship. If you were ready to take that step, I mean.”

“I’d have time,” I said carefully. “I’ve really been thinking about our conversation in the car. About leaving the city behind. I’d have all kinds of time.”