The Summer of No Attachments (The Summer Friends #2) - Lori Foster Page 0,2

she’d realized the freedom.

And now, Monday, she chose to see the world in a whole new light.

Geoff did not. He’d called twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday. Each time he’d started out cajoling and ended up making nasty accusations.

Because she, awesome woman that she was, couldn’t be swayed. Not by a man who had taken her for granted.

Regrets? Nope, she had none.

For two years she and Geoff had been a thing. A loose thing. A thing with no real goals. A dead-end relationship type of thing that was more about convenience for him and uncertainty for her. It had left her unsatisfied—in more ways than one. It had left her uncertain about her own appeal. It had left her feeling needy, but no more.

She didn’t need marriage.

She didn’t need a partner.

Sex... Well, okay, she liked that every so often, but that didn’t require a committed relationship. This was going to be her summer of no attachments. If she needed physical comfort, well, by God, she could “hook up” like so many people did. Find an attractive guy, one who could hold her interest for a few hours, and then move on.

It was her new MO. Freedom. Putting her desires first. It didn’t matter that she’d been born an old soul with no interest in partying or bars or clubs. In college, when everyone else had reveled on the weekends, she’s volunteered at a local shelter.

Now, being a beloved—by the animals she treated, at least—local veterinarian, her days were fairly mundane. And once she left work, her evenings were mostly dedicated to Maurice, her aging cat. Geoff hadn’t liked Maurice much. Maurice had felt the same about Geoff.

She should have trusted her cat. At fifteen, Maurice had very good instincts.

As she made her way through the clinic, Ivey heard barking and smiled. Daisy, the little Jack-a-bee dog she’d rescued from Marty’s farm, still lived at the clinic with her three adorable puppies.

Making a beeline to the private kennel where Daisy slept each night, Ivey called out, “It’s me, love.”

Anticipation silenced the barking.

The second she opened the door, Daisy’s tail started swinging, but her big beautiful eyes were filled with wary adoration. The plump little puppies tumbled over one another in play, paying no attention as Ivey came in to sit close to the little dog. She scratched under Daisy’s chin and petted along her back.

“You’re such a sweet girl. Still so shy though.” Her leg had healed nicely, though she now had a scar. She’d been through so much, but from the birth of the first pup she’d been such an excellent mama. “What did you go through, baby, to make you so timid?”

Ducking her face, Daisy snuggled closer.

“It’s all right, love. You can be timid if you want. I don’t mind.”

During the day, Daisy had free run of much of the clinic, as long as it didn’t involve the areas where other animals might run into her. The puppies were kept contained with a low temporary barrier across the bottom of the kennel door. Daisy could step over it, but the puppies could not.

Sighing, Ivey figured Daisy would loosen up in her own time and not before. Hope would be in soon, but until then, she opened the door that let Daisy and her puppies into a small enclosed yard with grass and sunshine, then she went about rinsing the water bowl and refilling it with fresh water, and putting out dry food.

Daisy immediately found her favorite spot to enjoy the sunshine. The puppies followed, one happy to nurse, one chasing a fly, the other plopping down to nap near her mama’s neck.

There were plenty of enrichment items in the outdoor pen, like toys, chews and flexible tunnels, ensuring Daisy got exercise and the pups could play and learn.

Oh, how she’d miss them if...when, she found them homes.

Hope stepped up beside her. “You’re not fooling anyone, you know.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” She knew exactly what Hope meant.

Hope followed Ivey as she headed inside to check the schedule. “You say the right words, but anyone seeing your eyes knows you aren’t going to part with Daisy, maybe not with her babies, either.”

Was she really that transparent? “It just bothers me.” Without waiting for Hope to ask, Ivey explained. “People see the puppies and automatically want one.” In a high false voice, she said, “They’re so little and cute.” Then with an eye roll, “They look right past Daisy, but she’s what the puppies will look like in