Chick with a Charm by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page A

greeted enthusiastically by Daisy. Oh yeah. He’d nearly forgotten about the dog.
    She danced in front of him, obviously wanting to go out. Logically, she shouldn’t be desperate if she lived on Lily’s schedule. The dog would be fine until he came back with fresh clothes, maybe even croissants. He’d check to make sure Lily had a coffeepot and coffee before he left.
    But as he pulled on his clothes, including the jacket Lily had loaned him, Daisy pranced around him, tongue out, as if she just knew they were going to play some more in the park. In the end, he couldn’t leave without her.
    Scribbling a note on a pad saying he’d taken Daisy for a walk, he left the note on the table in front of the sofa. He’d checked the kitchen and found a coffeemaker, a grinder and a jar of fresh beans that smelled exactly like the ones he had at home.
    Daisy’s leash and Lily’s keys were on a small table next to the front door. Griffin snapped Daisy’s leash on her collar, pocketed Lily’s keys and headed out the front door, locking it behind him.
    On the street, people were heading off to work. Horns blared and people in business clothes whistled for cabs. Griffin felt very strange being out here in his sweats, walking a dog on a Wednesday morning. Maybe he should let Daisy do her business, take her back to Lily, and return to his apartment.
    He still had time to change and make it to work on time. The Altman hearing was important, and Kevin hadn’t been briefed on it. Griffin needed to be there to make sure the agreement they’d hammered out didn’t get mucked up somehow.
    But Daisy didn’t seem interested in doing her business. She pulled on the leash, urging him in the direction of the dog park. Oh, what the hell. Estelle Altman would be fine. He’d ironed out all the issues, and a robot could handle the hearing. Kevin wouldn’t mind helping out.
    Once Griffin had made up his mind, he approached the dog park with relish. He’d had a great time with Daisy the night before, and he looked forward to testing out her abilities even more.
    The place wasn’t deserted this morning. A guy in jeans and a sweatshirt had brought a standard poodle to run, and a matronly woman was trying to get her cocker spaniel to play with the poodle. Neither dog seemed interested in the other.
    Considering the time of day, Griffin didn’t expect either the guy or the woman to recognize Daisy. Daisy was probably lucky if she got to the dog park by noon, so he wouldn’t have to explain why he was here instead of Lily. Not that he minded advertising his relationship with Lily, but he wasn’t quite sure what the nature of it was yet.
    He wanted to be with her. That much he knew for sure. But if someone had asked him to explain why that was, after he’d specifically decided against going out with her, he wouldn’t have been able to offer an explanation. A logical guy like Griffin found that perplexing. For the first time in recent memory, he didn’t understand his own actions.
    The connection with Daisy was far easier to understand. He’d always loved goldens, and Daisy was an exceptional example of the breed. After he opened the gate, she walked into the dog park as if she owned the place.
    Griffin unsnapped her leash, curious as to what she’d do regarding the other two dogs. Lily had said Daisy hadn’t seemed interested in playing with other dogs, so now he had a chance to witness that for himself.
    First Daisy took care of her necessary business in a small gravel area near the trash cans and the convenient dispenser of disposable bags. Griffin handled his part of the chore as Daisy pranced over toward the standard poodle.
    So much for Lily’s claim, Griffin thought as Daisy and the poodle greeted each other in the familiar head-to-tail routine.
    “Pretty dog,” said the guy in jeans.
    “Thanks.” Honesty prompted Griffin to explain. “She’s a friend’s dog.”
    “I wondered. I haven’t seen a golden around this time of