Chapter 2

      The pounding of Nick Bower’s feet against the ground and the tinkling of dog tags next to him created a monotonous sound in his head. It was the perfect rhythm to help him free his mind and think more clearly. The temperatures had dipped over the last week, and it was almost cold enough outside to decide against taking his morning run. But he couldn’t disappoint the most important girl in his life, Charlie. At least that was what he told himself. Running cleared his head and helped untangle any family or work issues and working with his father led to a lot of those. It also helped ease his guilt during his busiest season when he couldn’t be there for Charlie as much as he wanted.

      After his second lap around the park, he headed home. Charlie trotted next to him, her tongue lolling to the side.

      Nick had found the golden retriever at a dog rescue event three years ago during one of his solo runs. She’d howled for him, louder than the others in her litter, until he’d walked over. The moment he’d looked into those brown eyes, it was love at first sight.

      The duo came to an abrupt stop at the front door to Nick’s apartment building, where the doorman, Frederick, stood between the outer and inner doors rubbing his gloved hands together.

      ‘Good morning,’ Nick said, pausing to stretch his hamstrings.

      ‘Getting a little cold out,’ Frederick said, blowing air into his fists.

      ‘Not for this girl,’ Nick said, scratching Charlie’s head. She pushed her nose into his hand, demanding more love. ‘She’s the only one who matters.’

      ‘Until you find a lucky woman.’ Frederick winked.

      Nick smiled, tighter this time, and walked inside. Frederick wasn’t the only person in his life pushing for him to meet someone else. Heat clung to the sweat on his forehead. The uncomfortable change in his temperature wasn’t all from the exercise.

      As he trudged over to the elevator, thoughts of his ex, Molly, filled his mind.

      The doors opened, and he stepped inside, trying to shake her out of his head. The ‘lucky woman’ Frederick described was a myth. At least based on his most recent history. Charlie was non-negotiable in his life. Even with the sweetest dog on the planet, Molly somehow couldn’t stand the hair on her clothes and Charlie’s kisses were as horrifying to her as dunking her face in a toilet. For a while, he chose to ignore her many ultimatums. But with his work schedule taking over his life, he didn’t quite understand Molly’s real disgust until he came home to a half-empty closet and a confirmation of their breakup via text.

      It wasn’t much after nearly a year of dating. But when Molly wanted something, she went after it. Molly didn’t shy away from letting everyone know how much ‘better’ she had done lately. She had filled her newsfeeds with vacations and events with her new boyfriend.

      Eventually, Nick deleted his social media accounts to keep his head in the game and from falling through the black hole beckoning him to search through more of Molly’s pictures.

      No one had been more excited about the breakup than his dad. He didn’t appreciate distractions from work, and according to him, Nick’s girlfriends were the biggest. He’d been out on dates a few times since their breakup, but he wasn’t interested in any of the women long-term. Thirty-two was young enough to make these mistakes, and he was going to be more careful this time.

      When Nick opened the door to his apartment, Charlie pulled away from him and took off toward her water bowl. She stood by the bay windows which overlooked the city he’d lived his entire life.

      Charlie padded over to Nick with dripping jowls as he headed for the coffee maker, nudging his knee with her snout. He scratched her head and reached for the container on the counter.

      Nick scooped kibble into her bowl. He knelt, offering the perfect opportunity for a quick lick on the cheek. ‘You must be hungry, girl.’

      The scent of percolating coffee moved through the apartment and snapped Nick back to reality. Molly was five months ago. He had moved on, and he tried to forget the memories as quickly as they had appeared.

      Nick sat on the couch glancing out at the city waking up around him and sipped from the steaming mug of coffee. His phone buzzed from the table next to him – six-thirty on the dot. His dad was already at the office. Work didn’t start until eight, but his father liked to make a point of showing up before everyone. It was a mix between wanting to show off and proving that he was worthy of being the boss. Not that anyone ever challenged him.

      When Charlie finished her food, she hopped onto the couch and curled her body around herself, bumping Nick’s arm. He absently rubbed her head while admiring several of the apartment buildings across the way that had already decorated their windows and trees with twinkling colored lights.

      It was the second day of December and people were ready for Christmas. Last year, Molly had hired a company to decorate the apartment for the holiday. The fake fir tree and poinsettias didn’t bring him the Christmas spirit at all. He preferred the scents and warmth of the season surrounding him. The only time he experienced a sliver of that was at his parents’ house, or his brother David’s, around Christmas.

      Nick leaned over to grab his phone. Charlie lifted her head and plopped it down on his lap, looking for more scratches. He couldn’t help but laugh; she knew he was leaving soon and wanted to get as much time with him as possible before Mrs Wilson arrived to take Charlie to her apartment for the day.

      He scrolled through his phone until David’s name came up in his messages. The last discussion they’d had was about the timing for Thanksgiving dinner. His parents always hosted the holidays, so David scheduled his dinner later to make sure Nick wouldn’t have to choose between his parents and brother.

      The rift between his father and David had gone on too long, but their dad would never concede. When David chose to leave the company to pursue his passion, it severed the ties between their family. Well, mostly because their dad couldn’t let go of the fact that David no longer wanted to work for the family business. Nick was never going to abandon his older brother, his wife, and two nephews, but their father made every holiday more complicated than it needed to be.

      Their