“I don’t know.” I peered into my fridge. “Chicken and green beans or lasagna.”
“Lasagna. Definitely lasagna.” I could practically hear him salivating through the phone.
I laughed. “Yeah. You and my stomach most certainly agree.”
“See? You should listen to me… I know what you want.” His seductive tone hinted at knowing about more than just my stomach, but I shook away the thought. “I wish I were there. For the lasagna,” he added.
It was on the tip of my tongue to agree, but then someone called for him in the background. “Cujo,” they said, using the name I’d discovered was his call sign. “Katie’s here.”
Who the heck was Katie? His girlfriend?
Oh god.I covered my face with my hands, grateful he couldn’t see me. In a split second, I’d gone from feeling like I knew everything about him to nothing at all. And it was a good reminder that he had a life I didn’t know about, friends I’d never met, and perhaps even a girlfriend.
When Connor spoke again, his tone completely different from the earlier flirty, teasing one I’d come to expect from him. “Hey. Can I call you back?”
“Oh, um, sure.” I frowned at the phone on the counter. “Talk to you later.”
He said a clipped goodbye, and I continued to stare at the phone even after the line went dead. All this time, I’d assumed he was single. I’d assumed he was flirting with me, interested in me. And now, I was just sick to my stomach.
I sank down on the chair, stroking Luna absentmindedly when she jumped up on my lap. Had I read the situation all wrong? I hadn’t thought so. I mean, even Alyssa had been convinced Connor was into me, flirting with me. And she had a lot more experience with dating and relationships than I did.
I was about to call her to ask for advice when my doorbell rang. I jolted, shaking my head to clear it as I walked over to answer the door. I glanced through the peephole and saw my dad standing on the doorstep.
I forced a smile as I swung open the door. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, sweetie.” He frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I brushed some hair away from my face. “Yeah. Of course.”
“I missed my favorite girl and was hoping to surprise you with dinner.” He held up a takeout bag.
I stepped aside, allowing him to enter. “Come on in.”
Luna darted toward my bedroom as he set the bags on the table. Typical. She rarely liked guests. She barely seemed to tolerate me half the time.
“So…how were the Maldives?” He’d recently returned from a photo shoot, though he’d sent me a few pictures during his trip.
“Gorgeous, as always. Exhausting.” He grinned, showing me the side of Harrison Hayes no one else saw.
“What’s new with you?” he asked when we sat down to eat.
I lifted a shoulder. “Not much. Just busy with work.”
He nodded, taking a bite of his dinner. “How’s your mother?”
“You know—same old, same old,” I said. “Parading around town with her latest boy toy.”
“Typical.” He flashed me a wry grin.
“Yeah.” I stared at my plate, pushing the food around.
“No new boy toy for you?”
“Dad!” My eyes were wide when I glanced up at him.
“What?” He shrugged. “You’re beautiful, young. Surely you have a number of interested suitors.”
“Suitors?” I teased. “What is this—the nineteenth century?”
