Page 21 of Falling for the Billionaire Best Man

9

DORIE

Iwoke up to the sensation of tiny paws batting at my face. Groaning, I opened one eye to see Rick perched on my pillow, his tail flicking impatiently. “What do you want?” I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep. He meowed loudly, as if to say, Feed me, woman. I sighed and sat up. My head pounded as I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

Sundays were supposed to be my day off, but my body didn’t seem to care. My internal clock was set to bakery hours, and seven a.m. was practically sleeping in for me. Still, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. My mouth was dry, my head throbbed, and I wanted to crawl back in bed and sleep for another twelve hours. Rick wound his body around my legs as I walked.

“There is food in your bowl,” I muttered. “Why do you insist on waking me up? I don’t wake your ass up and you sleep all day.”

I shuffled into the kitchen, dragging my feet like a zombie, and reached for the coffeemaker. It was ancient—a relic from my college days—but it had never failed me. I filled the reservoir with water, scooped the grounds into the filter, and pressed the button. Nothing happened. I blinked at it, pressing again, harder this time. Still nothing.

“Oh, come on,” I muttered, jabbing at the button repeatedly like it owed me money. I unplugged it and plugged it back in, giving it one last hopeful press. Silence. Not even a sputter or a whir.

I groaned, leaning against the counter and glaring at the machine as if sheer willpower could resurrect it. Rick meowed again from his perch on the kitchen table, watching me with what I could only describe as feline smugness.

“This is your fault,” I told him. “If you hadn’t woken me up, I wouldn’t have discovered this travesty.”

He blinked slowly at me, unimpressed.

“I’m not getting through this day without coffee,” I muttered. “I’ll end up in prison.”

I went to the fridge, hoping there was a can of Coke. I needed to go to the grocery store, but there had to be some kind of caffeine in the house.

Nothing.

“Come on,” I muttered.

This was my luck.

“Ugh, why did I have so much wine last night?”

I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to will the throbbing away. It wasn’t like me. I didn’t even like wine like that. But no, I had to keep sipping, keep laughing, keep pretending like I wasn’t hyper-aware of the way he was looking at me. Stupid. So stupid.

I grabbed a glass of water, chugging it in an attempt to quell the dryness in my throat, but it did nothing for the storm raging in my head.

Rick stared at me from the table, his tail swishing back and forth like he was judging every poor life choice I’d made in the last twenty-four hours. “Don’t look at me like that,” I scolded. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see how easy it was to just… let go. Just for a little while. It’s not my fault he’s handsome and I’m a woman that can appreciate a fine male specimen.”

He continued to stare at me.

“You’re not supposed to be on the table anyway,” I said. “Bad kitty.”

He couldn’t give a shit. I had figured out the hierarchy of our relationship pretty early on. He was the boss. I was the bitch that fed him in a timely matter and made sure his litter box was cleaned. I was the provider of the treats, and if I was lucky, he was the provider of the cuddles.

Only if I was lucky.

And only if he was in the mood.

“I’m going to get coffee,” I told him. “Don’t judge me. People go out to get coffee in their pajamas all the time.”

I grabbed my purse, rummaging through it for my keys, only to come up empty. My stomach dropped as the events of last night came rushing back. The wine. The mansion. Kaisen. I’d left my car—and my keys—with him.

“What have I done?” I muttered, dragging a hand over my face.

I remembered the wine but forgot the consequences of the wine. As in—no car. No car and no coffee.

This day was not going well. I needed my car. Rather, I needed coffee which meant the car was a necessity. Obviously, I could just walk. But that meant I had to get dressed and look presentable. And I honestly didn’t know if I had the energy to walk anywhere. Not until after some caffeine.

“Where’s my phone?” I asked myself.