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She told herself she was only eating it because she was hungry.

Not because Noah was thoughtful or helpful.

Because that would mean considering that maybe, just maybe, she didn’t hate the idea of having somebody around.

And that was not something Claire Bennett was willing to consider.

CHAPTER 3

Biscuit

Claire overslept again. She also had yet to figure out how to use her espresso machine, but thankfully, her building had a coffee shop downstairs. Something she apparently failed to notice the previous morning.

She also had finally gotten groceries.

Things were looking up.

She was currently standing in the apartment’s lobby in a silk blouse, blazer half-on, bag falling off her shoulder, and trying to balance an iced coffee. She repositioned her laptop bag on her shoulder and took a sip of her coffee.

It was even better than the coffee shop she visited the day before. And it was in her building. How convenient.

“Thank the Lord it’s good,” she muttered. She couldn’t handle bad coffee in her current state.

Suddenly, the door to the building opened. She looked up to see Noah enter. A dog entered with him, and she noticed the leash in his hand.

Great. Of course he had a dog. A cute dog too.

Were they determined to make this harder for her?

Noah had the same calm expression and same ridiculous ease as he had any other time she had seen him. The golden retriever looked like it had decided Claire was its new best friend, instantly running to her and trying to sniff her coffee.

“No,” she said immediately.

Noah blinked. “Good morning to you too?” he said in a questioning tone.

“You cannot have a dog,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“I do have a dog.”

“That is not the point.”

The dog chose that moment to sit directly in front of her. Claire stared down at it. The dog stared back.

Noah cleared his throat. “He likes you.”

“I don’t like him.”

The dog leaned forward and gently nudged her leg. Claire’s resolve weakened by approximately 4%. She blamed the eyes.

“What is his name?” she asked against her will.

Noah smiled slightly. “Biscuit.”

She paused. “That’s illegal. You cannot have a dog, and he cannot be named Biscuit. This isn’t happening.”

Noah just laughed. “I didn’t name him.”

“Who did?”