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“Thanks for that,” I mutter as I kick Belle in the shin.
Her retaliation is swift as she shoves me off the edge of her desk before reaching down to rub at her leg. We glare at each other for a minute, and then Bosco waddles over and licks my face, sufficiently distracting me.
“That’s disgusting, he was literally just licking his balls,” Snow says as she stalks past me.
“Damn it, Bosco, we’ve talked about this. Do I have to get the cone of shame out again?” I chide my dog, and he seems appropriately admonished, plopping flat on the ground beside me with a pathetic whine.
I climb to my feet then head for the break room to give my face a good scrub.
When I come back out to the pit where everyone’s desks except Dad’s are, all four of my sisters are huddled around Belle, whispering. If they were talking about a case, they wouldn’t be being secretive, which means they’re talking about me.
I stop behind them and clear my throat as loudly and dramatically as I can.
“Go away, we’re talking about you, not to you,” Snow says.
Meg slaps her up the back of the head, and Snow turns her killer glare on Meg who meets it with one of her own.
I roll my eyes. “Well, can you not? Especially when I’m in the damn building. At least have the decency to do it when I’m not around.”
Ariel takes a step toward me. “It’s nothing bad, don’t worry.”
“Whatever, as soon as Val arrives, we’ve got a lead I want to check out. You lot can carry on then.”
* * *
My lead yesterdayturned out to be a wild goose chase. Shocker.
I’m tired and frustrated this afternoon, which accounts for my foul mood when I get home and flop on top of my bed. My cell chimes with a text notification, but it’s probably just Meg checking up on me, so I ignore it.
I need cheesecake. Or doughnuts. Either one will suffice. Or both. Yes, both would be better. Oh, and cupcakes. You can’t be sad when you’re holding a cupcake. It’s a rule.
Rolling off my bed, I trudge out to the kitchen to raid the fridge for sweets and come up with a quarter slice of chocolate cheesecake. My two favorite things: chocolate and cheesecake. I take it and a fork back to my room then pick up my cell to check the message.
UNKNOWN: Hey Kida, Arlo here… the guy who still wants to take you out for a coffee. But until you’re comfortable enough to do that, I thought maybe we could get to know each other like this? Would that be okay with you?
I stare down at my cell screen. This is a joke, right? How can he still be interested? Gnawing on the edge of my bottom lip, I contemplate my answer. If I say ‘okay, let’s chat’, it could go really well, and I may even get to the stage where I don’t feel so incredibly nervous around him that I simultaneously want to run away and climb him like a tree. But on the other hand, I could scare him away with my lack of brain-to-mouth filter and general quirkiness. In which case I’d probably be devastated because I’m already solidly crushing on this guy, and I have a feeling if I get to know him I’ll like him even more.
This decision needs cake, so I toss my cell onto my bed then crawl up and settle on the middle of the mattress, legs crossed, a box of heaven in my lap. I don’t waste time digging in, savoring the chocolaty goodness, which reminds of Arlo’s eyes. They made me think of chocolate the first time I saw them.
A dreamy sigh slips past my lips as my mind turns to him and his pretty face.
Maybe it’s time I did something for me that isn’t about work and proving myself to my family.
Something completely separate.
Something like… Arlo.
I waitfive minutes for Kida to text me back. Five agonizingly long minutes.
To distract myself, I shuffle through my stack of books and sort through them until I land on one that piques my interest. A chick becomes her nephew’s guardian when he’s eight and she’s only eighteen who, years later, goes on to fall in love with her nephew’s bestie… I could be into an older woman.
Settling into my plush couch, I open the book and start reading, but my phone dings, startling me, and I swipe it off the coffee table hoping it’s Kida.
It’s not.
EMORY: Are you telling me you’re into some really weird porn? In which case, good for you. But maybe text someone else about it next time. Or if you’re telling me youreadalien porn, then I am here for it. What was it called? Bet I’ve already read it.
I chuckle as my fingers fly across the screen.
