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I sigh. It’s pointless. “Did you clean it up, Jewel?”
Yes, I actually need to ask her this, because on more than one occasion she’s left a pile of dog crap for me to clean, claiming the task is not in her job description.
We don’t have job descriptions.
“Yes. I did,” she sniffs. “You know it’s a violation of health code not to.”
Wow. She’s finally listening to me.
“Thank you,” I say, chafing that I have to thank her at all. “You stay up here for awhile, okay?”
I head to the back of the shop, forced to navigate a gauntlet of empty cardboard boxes, the removal of which Jewel also must believe is not in her job description. I drop my things right there and noisily break them all down because I’m in a shitty passive-aggressive mood, and stagger out the back door to drop them in the recycling bin in the alley.
And who do I run into there, but Enzo, breaking down boxes himself.
“Oh. Hi.” I say.
Dammit. I so did not want to see him.
Despite my grouchiness, his face lights up. Yeah, I guess you do that for a girl who lets you do her doggy-style.
He looks around to make sure we’re alone. “Good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you when I left.”
“Nope. Not at all.”
You also didn’t wake me with a good morning text asking me how I am, nor thanking me for leaving the city last night for dinner with your family.
I turn to head back into Pawsh Pets.
“Hey, where’re you running off to?” he asks, still smiling.
Damn him. One thick, black curl hangs down his forehead, and his deep-set green eyes sparkle in the day’s sunshine.
I throw him a glance over my shoulder. “Got a lot to do,” I mumble.
I pull the door closed behind me but not before I see him still standing there, confusion splashed across his face, frozen in place like he doesn’t know what to do.
I don’t know what to do either, but I’m not doing my thinking in a stinky alley next to the cardboard recycling.
38
LIVVY
I settleinto my mess of an office and lean back in my chair. I just want a moment to catch my breath and convince myself I’m not the biggest bitch on earth because I just blew off Enzo.
But Jewel pops her head in. “Livvy? Are you busy?”
I want to scream that I’m always busy and doesn’t she fucking see that? But hey, I’m notthatbig of a bitch.
“I forgot to tell you something.” She cautiously approaches my desk, finally having picked up on my shit mood, and tosses a piece of paper in front of me. She turns and runs out.
I pull the wrinkled, dirty page in front of me. It’s a plain white piece of printer paper that someone thoughtfully sent me a message on.
Your fight is futile.
Cooperate before you are forced to.
What? Is this some sort of fucking joke?
