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“And if she agrees, you better make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble. I know how those people can be.”
“Any trouble she gets into will be of her own accord.”
“Flynn.”
“What?! Stella’s a free spirit. Isn’t that in her Instagram bio? Stella’s gonna do what Stella is gonna do.”
Colin hums. He knows I have a point there. “And you’ll be a perfect gentleman the whole time.”
“When haven’t I been?”
Colin lowers his chin, eyes nearly rolling back all the way into his head. “I’d like to inform you that every time you think you’ve gotten away with a quickie at the office, you haven’t.”
I open my mouth to respond, but I have nothing to say.
“I need you to be a gentleman for real this time, Flynn.” Colin holds his hand out across the table. “Shake on it.”
I grab his hand and shake firmly. “You have no reason to worry, Colin.”
He pulls his napkin off his lap, bunches it up, and throws it down on the table before getting up. “Oh, I know I don’t. There’s a ninety percent chance that Stella tells you to ‘fuck off’ before you even get your question out,” he says with a laugh. “Meet me in the garage at four pm sharp.”
“Today?”
“Yes, Flynn. You’re going to ask my sister to be your fake girlfriend today,” Colin says, nearly gagging on the words. Then, he walks off without another word, leaving me to clean up our trays.
Now, how the hell am I going to get Stella Banks to come on a two-week vacation with me as my fake girlfriend when I know she hates my guts?
I’ve got until four to figure it out.
Chapter 4
Stella
Iamhappilyhelpingthe three new puppies, currently named Snap, Crackle, and Pop, nurse on baby bottles jerry-rigged into a milk crate. It’s positioned on a slant so they can sit their little butts down and let gravity do the work of getting the milk into their little bellies.
The gray one that went home with Maurice isstayinghome with Maurice, thank goodness. Rita took such a shine to the little guy, as did the three other rescues they already have at home. One puppy down, three to go. Hoping to have these little guys in homes by the end of the week.
Then, there’s sweet Freckles. She’s graying around the snout and seems to keep mostly to herself, still mourning the loss of her owner. It breaks my heart to see her. The only time she’s eager for pets is when I have handfuls of treats. I’m already foreseeing a future where she’s stuck here six months down the line. We give them all the love we can, but every animal deserves to live their last days in a happy home, not here at the shelter.
It’s the thick of the afternoon, but there’s a nice breeze in the air which makes sitting outside with the dogs extremely pleasant. Some of them are roaming around, others have found a patch of sun in which to take a nap, and others are playing with some of the volunteers.
Snap gets confused and starts pushing his sister Crackle off of her bottle. I have to pick up his wiggly body and readjust. “There you go, Snap. Let your sister eat in peace.”
Typical boy.
“Jeez, that’s a lot of dogs.”
My body goes rigid at the sound of his voice. Godthat voice. Flynn Madden. The embodiment of devil’s advocate, aka the worst kind of person. The only reason I’ve ever put up with him is because he’s been my brother’s best friend since their very first day of college.
What the hell is that voice doing here?
I whip around and see Flynn and Colin standing on the patio overlooking the yard where all the animals are frolicking. Some dogs have already noticed them and are tromping up for pets and scratches. Colin is happy to give them. Flynn, on the other hand, is flustered. Someone must have let them through because they recognized Colin.
“Can I help you?” I call out with a bewildered expression.
“There she is,” Colin says. His expression looks rather grim. I can’t imagine what kind of news he’s delivering or what he might need from me with an expression like that. He forces a smile as he leads Flynn over to me. “Hey, sis.”
I’m about to reply, but we’re interrupted when Flynn groans. He picks up his foot, dog shit plastered to the bottom of his leather shoe. I laugh loudly. “Gotta be careful where you step around here!”
