Page 11 of Puppy Love

Yet, somewhere between feeling her tongue against mine and her barging out the bathroom door, I seemed to have made a mistake. What that mistake was, I have no idea. But now, I have to admit that it doesn’t feel like a mistake at all. It feels like divine intervention.

I mean, if things had gone further…

“Well,” Adrian says, locking their fingers between Cam’s. “Cam has a lot to do today, so I’m gonna go get her set up in the salon.”

I nod, stepping to the side and giving them both a smile. “Of course!” I say and then wince at how high-pitched my voice comes out. I clear my throat. “Let me know if you need anything.”

I have a feeling that Cam will, in fact, not be letting me know.

I pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingers and take a slow deep breath to force my body to calm down. Normally, I wouldn’t think this was a big deal. Even though I might be slightly humiliated about running off one of the most jaw-dropping women I have ever seen, I can easily move past the awkwardness of things.

What I can’t move past is the idea that both of our jobs are at risk if Angela finds out.

I’m so busy scouring the lobby for my misplaced coffee that when a loud melody fills the air around me, for a moment, I don’t even realize it’s my phone.

I pull it out of my pocket, and my stomach sinks when I read the name across the screen. Speak of the devil.

“Hello?” I say, pressing the cold glass screen to my ear. Where the fuck is my coffee?

“Hi, Violet. It’s Angela.”

Angela always makes phone calls and sends text messages like the option to program the contact into your phone hasn’t been invented yet. She also tends to speak so loudly that it sounds like she’s always on speakerphone. I tighten my vocal cords to force an excited and surprised tone, even though I am neither excited nor surprised about this phone call.

“Hi Angela! How’s Thailand?”

The great thing about owning a highly profitable business instead of managing it is that you can always be on a cruise somewhere instead of working.

“It’s fantastic!” Angela says, her voice nasally and tight. “I’m calling about the text you sent me.”

The great thing about texts is that you can just send one back.

“Yes?”

“You want to hire an assistant manager?”

Her tone remains unpleasant but is now mixed with dissatisfaction.

I expected this. Yesterday, I sent Angela a text asking if I could promote one of our supervisors to assistant manager. Between making the schedule, working fifty-hour weeks (or more), handling upset customers, sick employees, injured dogs, and rotating staff, I’m starting to be stretched too thin.

Actually, I’ve always been stretched too thin at this job. This is just the first time I’ve stood my ground, demanding help. And for good reason. Despite the generous profit Furry Friends Pet Resort makes (I would know, I handle the communications with her accountant), Angela does not particularly like to fork out extra money. Every dollar is a dollar less she can spend on her next trip around the world.

“Yes,” I say. I don’t yet elaborate because I know I will just get cut off. I wait for her to snap or yell.

Typically, when I mention anything that involves spending extra money, that’s what happens. My eyes scan the office one last time and I finally locate the white paper cup sitting on the front desk next to Martha, our receptionist. I grab it quickly and wave at her before ducking into the back of the facility. Martha loves to eavesdrop.

“And where is that money going to come from?”

Her condescending tone is a step up from the irate screaming I received when I asked if we could purchase new cots. I clear my throat.

“Well, I was thinking… Cam—” The name gets stuck in my throat, and I take a heavy swig of my coffee to wash it down. “The new dog groomer starts today, and she and Avery agreed on a 1099. So, she’s paying us salon rent. I figured we could use that money to increase Avery’s wage.”

“Avery?”

I try not to make my sigh audible. I told her all of this. Four times.

“Yes. I think he’s right for the job. He’s already a supervisor, so he knows the ins and outs of everything. It wouldn’t be a drastic change for him or the team, and the customers love him.”

Angela’s silence forces me to hold my breath and brace myself for whatever she’s going to say next. Avery is by far the best employee we have, but Angela isn’t a fan. She’s only met him once, and she wanted me to fire him immediately after they spoke. Avery is reserved and comes off kind of aloof if you don’t know him. But his understanding and genuine love for the dogs makes customers happier than other employees’ peppy personalities. I had to show her the twenty-seven five-star reviews we’ve received specifically mentioning his name to cool her down.

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