Page 107 of Puppy Love

“Heading out?” Violet asks, poking her head through the salon door. I nod, shooting her a crafty smile.

“I finished early, and…” I pat the pocket of my jacket where her name is hidden. “Well, let’s just say I have some shopping to do.”

Violet grins, nodding.

“Yeah, me too. Who’d you get?” She juts her chin out as she asks the question, and a frown takes over my face.

“It’s supposed to be a secret,” I say, crossing my arms.

Violet shrugs. “Sorry, sorry. I forgot what a rule follower you are sometimes.”

I roll my eyes.

“Do you want to know who I got?” Violet wiggles her eyebrows, and I push past her, out of the salon.

“No,” I say. “I do not.”

I already know she got Brooke because she told Adrian, and Adrian told me. I also know Adrian got Martha, and Malcolm got Avery. But Violet doesn’t need to know any of that.

“Okay, okay,” she says, putting her hands up. “It’s slick out there. Is Hayden picking you up?”

As much as I love Luigi, even with snow tires, winter isn’t his strong suit. But that wouldn’t prevent me from driving him, if only he would start. The temperatures have reached below ten degrees today, so when I tried to turn on the engine this morning, he pretty much flipped me the bird.

“Yeah,” I say, looking down at my phone. A notification glows with his name, and I look back up at Violet. “He’s here. See you later?”

Violet and I don’t say “see you later.” We just always assume we will. So I don’t know why I asked it, like I was scared for some reason I wouldn’t.

“Yeah, Cam.” She smiles. “See you later.”

“What’s with your face?” Hayden asks as I slide into his heated passenger seat. I frown.

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing. You’re beautiful as always, I just mean…” He gestures to me. “You’re looking… upset?”

What Hayden means by “upset” is that there are purple half-moons under my eyes, my unplucked brows are growing a forest between them, and I’m dressed like Kenny from South Park. It’s been hard to sleep this past week. Harder than usual, ever since Violet fell asleep next to me that night. The soft hum of her breath, the warm contact of her skin. How when I roll over, she follows, her arms glued to my waist. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sleep again without her. Actually, because of the contract, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sleep again at all.

I’m beginning to hate those rules, but I know they’re there for good reason.

“I’m fine,” I say without meaning. “I just...” I pull out the little white paper and plop it into Hayden’s hand. “I got Violet for Secret Santa.”

Hayden raises an eyebrow at me, a subtle smile tugging on his lips.

“Okay,” he says, setting the slip of paper in his empty cup holder. “But why is that upsetting?”

I huff.

“Because,” I say, as if it’s obvious. “That’s like…against the contract.”

“You really put that in there? No gift-giving?”

I swallow.

“Well, no. I put it in there that things have to remain platonic.”

Hayden’s brows furrow.

“How is gift-giving not platonic? You give me gifts, and we’re not—”

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