Page 52 of Worst in Show

“How is he with his aunts?” Micki asks. “I bet he’s annoyingly sweet and does the dishes and shit.”

I refuse to answer that. Micki hardly needs to know how on the nose that theory is.

“You should cut down on your Hallmark movie marathons,” I say instead, taking my seat again. “It was basically work. We were working.”

“Together…” she says in a sing-song voice.

“In the vicinity of one another.” I grab my seam ripper and start undoing the mess she caused. Her gaze is still on me, but I pretend not to notice.

Very slowly, she reaches across the table, puts a finger on my to-do list, and drags it back to her side.

I know what’s coming, so I brace myself.

“So, Mr. Professional’s got you stepping up your game. I see, I see.”

I lean back and rest my hands in my lap. “Is there something wrong with that? Maybe I don’t want to give our customers reason to find Happy Paws subpar.”

She smirks. “Subpar, even. Sounds like he’s made quite an impression on you.”

“Pfft. Whatever, dude. Yes, maybe Leo’s inspired me to rethink how we’re doing things and fix what’s not working. And sure, he’s not ugly, he’s surprisingly helpful sometimes, he has a good relationship with his aunts, and is this… this business genius.” Yikes, I’m trying to convince her why I’m not interested, right? “But I’ve known guys like him. They never stop working. Always want to be the best. Everything is about what’s next.”

A flashback intrudes of the phone call when Evan, my college boyfriend of two years, informed me that he’d been accepted to grad school at Harvard and would be leaving after finals. We’d been looking at apartments together as recently as the week before, but his mind was made up, his priorities clear. Long-distance relationships never work out, babe. I scratch my forehead as if that will erase his parting line. “Even if Leo wasn’t my ‘sworn enemy,’ as Jaz so aptly described him, I don’t need that energy in my life.”

A look of studied innocence comes over Micki. “Then you wouldn’t mind if I gave it a go?”

“Um…” Why would she do that? She’s on at least two dating apps and has no problem getting dates. The images of Micki and Leo together that infiltrate my mind make my neck tense up. They’re too different. A messy ending would be inevitable. Not that it’d be any of my busine—

“That’s what I thought.” Micki grabs her plate and brings it to the sink. “Don’t worry, I was only kidding.”

I want to argue with her, but I’ve run out of words. Instead, I settle for telling myself the relief I feel has to do with my good friend avoiding potential heartache. Men like Leo Salinger should come with a warning.

Which reminds me. “Hey, Jaz, I’ve got a job for you. Of the clandestine kind…”

“Finally.” She leans forward. “You need something planted on his person? An anonymous threat called in to the store?”

“What? No.” I explain what I overheard at the farm. “I want to know what it is he has to ‘handle.’ See if you can find anything out.”

“On it. And if I find the letter, I’ll bring it to you ASAP.”

Micki groans. “Come on, Jaz…”

“Again, no,” I say, more gently. “No stealing. But if you see it, maybe peek at the sender or something.”

She frowns. “You’re definitely underutilizing my potential here.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No,” Jaz says in a hurry. “I’ll do it. A girl can only inventory so many bully sticks…”

Micki has been tapping her phone some more, and now she shows me the screen. “He has a personal account, too. Maybe you’ll find some clues there.” She scrolls down the feed. “Goes way back. Damn, he fills out a suit.”

“Stop it. I don’t want to stalk him like that.” I make her put her phone away, but just then mine chimes with a notification. @caninekingbatavia has followed me, and there’s one new comment on my post:

Nice dress. Does it come in a men’s size large? ;)

“Ha!” I clasp a hand over my mouth.

“You mean stalk him like he’s stalking you?” Micki gives me a pointed look before getting up and turning to Jaz. “Come on, sis. We’ve got to go. I’m beat, and my first client is at seven thirty tomorrow.”

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