Page 68 of Worst in Show

Honest or not, I am looking at Leo’s face. I feel like I haven’t looked at it in forever. The way it animates when he laughs, that thing he does with his eyebrows when he listens, the curve of his lips.

“We can add a few chairs,” Jaz says, seemingly having forgotten that he’s not supposed to know that I know her.

What? “No, I’m not sure that’s a…” But she’s already halfway across the room when I finish my sentence. “… good idea.”

And now they’re talking. She’s shaking Leo’s companions’ hands. They’re looking at me. I smile and wave. There’s something tentative in Leo’s movements as he lifts his hand in response, but then he nods at whatever Jaz is saying, and they all head our way. By the time he reaches us, he’s his regular, confident self.

“So you guys know each other?” he asks in greeting. “And your hair is blond, Jaz.”

Jaz’s face falls. “Shit. Sorry, Cora. I wasn’t thinking.”

“She’s my sister,” Micki volunteers. “Ta-da!”

“Really?” He cuts a glance from Micki to me. “Should I be concerned at this little undercover operation?”

I smile sweetly. “Depends. Do you have a bunch of skeletons in your closet I’ll be able to use against you?”

“You wish.” He grins, and I turn the proverbial page to the next chapter.

Finally.

“Cora, this is my brother, Bennett, and his wife, Courtney.” There are handshakes all around, more introductions, and a scramble to find more chairs for our table. We commandeer two, but a third one is not in the cards.

“That’s okay, you squeeze in next to Cora on the bench,” Micki says to Leo.

“You sure?” He looks to me.

Micki nudges my arm. “Come on, make room.”

What choice do I have?

Once we’re all seated, Bennett orders another round of drinks and appetizers for the table. If I understand him right, this is a rare night off for him and his wife. The kids are with the aunts, and they’re all staying the night there to take part in the festivities tomorrow. I only pick up snippets of the conversation after that—I’m too distracted by Leo pressed up against my side. Every time he goes to take a drink, his arm brushes mine. When he laughs, it reverberates from his muscular thigh, up my hip, and through my core and chest. The warmth from his body becomes my warmth.

The truth dawns on me halfway through Courtney’s story about some trip they went on last year to Sweden or Switzerland or someplace like that: I’ve missed seeing him this week.

“You okay?” Leo asks, his voice a murmur beneath the din of the room. “You’re quiet tonight.”

I have another sip of my beer before I turn to look at him. He’s so close that I see the dark blue star closest to his pupil. His lips part, and I look away.

“I’m good. I’d forgotten your brother was visiting.”

Another silence stretches between us. I smile and nod to something Bennett says without knowing what it was. My skin tingles, hyperaware of only Leo. His movements. His breathing. Does he want more space? Should I move closer to Micki? I fold my arms tightly, clasping one hand in the other.

“What do you do, Cora?” Courtney asks suddenly. Everyone turns to me.

“Um, I…” I reach for my beer but change my mind before picking it up.

Leo’s knee presses into mine. It’s subtle, but I’m not imagining it. I’m here, it says. Relax. Little does he know his body heat is the main reason I’m strung this tightly. At least that last move serves as confirmation that he doesn’t mind my proximity.

Finding my nerve, I flex my leg his way in return and take a deep breath, relishing the full-femoral contact. “I run a small pet shop,” I say.

“How quaint.”

“Or it’s my grandpa’s, but he’s recovering from a broken hip at the moment. Usually I’m more of a helper, but right now it’s just me.”

“Ah.” Courtney turns and flags down a server, having already lost interest. Maybe that’s what happens when you’ve married into the Canine King conglomerate.

I bite down on the inside of my cheek. “What about you?” I ask. She doesn’t hear me.

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