Page 41 of Frat House Fling

Bennett huffed out an irritated breath of air and gathered up his papers. “So wonderful spending breakfast with you, Hailey. Let’s hope dinner has less drama.”

He left, and Grant followed without a backwards glance toward me.

I hugged the robe to my chest and let the tears fall.

I was late to class and gave Professor Whitmore an apologetic nod as I found a seat. It was good to be out of that house. Here, no one knew that I was a maid. And no one knew how I’d been treated today.

By the end of the two-hour class, I’d calmed down enough to actually take notes. I’d have to re-read the chapter later tonight to see what I missed.

Ten minutes later, I opened the door to the only being in the world who could cheer me up right now—Sunny. The golden retriever danced around excitedly, as if it had been twenty-four days instead of twenty-four hours since she’d seen me.

“Good girl,” I crooned, bending down to give her a hug. But she was too excited for that. She jumped around so I set down my book bag and fastened her leash.

Out on the sidewalk, we wove around students and past a little bistro with outdoor seating. I usually walked her up to the coffee shop on the corner and then back again.

And then it happened. A little gray squirrel darted across the street, narrowly avoiding a car, and crossed the sidewalk practically at Sunny’s feet. It scampered down the sidewalk and the leash was yanked from my hand.

“Sunny!” I shouted, giving chase immediately. She was already well ahead of me, the leash dangling on the ground as she ran. The squirrel was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t stop the dog.

My calls grew louder as she pulled ahead. The intersection up ahead was a fairly busy one, and my heart pounded at the thought of her dashing across it. She might not be as lucky as the squirrel.

Students and townspeople alike gaped at the running dog and me chasing after her. No one bothered to help—until someone did.

A man exited the coffee shop, looked down the sidewalk, and did a double take. He stepped forward, waited a beat, and then bent down to grab Sunny’s leash. Two young women stepped on the sidewalk in front of me, so I briefly lost sight of them. I was completely out of breath and sweat covered my forehead as I caught up.

“Thank you—” I panted, brushing my hair out of my eyes. “If you hadn’t—” I stopped short at the familiar smile.

It was Theo.

13

THEO

“Who’s your friend?”I asked as I handed over the leash. The dog looked up at Hailey with unapologetic eyes, not knowing the panic he had caused her.

“Sunny,” she finally managed. Her face was red, and her hair was windswept. And neither of those things detracted from how gorgeous she was.

To give her a few more seconds to gather herself, I bent down to pat the dog. “Sunny, how could you do that to Hailey? You scared her to death.”

The dog held still for all of three seconds while I petted him, but then his attention turned to the other people on the sidewalk.

“Are you going to be a good boy for Hailey?” I asked.

“She’s a girl,” Hailey said, her voice sounding calmer. “And no, she’s probably not.”

Hailey tugged at the leash, and I fell in step with her as we walked back the way she’d come.

“So is this one of your many jobs? Dog walking-slash-chasing?”

She nodded as she kept a tight grip on the leash. “Pet sitting, yes. I also take care of a few cats and even a parrot when their owners are away.”

“That’s quite the mix. And I bet they’re all easier to deal with than the men of Rho Kappa Alpha.”

She laughed, shooting me a quick smile. “You could say that again.” Then her smile faded, and a shadow crossed her face.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Her answer was too quick. “I just don’t want Sunny to get away again.”

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