Page 2 of Evil Hearts

NotConnor.

Hot guy from Pampered Paws.

Uh oh.

He tilted his head curiously at the sight of her, a move that reminded her of puppies around high-pitched noises. She’d have smirked if she wasn’t full-on panicking.

That smirk wouldn’t have lasted long, not with the way his own confusion took on a dark sort of glee. Great. She’d forever be the Pampered Paws Pummeler. Outed as a rookie before she’d even have a chance to speak.

“Well, hello again. Connor had a last-minute family emergency, told me to tell you. He said you were…” The man picked up a smartphone from the counter, raising a brow at her. “...coming over from a private client training session? So was that before or after you were beating the hell out of that defenseless treat bag?”

Her throat went dry again, caught like a puppy who’d snuck a fresh cooked steak off the counter. He was teasing her. It had to be just as innocent as that, but she refused to back down. She needed this job, and all the embarrassment in the world wouldn’t fix her unemployment status.

“I just replaced that bag, and… figured it helps the dogs feel a little more comfortable when it doesn’t have that brand-new plastic smell.In my experience, you know.” She tried to offerthe weak explanation with an air of certainty, rather than the paralyzing fear that she’d fucked this up before it even started. She was usually better on her feet, except for the wholemale model hot guy witnessing her moment of desperationthing.

Another yap from the husky in the back had not-Connor turning to look back with a laugh. The way that laugh stretched across his face—if she thought he was beautiful before, his genuine smile was absolutely transformative. It was like he and the dog had an inside joke.

“So you’re interviewing me…?” she pressed again, turning the statement into a prompt for his name.

Don’t show fear, dogs can smell it. The man behind the counter might not have been a dog, but according to the staggering amount of online videos she’d studied, it was the first thing they taught new trainers: don’t show fear.

“Fenn,” he offered, catching on, a smile playing at the edge of his mouth.

“Like the dog??” She blurted, thoughtlessly.

His head cocked again, a suspicious look crossing that beautiful face. “Connor didn’t say you’ve met before. Or that you’d been to the Academy.”

“Oh, I…”Shit, Addison, think.“My client had tried out the Academy before your last one-on-one trainer left. She told me how watching Connor with Fenn was the reason she signed up.”

He grinned—an honest grin—practicallypreening, as if the compliment was for him. Yes, this was good. She was saying all the right things.Go Addison!

“But, um, shereallyliked the one-on-one training, so after that, she switched to private. You guys are definitely missing out on a good revenue source not having that position filled.”

Fenn nodded, seemingly at war with himself over maintaining his professionalism and recovering from the compliment-that-wasn’t-to-him.

“So is the dog named after you?” Addison asked, eager to push past her slip up.

Fenn and Connor must be really close. Getting in good with the hunk would set her up for this job, without a doubt.

“Mm,” was all he offered in response. “Well, would you like to meet him? Since your resume mentioned you specialize in one-on-one, maybe take him out for a session in lieu of an interview?”

“Like right now?” she asked. This was both better and worse than she’d ever expected. Everything was going so smoothly.

Well, everything except for the fact she really had no experience whatsoever, not unless you counted the computer. Deep down, she knew that internet research and educational videos only went so far, which was part of the reason one-on-one appealed to her so much: no huge audience for mistakes. The trainers in those videos made it look so easy, and she loved dogs, so how hard could it be, really? Plus, thanks to her morepersonalhobbies, issuing commands was something of a second nature. Shehadthis.

“I have a business call in a few minutes, so it’ll have to be later. We’re pretty short-staffed, as you can see, and I’m juggling all of Connor’s responsibilities on top of my own. Plus, I don’t want the other dogs distracting you—especially if you’re more used to one-on-ones.” A strange hint of anxiety tinted his words, but he rushed forward before she could examine it. “So it’ll have to be at night.”

“Oh,” she answered, mulling that over.

The Academy was at the edge of town, right next to Happenstance Park. She knew better than to go wandering in those woods alone. But they’d be inside the gated confines of the school, which seemed reasonably safe, and she needed this job. Between Fenn-the-human and Fenn-the-dog, she’d have plenty of protection from any creeps. A glance up at the various securitycameras hovering in corners offered further reassurance that she’d be safe withthemas well.

She eyed him up, determining if he was just as much of a puppy dog as the canine who shared his name. “So it’ll be just you, me, and Fenn?”

He let out a soft laugh at her question, a joke that clearly went over her head. This guy sure had a lot of inside jokes.

“Well, you and the dog, more accurately. Like I said, we’re on a skeleton crew of one at the moment.” Fenn bumped a thumb against his chest. “But judging from your resume, you can handle him, and I’ll be able to tell from his behavior how things went.”

Her brown eyes shot up to meet his hazel ones, magnetic in their intensity. “From hisbehavior?”

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