Page 2 of Revenge Brunch and Other Disasters

Coffee exploded.

Linda froze, mid-sprint toward the elevator, as lukewarm mocha splattered across her blouse, her face, and her hopes of ever being taken seriously again.

“Oh my God,” she hissed, clutching her cup like it might un-explode itself if she glared hard enough.

Opposite her stood a tall, unfairly attractive man in a navy button-down that was now wearing the coffee like it had offended him. He was holding the leash of the world’s smuggest corgi, who blinked up at her like,You were in our way.

The man looked down at his dog, then back at her. “He startled me.”

Linda blinked. “The dog startled you.”

“He’s very sudden.”

“You’re blaming a corgi for your caffeine-based assault?”

The corgi sneezed in support.

Linda took in the full image: the tailored slacks, the perfect jawline, the loose blond hair that looked effortless in that infuriating “I didn’t try but I woke up on a romance novel cover” way.

The dog wore a tie.

A tie.

She was seconds from combusting. “Why do you even have your dog?”

He grinned. “Bring Your Dog to Work Day.”

Linda made a strangled noise. “Of course it is.”

She looked up at the ceiling like it might collapse and give her an excuse to leave her body. Then muttered, mostly to herself, “You’re in league with the alarm clock, aren’t you?”

He raised an eyebrow. Of course it was perfect. The kind of eyebrow that got compliments from strangers and probably had a modeling agent. “Excuse me?”

“The clock,” she said. “It betrayed me. Now you’re here. It’s a conspiracy.”

He blinked. “I… see?”

She should have walked away. She should have shut up. Instead, she added, “You look like you’re the type who thinks Bluetooth is a personality trait.”

He laughed. Actually laughed. The corgi barked once, like it was egging him on.

Then he offered a hand. “Rhys.” Because of course he had a devastatingly handsome name like that.

She stared at it like it might bite her.

“Linda,” she said warily, not taking his hand.

“Pleasure.”

She snorted. “Doubtful.”

He grinned again. “We’ll see.”

And that was the final straw.

Linda spun on her heel, coffee-stained blouse clinging to her ribs, hair frizzing in protest, and stormed toward the elevator like she wasn’t one mild flirtation away from setting off the building’s sprinklers.

Behind her, the corgi barked again.

---