Page 11 of My Brother's Roommate (Frisky Business 2)
Repeat after me, Penelope. It’s just an act. It’s pretend. He’s not your boyfriend. Don’t get attached.
Maybe I should tattoo those words across my forehead, because my silly, love-deprived self is having a hard time remembering that.
Just as I step up for my turn at the waffle maker, the piercing shriek of a chair being pulled across the wooden floor snaps my attention back toward our table. It’s Spencer, tugging a chair up next to Wolfie’s and gesturing for David to do the same.
My chest squeezes in a moment of panic. Oh no. I can’t leave poor Wolfie to flounder on his own with my boss and his godawful nephew. Maybe this Belgian waffle and I just aren’t meant to be.
But just as I set my plate back on the stack and turn to rush to Wolfie’s rescue, he looks my way. Instead of shooting me dagger eyes and crying out for help, he gives me the slightest smile and a gentle nod as if to say, “I’ve got this.”
And he does. My horror turns to pleasant surprise as I watch Wolfie greet his new tablemates, scooting over to make enough room for them.
Even from a distance, I can hear Spencer blathering on and on about some article he was reading in the business section of this morning’s paper. It’s an awfully corporate conversation for the breakfast table, but Wolfie takes it all in stride, nodding along and throwing in the occasional “wow” and “oh, really?” for good measure.
The waffle maker dings and I pry it open, using my fork to scoot the sweet, buttery goodness onto my plate, then grab a fistful of syrup packets and rush over to our table.
“What’s up, Penny?” Spencer greets me, his mouth curling up in a sly smile. “You’re just in time. We’re talking about the crazy article that ran in this morning’s Tribune. You do read the business section every morning, right?”
“Of course,” I mutter under my breath as I settle into my seat next to Wolfie.
It’s not a lie. Every morning on my commute, I scroll through the Tribune website and read every business article that isn’t stuck behind a paywall. Being a good corporate consultant means staying informed of the market, so I’ve gotten used to doing a hefty amount of reading. That being said, I haven’t so much as opened my web browser yet today. I haven’t had the time.
“So I’m assuming you caught the article on that merger, right?” Spencer presses, his stupid smile feeling greasier by the second. “What do you think?”
What I think is that you’re a total asshole who is just trying to make me look dumb in front of our boss.
Before I can conjure up an answer that’s vague enough to sound convincing, Wolfie interjects with a grunt of disapproval, slowly shaking his head. “Don’t even get her started. She spent all morning talking about the announcement that your two major competitors are merging. I don’t want to hear any more.”
It takes me a full five seconds to realize what he’s doing, but then he shoots me that look again. The I’ve got this look.
Holy shit, Wolfie is totally saving my ass right now.
And why is that hot as hell?
“Sorry, honey.” I play along, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to bore you with so much corporate talk first thing in the morning.”
“I’m used to it.” He lifts a heaping spoonful of oatmeal to his lips before adding, “This woman would talk about work twenty-four/seven if I let her.”
David gives the two of us a nod of approval. I shift my attention back to cutting up my Belgian waffle, trying to figure out what I did to deserve such a remarkable save on Wolfie’s part.
As always, Spencer takes the moment of silence as an opportunity to run his mouth, going on and on about his personal thoughts on the merger. I swear he says the same thing ten times in different words, but at least I won’t have to read the article now. He’s more than summarized it for me.
Once my coworker’s rambling slows to a halt, Wolfie pushes his now empty oatmeal bowl to the side and plants his forearms on the table, leaning into the conversation. “Did you read the follow-up article about how they’ll be laying off half the staff as a result?”
Spencer scoffs. “Of course I did.”
“What were your thoughts on the salary increase for the CEO that they talked about?”
Spencer rolls his eyes, coolly rattling off something about how it’s important to pay our leaders what they’re worth, but I only catch every other word. I’m too focused on the devilish smile pulling at Wolfie’s lips, the tiny glimmer of wicked satisfaction dancing in his stormy eyes.
“Interesting perspective.” Wolfie nods slowly as he tents his fingers. “Especially considering there was no follow-up article.”
