“Cut to the chase,” I grumbled. “What’s it going to take for you to go away?”
A splash of color spread across the girl’s cheeks as she gaped up at me. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Don’t play stupid. Just answer the question.”
If looks could kill, I’d have been ash. “Wow. You’re ridiculously rude,” she said.
“Yeah, well, it’s the only way people like you get the hint.”
“People. Like. Me,” she said slowly, her voice sharp. “Buddy, you picked the wrong day to be a dick. What’s your name, and what service do you work for?”
Oh, cool. She wasn’t just a stalker. She was nuts. Dane always said that the hot ones tended to be the most fucked up. I hadn’t totally agreed with him before, but now I realized he had a point.
“You may think not answering will save your job,” she snipped, “but it won’t. I’m going to tell Jen what an obnoxious asshole you are.”
My eyes followed her right hand as she reached into the left side of her bra and pulled out her cell. Just that hint of cleavage quickened my pulse. It sped up even more the second she held the phone up and snapped a photo of me. Goddammit, how stupid was I? I should’ve walked away before she had a chance.
“I didn’t say you could take a picture,” I snapped.
She scoffed and didn’t bother to look up at me as she shrugged. Her head stayed down while her thumbs flew across the keyboard. I figured she was probably typing out a goddamn tweet to let everyone and their mom know where I was.
Looking up at me, she smiled victoriously. “Too bad. Since you wouldn’t tell me your name, I just sent Jen a text with a photo of you so she’ll know exactly who not to let Duke go with in the future. You’ll never walk her dog again.”
My eyes widened as her words sank in. She’d texted a photo of me to my assistant because she thought Duke belonged to her, and she was acting like I was in danger of being fired from walking my own dog.
Holy. Shit.
Was it possible that she truly had no idea who I was?2CaseyThere had never been a time growing up when I didn’t have a dog. It was pretty much the only thing my dad put his foot down about with my mom, and the only decision she let him make without putting up too much of a fuss. He earned all the money, but she was the one who ruled the roost. Growing up in that house had been incredibly difficult. The dogs I’d grown up with had made a huge difference in my life since unlike my mother, they loved unconditionally.
Getting distance from her was the main reason I’d moved into a dorm for my freshman year of college even though I went to school six miles from home. It was telling that having a pet was the only thing I missed about living in my parents’ house. My mom continuously reminded me that I could move home, live in the lap of luxury, and have a dog whenever I wanted, but that wasn’t happening.
My parents paid for all expenses related to my education, but everything else was on me. To make ends meet, I worked a bunch of part-time jobs in order to afford the rent on a shoebox-size apartment and what felt like an unlimited supply of peanut butter, jelly, marshmallow fluff, wheat bread, and potatoes. Between my rent, car payment, car insurance, food, and utilities, I was strapped for cash. That meant I couldn’t afford extras like cable, a gym membership, manicures, home décor, cleaning supplies that came from anywhere other than the dollar store, or eating out, but I was happy, and that was what mattered. Learning to make my own laundry detergent wasn’t a bad thing either, especially when it was better for the environment.
Best of all, I was out from under my mom’s thumb, which was good since the two of us were like oil and water. I loved her because she was my mom, but I’d come to terms with the fact that our relationship was never going to be solid. How could it be with her penchant for snide comments about what a disappointment I was to her? I always felt out of place with her, and a lifetime of dealing with it told me it wouldn’t change.
She only wanted me to move home because she craved control. Other than that, she wasn’t interested in me, and I’d learned to live with it. Where I was a disappointment to her, my sister, Cindy, was the apple of her eye. The two of them were obsessed with designer labels, celebrity gossip, and keeping up with the country club crowd while I had no interest in any of that. Hell would have to freeze over before I moved home.