Page 12 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
“I fogot you prefer humans to animals.” She was often evasive around people’s pets. “And how much you hate the zoo.”
She glanced up from her reading. “You hate the zoo too.”
“That’s because I don’t like to see animals in cages.” Still, I knew that wasn’t exactly fair. “Intellectually, I know great zoos do lots of conservation work, take excellent care of the animals, and create habitats where they thrive. I’m just irrationally uncomfortable with thecaged and on displayaspect of zoos in general.”
She shot me a wry look. “I wonder why that is?”
“Come on. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
“Not with you it isn’t.” She waggled her eyebrows. “And I’m not an animal person per se, but I like other people’s dogs. So tell me about this guy?”
“Oh my God, he’s so hot. He’s like a foot taller than me and all rugged and outdoorsy.”
“Just your type,” she said dryly.
“I like outdoorsy men.”
“Tell me. How old is this one?”
I hid behind my wine. “What does it matter? So I like older men.”
“On the scale of say, your father to Keith Richardson—”
“Shut up. I don’t know how old he is. He had all his hair, and it didn’t seem to be going gray.” I had noticed other things too. He had laugh lines around the shocking sky blue of his intact eye. He had a long, straight nose. He had a kind of weathered cowboy look as though he’d spent a lot of time in the sun. And when he looked at Hades and Persephone his expression was so kind.
If he looked at me like that, my knees would buckle.
“He’s younger than Dad,” I admitted. “He kind of reminded me of him, actually. He was super protective of Hades and Persephone.”
“Are those the wolfdogs’ names?”
I burst with laughter. “When I asked him if he wanted to go to St. Nacho’s for dinner, he said he couldn’t leave the gods of the underworld unattended.”
“You asked him out?” She batted me with a throw pillow. “Get out. Already? Bast! How hot is this guy?”
“It’s not like that.” My face heated. “He’s nice. I told him I lived here, and if he wanted anything in St. Nacho’s, I’d show him around after the shoot tomorrow. Dinner was kind of an afterthought.”
“Are you going?”
“Well, like I said, he can’t leave the gods unattended. Since God is dog backward, that’s kind of funny, isn’t it?”
“It’s too bad he can’t go out. Sounds like you enjoyed his company.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’m bringing takeout over to his RV tomorrow. Unless shooting goes way over. Can you help me figure out what I should bring?”
“I’ve got the list of restaurants around here. Or Charles could arrange something for you.”
My dad’s PA, Charles, was fantastic. “I don’t know. I’d hate to bother him.”
“I left a message with Charles that we need to talk to Alastair about your mom. When he calls back, I’ll ask. Whatever he says, I’ll make sure you have a nice dinner to take over.”
“Do you think it was weird? Me asking him to have dinner with me?”
“Depends on how you asked, I guess. Did you leer and call him Daddy?”
“I did not!” I threw the pillow back because…eww. “I just said I’d show him around town if he wanted.”
“So he won’t think it’s a date?”
