Page 12 of The Fun Part
She pulls the bouquet out of the trash can under the kitchen sink. “Good thing you just emptied the trash. That would’ve beengross.” She gets a vase from the cabinet and starts filling it with water.
I clench my jaw. “Don’t you see Cal’s breaking the rules of engagement? I never would’ve hooked up with him if I’d known he’d completely ignore the boundaries we set out in the beginning. There are rules for a reason.”
“Uh-huh.”
She plucks the card from the bouquet and puts it on my head. I let it fall to the floor. Felix bats it, and it hits the baseboard by the sink. I stare at the mystery card, torn between throwing it away and reading it.
Dammit, lawyers like Cal are supposed to follow the rules, color inside the lines. I went on a date with a lawyer once, and he may have bored me to tears, but he was definitely a rule follower.
I huff. “Cal must be a terrible lawyer. I bet he defended criminals.”
“Someone has to.” She sets the flowers in the vase and arranges them a bit. They are lovely. “Also, don’t you remember he said he did corporate law, or were you too busy admiring his tall, dark, and handsome self?”
“It was fun. End of story.”
She snatches the notecard off the floor. “Methinks you doth protest too much.”
“I don’t!”His dark soulful eyes as we joined.
“Mmm-hmm.” She removes the note from the envelope, sticks it under a magnet on the fridge, and puts away the chip clips. I stare at her, refusing to read the note. She uses the lip gloss, tucks it in her purse, and then opens the bag of chocolate truffles, unwrapping one and putting it in her mouth. “Want one?” she asks around the candy.
“Not until I finish lunch. Thank you.”
“Is that a rule your mom taught you? This is our house. No rules, baby.”
I snatch a truffle from the bag.
She snorts. “So easy. Oh! Felix is licking your salad. Did you have some tuna in there?”
“Felix! No! It was leftover pork chop.”
“Looks like you need a fresh salad from the fridge.” She sounds smug. She leaves, twirling her hairbrush.
I scoop Felix off the table. “You don’t deserve tuna.” I set him on the floor, and he delicately washes his face with a paw, looking pleased with himself.
I dump the salad into the trash, my eyes catching on the bouquet in its full glory in a glass vase on the counter. Ugh, Harper was supposed to take this with her.
I pull out a fresh plate and turn to the fridge. See, this is exactly why Harper put the note here. She knew hunger would win out over moral principles. I steel myself against any sweet sentiment.
Hope we can meet up again.
Cal
I swallow hard. Maybe he meant he’s hoping for another hookup. My stomach dips, an ache of reminder of the incredible pleasure. Slow hands, endless kisses, the heat. My God, the heat.
Would it be so bad to have one more night?
I snatch the card from the fridge and drop it in the trash.
Brooks Campbell Security has a regular Monday afternoon meeting in our office in town. Our company is three equal partners—Nathan Brooks, Owen Campbell (my cousin), and me. Nathan’s name comes first because he contributed themost money to founding the company. I do the accounting, marketing, and logistics to keep everything running smoothly. Nathan and Owen work on location with our clients for high-tech security systems and cybersecurity.
Business is doing much better than this time last year. We added clients from the entertainment industry, thanks to Owen’s connections through his wife, Shayla, and Nathan’s close to a deal with the finance sector in the city. This is in addition to work we’ve already established in pharma and tech companies.
I bundle up in my hat and black down coat for the short walk to our office on Main Street. We’re in a converted apartment above Something’s Brewing Café. I left enough time to get a latte. It’s nice to get out of the house and focus on work.
I take one step onto our porch, spy Cal Davis across the street, shoveling snow for some reason, and do an about-face, practically leaping back inside. I shut the door and lean against it, my heart in my throat.Okay, deep breath.
Let’s look at this logically. Cal’s shoveling snow from the front sidewalk of the Serenity Inn. He’s either a really bad lawyer needing a side gig, or he’s helping out while living at the inn right across the street from me. Why couldn’t he stay at that nice out-of-town hotel?
