Page 58 of Men or Paws
I stared at him, wondering what he was talking about.
Rocco studied me. “Wait—the manager told you the reason, right?”
I shook my head. “Nope. He ordered me to do it, then fired me when I wouldn’t.”
“What a jackass.” Rocco massaged his forehead. “That food was for my dog, Trixie, her last meal before I said goodbye.”
I gasped and placed my hand on my chest. “She died?”
“What? No, no, no, that would’ve been devastating,” Rocco said. “I was fostering her when I was in between movies. That was Trixie’s last meal with me before she moved to her forever home with a very nice family in San Diego. Honestly, I had no idea I would become so attached to her in such a short amount of time.”
Here I was thinking Rocco was a spoiled brat.
I was so wrong.
The food wasn’t even for him, but instead for a dog!
There he went surprising me again.
“You fostered a dog?” I said.
Rocco nodded. “Marcello had talked me into it, actually. He said the shelter was in desperate need of help and that it would be a good distraction for me after my break up with Kate, which I admit it was. Anyway, I wanted to give Trixie a nice send-off, but there weren’t many options since she was on a strict diet. So, plain chicken and vegetables was the way to go, which she loved. I also gave her a box of chew toys and a new bed to take with her. Silly, I know, but it was my way of letting her know how much I appreciated the time with her.”
That was the sweetest thing I had ever heard.
I tried to keep my eyes from tearing up, but it was no use. It started with a sniffle and before long, I lost it. All that time, I had been holding a grudge against Rocco, but I didn’t know the whole story. Talk about a waste of time and energy on my part.
I felt horrible, the way I had treated Rocco, the way I’d judged him, the way I’d thought he was the worst person in the world. The ironic part was, he was turning out to be one of the kindest men I had ever met.
Which made me want to cry even more.
I stood and turned around, not wanting Rocco to see me get emotional. I pretended to arrange something on the counter.
The sound of his chair pushing out from the table made me jump.
I could feel him there, he was right behind me.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice that—if it wasn’t for my current emotions—I’d have found super sexy.
I didn’t turn around, opting to just nod.
“Prove it,” Rocco said. “Let me see your face.”
I shook my head, as a tear slid down my cheek.
Maybe I needed to sprint to the bathroom before—
Too late.
Rocco stepped in front of me. “That doesn’t look likeokayto me.” He shook his finger. “That’s not allowed here.”
“What’s not allowed?” I could barely get the words out.
He waved his hand at my face. “That. Crying is strictly prohibited. Read the contract.”
I brushed my tears away and couldn’t help smiling just a little at his attempt to lie about the contract. “That’s ridiculous. It’s not in the contract and you know it.”
“Well, it should be.” He reached over for a fresh napkin from the holder on the table and handed it to me. “Here.”
