Page 46 of Billionaire's Second Chance

Although my talk with Lily didn't change anything, the cloud of guilt lifted from the top of my head. The truth was out, and it was now in Lily's hands. I had one less skeleton to worry about.

The drive to my apartment felt longer than usual, with the thick LA traffic dragging on mile after mile. Exhausted and heavy-hearted, I parked the car a few blocks away and strolled to my building, admiring the crisp air of this June afternoon. I never took long walks back in Georgia. The scorching heat used to fry my brain into mush, leaving me dull and uninterested in anything but a cold shower and a book under a blowing AC unit.

My thoughts of Georgia suddenly evaporated as I approached the main entrance and witnessed a man dressed in an impeccable suit, carrying the cutest husky puppy, a leash hanging from its neck.

The man smiled when he saw me and petted the dog’s coat.

“Cute puppy,” I smiled and furrowed my brows. "Do you live here?"

“No, Ma'am,” he replied politely. "Are you Ms. Ava Sage?"

I took a step back, perplexed by this awkward stranger's knowledge of my name.

Without any further questions, he handed me a note. "From Mr. Damon Alexander."

I stared at him for a moment, then my hand cautiously extended and snatched the note.

"A dog can’t think that much about what he’s doing, he just does what feels right."

My heart fell to my feet. Damon quotedAnimal Dreamsby Barbara Kingsolver. His ability to push my buttons was getting out of control. With one sentence, he had simultaneously shown me his fine taste in books and sent me a cryptic message about doing what feels right.

I stared at the puppy, then at the stranger's eyes, then back at the puppy. "May I?"

"Of course! He's yours," the man said, handing me the most precious fur ball I had laid eyes on.

My fingers sank into his smooth coat, and his blue eyes shot up at me, reminding me of Damon's. "Rocky!" I laughed. "Your name is Rocky."

I thanked the stranger, crunched Damon's note in my fist, and bounced up the stairs to my apartment with Rocky cuddled in my arms.

"So, what did you name him?" Damon's voice beamed over the phone as soon as he answer my call.

"Rocky," I said. "Damon, I can't take care of him. How can I give him the attention he needs when I'm in the middle of this movie? What were you thinking? And why?"

"Whoa, slow down," Damon chuckled. "I love the name. And you can bring him on set. We all need some good energy from a cute puppy."

I paused to catch my breath. "You serious about that?"

"Damn right," he confirmed. "I hope you enjoyed your day off. We're gonna kick it up a notch starting tomorrow."

I shut my eyes and inhaled. I wanted to tell him that I met with Lily Rae, but I stopped myself. What good was it now?

"Damon, I got your note too." I hesitated. "What did you mean by it?"

"That I'm doing what's right," he confirmed. "And I hope you can trust me on that."

My insides rumbled. It wasn't butterflies. I felt nauseous.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I managed to say, hung up, and ran to the bathroom.

14

Damon

Iopenedmyeyesto the phone ringing near my head. It was Robert. My seven o’clock alarm hadn’t even gone off. What was so urgent that he had to call me this early?

“Hello, Robert.”

“Good Morning, Damon. Sorry for waking you up this early. It’s important.”

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