Page 84 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

“Dexter sent Berry a stuffed dog.”

I glanced back at the man in question, who was stroking my shiny gold pen in a highly suggestive way while looking at me in a manner that was not appropriate for a place of business. “What does the card say?”

“It says for the days Bob and I can’t be there, here’s a pug of your very own to play with. Or sleep with when you have nightmares. She or he can be named whatever you want.”

I sniffled. Loudly. This man.

Dex looked at me with alarm and I waved a hand at my nose. “Allergies,” I mouthed while my mom prattled on about moving too fast.

Then she let out a loud sigh. “This dog is so soft. Perfectly snuggly. He’s wooing you, princess. And I’m not sure I’d be strong enough to resist his woo.”

She wasn’t the only one.

“I’ll take that under advisement.”

“Why did he send the dog here and not directly to you?”

“I screwed up. All my fault.” I blew out a breath. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Whatever you did, it can’t be as bad as all that. Should I set the dog aside for Berry?”

Dex had probably figured my parents were easier targets. Obviously, he hadn’t realized yet how many times I’d tried to contact him this week.

So many times.

“Yes, please.” My voice was barely a whisper. “I’ll call tonight.”

“Okay, sugar plum. Don’t sound so sad. He stood up to our questions. He clearly likes Berry. And you. Whatever happened, it doesn’t mean it’s a disaster in the making, just because David turned out to be a scumbag.”

Indeed.

“Yeah. Bye, Mom. Love you.” I hung up and bowed my head, so unsure of my moves I didn’t know what to say next.

“Shelby?” He was already on his feet and coming around the desk. “What’s wrong?”

“Berry will love the dog you sent her. Thank you.”

“Oh.” He stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I forgot that was being delivered today. Thought it already arrived yesterday and maybe you didn’t like it or wanted to threaten me via Post-it rather than discuss stuffed pugs.”

I grinned despite the prickling behind my eyes. “I didn’t threaten you via Post-it.”

“You also threatened me indirectly with Tinder.” He stepped closer, lifting a hand to stroke my hair, not saying a word as I simply turned into him. Melted against his chest and stopped fighting…everything.

Me, most of all.

“What’s the matter? Is Berry okay?”

“Yeah. She had another nightmare.”

“Aww. Poor kid.”

“I just feel like I’m bungling everything. I used to at least feel certain about work. I mean, you saw this place, coming in. It’s small and as professional as we can make it, but we’re still building, you know? Looking for our big breaks and doing our best with lots of small ones.” I gestured toward the mess of paint samples on my desk and various other paperwork that had been knocked out of its rightful place during Hurricane Dahlia’s arrival. “Your job is the biggest I personally have handled. And look how that is going.”

He released me to grab the stack of papers he’d put on the desk with the rest, snatching my gold pen and, going from page to page, signing each one with a flourish.

“You need to read those,” I said weakly as he handed the stack to me.

“I trust you,” he said simply as I sank into my desk chair, holding the papers to my chest.

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