“So why do I have to say whether I’m bringing a guest or not? I’m paying for the head count. I’ll pay for the extra plate whether I bring someone or not.”
“It will mess up the seating chart.”
“There’s a seating chart?” I regretted taking the call. “It’s an engagement party. Shouldn’t it be more casual?” Then I shook my head. “Never mind. I’m sorry I asked. I want Ab to do whatever she wants. I want her to be happy.”
“Perfect. No guest.”
I wasn’t sure how we’d concluded that, nor was I happy about it, but I gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine. No guest.”
“I have to go. I love you,” she said. “Bye, Mia, it was lovely to meet you.”
“You as well.” Mia smiled.
“I love you, too.” I waved my puppy’s paw. “Bye, Mimi.”
After I shoved my phone back in my pocket, I apologized. “I’m sorry. That took way longer than I expected. I hope I’m not holding you up.”
“It’s fine. I’m on the clock,” she said.
Right. This wasn’t a date. It was a job to her. “I tip well,” I told her.
I expected her to make a snarky comment but she just eyed me. “I remember. You gave the bartender a forty percent tip the night we met.”
I didn’t even remember doing that. But I never gave below twenty-five percent unless the service was downright terrible. “Service professionals work their asses off and put up with a lot of crap.”
She nodded. “Very true. You’re paying for your sister’s engagement party. That’s very generous as well.”
Was I winning points with Mia without meaning to? I would take it. “She’s my baby sister. She’s only twenty-three, but she and Sam have been together forever. She graduated with a nursing degree a year ago, so she works hard. I want her to relax and enjoy her engagement, not stress about money.”
Mia’s jaw worked. I realized I had hit a nerve. She was a woman who stressed about money, that was obvious, given the seven thousand jobs she had. There was no one to take care of Mia, clearly. Her nostrils flared and I kept talking, not wanting her to feel awkward.
Ironic, right? She stole from me and I was worried about her fucking feelings.
“I’m going to head back in with Mia. It’s getting hot out here. Are you free to try the walking thing again tomorrow? I want her to have stability in her life.”
But she shook her head. “I have to work at the hotel.”
I didn’t press it. “Let me have your number,” I said, impulsively. “I’ll give you mine, and if you’re ever free to go on a walk, you can let me know. Mia would love to see you.”
Me. I would love to see her again.
She was the only woman in years who had captured my interest. I couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t let her go. No matter if she was a thief or not. She might have her reasons, just like I’d had my reasons for lying to her about my identity. In fact, I was positive Mia was no regular con artist. If she was, she wouldn’t work as hard as she did.
She surprised me by holding her hand out for my phone. “On one condition. You change the dog’s name.”
I opened my contacts and handed her the phone. “Done.”
It was a no-brainer. I’d only been calling the dog Mia for a week, and now that human Mia was back in my life, it was weird. Besides, I’d give human Mia just about anything she wanted if she would let me taste her again.
Her eyebrows rose. “I didn’t think you would agree to it.”
“Were you bluffing?”
She actually grinned. “Maybe.”
I laughed. “This is Vegas, baby. You should know your bluff could be called at any time.”
Chapter Ten
Mia
“James! Are you insane?” I demanded, staring at my phone.
I was standing in the apartment building lobby with James, having given him my number against my better judgement. I was about to call myself a car to go home, when I’d gotten an alert from the dog-walking app.
James had given me a five-hundred-dollar tip. I was both appalled and ecstatic. That would solve the rent problem and then some. Yet, that was a lot of money. People didn’t just hand out money without attaching strings, did they?
“What? What did I do now?” he asked, holding his puppy up and repeatedly kissing her.
“You just gave me an absurd tip.”
“You love the word absurd. It’s your favorite after efficient.” He didn’t look at me, just continued to cuddle the puppy.
He was absurd and hot and arrogant and frustrating and did I mention hot?
“They’re going to think that you paid me for more than dog-walking services,” I said. “No one tips that much.”
“Really? Well, shit. I never thought about that. Are you sure? People do love their pets.”
The man was out of touch, obviously. “I’m pretty sure.” The most I’d ever gotten before was twenty-five bucks. But then again, he had enough money to burn a wet mule.
“I’m not sure what five hundred bucks would get me sexually. That seems kind of low.”
I stared at him. “Am I supposed to be flattered by that?”
“Just know your worth, that’s all I’m saying. Five hundred is low.”
I massaged my temples. God, he was thick sometimes. “But that doesn’t matter because all I did was walk your dog. With you, I might add. I barely did anything. It looks sketchy as hell. And why did you tip me five hundred dollars anyway?”
It was totally mystifying behavior for a man who thought I had ripped him off.
“You’re a hard worker. I thought you could use it.”
I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t buying it.
But when he didn’t say anything either, I added, “It was a twenty-five-dollar walk. I don’t even know how to do the math on that but it wasn’t forty percent.”
He just shrugged. “How are you making any money if you’re taking Ubers everywhere?”
“I mostly take the bus. This was an exception because I have to get to my other job.”
“If I hadn’t tipped you, your profit would have been like five bucks.”
He was right. But I needed every dollar of the five bucks. I almost told him I was late on my rent, but I bit my tongue. My pride wouldn’t let me say it, so I remained silent.
My car was three minutes away.
“And I could have given you a ride, you know.”
“Don’t you have football player things to do?” I asked, indicating his workout clothes. “Like sweating in the gym?”
He straight-up ignored that as effectively as I ignored his remark about my five-dollar profit. “I want you to take the day off tomorrow so you can walk Amelia with me,” he said. “Does the five hundred cover that?”
That almost made me break out into hysterical laughter. I wasn’t the only one who sucked at math. How much did he think I made an hour cleaning hotel rooms? Because I didn’t make anything close to five hundred dollars in one shift.
Plus, there was the real truth. He wanted his way. Strings. Attached.