“What? It’ll be fine.”
I squeeze my eyes closed briefly and breathe. “I guess I can’t convince you not to.”
He laughs. “Nope. Don’t worry, chickpea, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I…do you know when you’re coming home?”
He rubs his nose. “I’m not feeling it yet.”
“Mom needs you.”
“She’s fine! I just talked to her.”
I don’t know what to say. Is it possible Mom is doing better than I think? “What about me?” I swallow. “I’d like to have my dad here. Things have been…tough.”
“You’re a strong young woman,” he says. “And I may not be physically there, but I’m always here for you.”
I swallow my sigh. He was there for me when I lost my job, and when I had to make a decision about what to do. And he does check in with me. “Right,” I say. “Thanks, Dad.”
Our call ends. I turn up the volume on the TV and see that the Bears have tied it up. Yay.
Otis is asleep at the far end of the couch, and I pick him up and hold him. I might regret waking him because now he’ll want to play, but puppy cuddles feel really good right now.
I just want to feel like I’m a success at something. Being unemployed made me feel like a huge loser. Job hunting and all the rejections that came with that are killer on the self-esteem. Being in debt only makes it all worse. Some days it feels like I’m in a huge hole and I’ll never be able to dig myself out of it. Why even try?
I blow out a long exhalation. Those are the kinds of catastrophic thoughts that dragged me into depression. I have to stop that right now. I’m not a loser. I was wrongfully terminated. I’m fighting back. Soon, I’ll be vindicated.
I hope.
I give Otis a squeeze, and he wriggles in my arms and jumps free of me just as the Bears score a goal. With a laugh, I pump a fist into the air. “Yeah!”
Otis gives a sharp bark and spins.
“Attaboy! That’s how you cheer for your dad!”
Somehow, I don’t think Easton considers himself Otis’s dad. The thought makes me smile.
I tried to snoop a little at his apartment to learn more about him, but that didn’t give me much to go on. I stayed out of his bedroom. But when I ran into him at the park yesterday and we were hanging out with the dogs, I felt like I saw a different side of him. A softer, more relaxed side. He pretends he doesn’t care, but I think he likes Otis. His smile watching his pup run around and have fun made my heart bump against my sternum.
He was so tense and short when he talked about his coach and the game. And then Otis made him laugh and loosen up. I never thought about the kind of pressure that professional athletes are under. They may play a sport for a living, but apparently it’s not all fun and games. I want to know more about what’s going on with Easton that makes him so edgy and cynical at times.
But that’s none of my business. He’s a client. A hot, enigmatic client, but not someone whose hopes and dreams and baggage I need to know all about. And he doesn’t need to know mine.
I’m reminding myself of that when I get to his place the next morning, having walked over there with Otis. The weather’s ugly, with a steely sky and biting wind. It’s a relief to stumble through the brass revolving door into the elegant lobby of Easton’s building. I recognize Javier at the security desk, and he smiles. “Good morning, Ms. Evans. And Otis.”
“Good morning.” I tug my scarf looser around my neck and cross the marble floor toward Javier and the elevators behind him.
“Chilly day, isn’t it?”
“It sure is!”
As usual, Otis starts to freak out as we near the elevators and I have to pick him up. He trembles in my arms all the way to Easton’s floor. What a baby.
Once off the elevator, he prances down the hall directly to Easton’s door.
“You know your home, don’t you?” He stops at the door, tongue hanging out of his mouth, and I give a knock.
Easton opens it right away. Otis predictably goes nuts, jumping Easton. I don’t blame him for that. Easton is absolutely jumpable. His tousled hair makes me want to slide my fingers into it and see if it’s as thick and silky as it looks. His beard stubble darkens his jaw in a way that makes me imagine morning sex and what those whiskers would feel like against my skin. As usual, he flashes a cocky smile. “Hey!”
He tries to calm Otis, picking him up, letting him slobber his tongue all over his chin. There are two kinds of people in the world—those who let dogs lick their faces and those who don’t. I don’t judge anyone for their preferences, but I’m glad Easton lets Otis kiss him.
I set Otis’s bag on the hardwood floor and close the apartment door.
Best not to think about kissing Easton. Even though his lips are sexy as hell.
Ahem.
He rubs the back of his hand across said sexy mouth as he sets Otis down. “How was he?”
“Good. Only one pee accident.”
Easton grimaces. “Sorry.”
“He’s getting better! Still freaks out over the elevator, though.”
“Yeah. Hopefully that will get better too. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
He knows my soft spot. “Sure. Thanks.” I follow him to his kitchen while Otis sniffs around. “Nice win last night.”
“Thanks. It felt like things were clicking for us.”
“I missed your assist. My dad called right in the middle of the game.” I make a face. “I watched the replay, though.”
A slow smile stretches his beautiful mouth as he leans against the counter waiting for my coffee to brew. He crosses his arms, and I’m immediately distracted by the bulge of his biceps at the sleeves of his T-shirt. “You watched the game again.”
Ohhhh. Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted to that. I toss my hair back. “Sure. I’m a Bears fan.”
He smirks. “I think you’re a fan of me.”
“Apparently your biggest appendage is your ego.”
He laughs. “Oh, babe, you don’t want to challenge me on that.”
Heat washes down through me but I maintain my unimpressed expression. “You’re right, I don’t.”
The coffee’s ready and he hands me the cup. I meet his eyes and a quiver of awareness vibrates through me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”