Paws off the Boss - Casey Griffin (best books under 200 pages .TXT) 📗

Knock, knock, knock.

Piper peeked out of the peephole in her apartment door before leaping back again. Thankfully, her sock feet muffled her stumbling footsteps. It was her landlord, Steve. And man, was she not ready to see him. Or rather, her bank account wasn’t ready. She’d used her most recent paycheck to handle the pesky little matter of her past-due utility bills.

Colin trotted in from her bedroom to see who was at the door. The only trick she’d ever taught him was how to not bark when someone came to the door—because after that experience, she gave up training him; doxies are very territorial. But if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been able to keep him a secret for so long.

She crept away from the door, afraid that Steve might see her shadow pass underneath or hear her pounding heart or smell the lack of money on her.

The clock on the microwave said she was already running late to open the center with Addison and Zoe. They’d be waiting for her. She gave it two minutes before tiptoeing back to the peephole. Steve hadn’t left, and it didn’t look like he had plans to do so anytime soon. He unfolded a lawn chair, setting it up to face her door. She watched him sit down, cross his legs, and unfold a newspaper.

It was a standoff. She could be stuck there for hours. Steve would probably wait her out. Didn’t he have anything better to do?

Piper still didn’t have the money for rent that month. Aiden was going to pay her on Friday, but it was only Saturday. It would be two weeks late by then. If only she could avoid Steve until she had it. Then she could hand over the check like, “Whoops! Must have slipped my mind.”

Grabbing her backpack from the sofa, she coaxed Colin in by throwing a treat to the bottom. Once he was inside, she zipped it up and slipped it on her back. She picked up her shoes from beside the door and carried them over to the window that had a fire escape access. Slipping them on, she prepared to climb out.

Piper drew the curtains aside and reached for the window latch. Her hand froze. Instead of her usual glorious view of the Indian restaurant across the street, a message obscured her sight line.

Lying whore!

The red spray paint dripped down the outside of the windowpane. She gaped at it for a few seconds, staring at the angry love note. It wasn’t tough to figure out whodunit: Laura.

It actually impressed Piper how the activist managed to spell it from the outside so she could read it. Heck, she was surprised Laura could spell at all.

Knock, knock, knock.

This time, the banging fell heavier and more insistent, rattling the lock. Jolted out of her shock, Piper unlocked the window and slid it high enough to sneak out. She would have to call the cops at the rescue center, far away from her landlord. Maybe the brick incident had been Laura after all. Maybe stalking just wasn’t enough for her anymore. She had bullied Piper to leave SFAAC. She could be trying to take the rescue center away from her too.

After creeping down the fire escape like a burglar, she whisked across the parking lot and over to her VW. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a bulky figure standing at the third-story stairwell window, staring out at her.

Placing Colin inside the car, she moved a little faster. The figure disappeared and then reappeared one window lower, then another.

Piper turned the key; the engine slugged away, groaning with the effort. When the landlord-shaped figure burst out of the entrance doors waving his hands, the engine finally roared to life. Without glancing up, she reversed out of her spot, threw the Bug into drive, and sped off. Because if she didn’t see him, she could pretend everything was okay. Right?

She raced across town to open the rescue center for the day. She pulled into the parking lot to find Addison and Zoe already waiting for her. They sipped their lattes, giving her looks that said they’d just been in the middle of talking about her. And by the devilish grins on their faces, she assumed Aiden was the hot topic of conversation.

Piper crawled out of her car and held the door open for Colin to hop down. He trotted across the small gravel lot to say hello to Addison and Zoe, who leaned against the building’s whitewashed brick exterior.

Piper had painted the building herself after she showed up one day to find someone had spray-painted “Grade-A Slut” in large red letters. Of course, she suspected Laura—it wasn’t exactly groundbreaking stuff. However, she appreciated the acknowledgment that she was an A student. It was nice to get a little recognition from time to time.

Currently, the wall had a saucy graffitied scene involving both Minnie and Donald Duck that she didn’t think Mickey would appreciate.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Piper said. “I had a surprise message from Laura spray-painted on my window this morning.”

“You’re kidding,” Addison said.

“Yeah. It’s not a big deal, though.” Piper wasn’t about to tell them exactly how or why she found it. “I’ll call the cops once we’re inside.”

“Well, you’re not late.” Zoe handed her a coffee. “So don’t apologize.”

Piper checked her phone. She was right on time. “Oh. Force of habit, I guess. I just assume I’m late for everything. Besides, I’ve got big shoes to fill this week.”

Marilyn had flown out to Los Angeles, where her cruise ship departed, only after Piper managed to convince her that everything would be all right. Yes, she would be at the center every day. No, she promised it wouldn’t be too much to handle with clinical practice, her jobs, and her final exam coming up. And no, she didn’t think “that rotter,” as Marilyn put it, would return to do more damage. At least, Piper hoped not. But she wasn’t about to let Marilyn cancel her trip over some coward with a grudge.

“So-o-o-o?” Addison practically vibrated with curiosity. “How was your week? Did you see him?”

“Him who?” Piper feigned ignorance.

“Um, that dreamboat you call an employer.”

“Do people still say ‘dreamboat’?” Zoe asked.

“Well, he is pretty dreamy.”

Zoe conceded with an appreciative nod.

Piper took a sip of her coffee and pretended to think. She was acting all cool to torture her friends, but, in reality, she was bursting to gush about him. “Oh, you’re talking about Mr. Caldwell.”

“Of course,” Zoe said as they rounded the corner and stepped onto the sidewalk. “How’s the job going? Did you take his wiener out?”

Piper threw her a look. “It’s good. He’s … good.”

“Just good?”

“He always just so happened to be around at the same time I was, so he walked the dogs with me every day this week.”

“Was it just walks?” Addison asked. “Or were they like dates?”

“Well, there was flirting. Heavy flirting. But they were more like pseudo-dates. Or if they were dates, it was a covert operation, and I wasn’t in on the mission objective.”

Addison’s forehead wrinkled. “I wonder why.”

“I know his reluctance is hard to believe, since I’m so amazing.” Piper batted her eyelashes playfully. “But there’s a chance he might not be interested.”

Addison gasped. “Blasphemy.”

“I know, right?”

“He’s interested all right,” Zoe said. “A busy CEO wouldn’t be coming home from work every day to walk his dog when he’s already hired someone to do it for him. Sophie isn’t the only wiener he’s thinking about.”

Piper snorted. “He’s just so hot and cold. And then there’s his personal assistant. I think there’s a lot more than assisting going on there.” She stopped on the front stoop to wait for Colin to mark his territory on the bench. “Besides, he makes up these excuses for coming home, like wanting to see me isn’t a good enough reason. And don’t forget the handshakes. Ugh,” she groaned. “Those damned handshakes.”

“Well, I doubt he was there for the fresh air and exercise,” Addison said.

“Fresh meat is more like it,” Zoe added.

“Oh, Zoe.” Addison gave her a look. “He’s not like that. I think it’s romantic. He must be very busy at work, and he still found time to spend with her every day.” She sighed. “It just goes to show you how much he cares.”

“You’re far too optimistic about men’s intentions,” Zoe said. “They’re not all Disney princes, you know.”

“And you’re far too pessimistic. Maybe Aiden is Piper’s prince.”

Piper climbed the stairs and unlocked the front door. She noticed the cardboard covering the broken glass was falling down. She’d called their usual repairman twice already, but he kept saying he was backed up and couldn’t come for a few days.

“I’m confused,” she said to Addison. “I thought Aiden was my rich pimp like in Pretty Woman, not a prince.”

“Benefactor. Richard Gere isn’t a pimp.”

“Am I still a prostitute?” She laughed and held the door open for the others. Colin slipped in first. What a gentleman, she thought.

“All I’m saying is that I think he’s into you. Just you wait. He’ll ask you out soon enough.”

“It doesn’t matter because I’m not even that interested.” Piper flicked open the blinds, pretending she didn’t see Addison and Zoe exchange exaggerated eye rolls.

When the morning sun filtered into the reception area, her mouth dropped open at the sight. She blinked against the light a few times, as though the scene before her were