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

Piper and Aiden were on the perfect date. It was another beautiful late spring day—or, dare she hope, early summer. The Golden Gate Bridge stretched in the distance, the view of it clear and picturesque from Baker Beach.

Free of their leashes, Colin and Sophie pranced ahead. They patrolled the shoreline, chasing the foaming waves as they slurped back into the bay. A moment later, the doxies would skitter to safety when the water returned to lick at their paws.

Piper strolled next to Aiden, sand squidging between her toes. They tried to keep up with the dogs, but they had to avoid the crowd that came to enjoy the beautiful weather. The doxies, on the other hand, had a tendency to plow through picnics and Frisbee games.

While the dogs maneuvered skillfully through the soft sand, the humans had a somewhat harder time. Sometimes it would throw Aiden or Piper off-balance, and every once in a while, their knuckles would graze each other’s. The next time it happened, Piper’s hand twitched. Despite her better judgment, she was tempted to reach out and grab Aiden’s hand, to interlace their fingers and just see what happened.

That’s the kind of thing she’d normally do in that situation. Piper was bold. She took chances. Sometimes they worked out, and sometimes they ended up requiring payday loans or laser tattoo removal to fix—never date an impulsive tattoo artist. But this situation was a little different. Aiden was a little different.

Yup, it was the perfect date. Only, it wasn’t a date. It was another pseudo-date.

He’d joined her for a walk every day the previous week. And here he was again Monday afternoon. She wasn’t sure what he was paying her for if he could make time to come home, but she wasn’t about to complain. About the money or the company.

But now that she thought about it, why the heck was he paying her? Or overpaying her, more like it. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust her with Sophie, and he certainly didn’t need the exercise, judging by his physique—which Piper was trying hard not to. Addison insisted it was because he liked her, but that would defy his golden rule: don’t mix business with pleasure. So, what was the deal?

She thought back to the check he gave her at the rescue center, which she’d never ended up cashing. He’d intervened on her behalf a few times, tried to bail her out like he thought money could fix practically anything. Just because he had extra cash to throw around didn’t make it okay to do so. It was insulting. Anger flashed through her, and her mouth opened before her brain could stop her.

“Why are you here?” She flinched as she heard the acidity in her tone.

Aiden’s eyebrows shot up, and his mouth opened soundlessly, either in surprise or because he couldn’t find an answer.

“I mean,” she amended. “It’s just, I thought you were the boss and everything. Aren’t you more effective when you’re at work?”

“But as the boss, I get to create my own schedule. Don’t get me wrong; I make up for the lost hours. I stay late in the evenings.”

“Oh?” Did that mean he rearranged his schedule, stayed behind, so he could be with her? She suddenly regretted her hasty conclusion. She seemed to do that a lot with Aiden. Every time she thought she had him pegged, he’d surprise her. She wondered how many other wrong conclusions she’d drawn about him.

“I just meant that if you can come home from work to walk Sophie, do you really need me?”

“Oh, yes.” His eyes crinkled. “I really need you.”

He needed her? Piper stared at him, trying to decipher that look, but he turned away before she could even begin. She cursed her tactlessness. She’d have to work on that brain-to-mouth filter of hers.

Sophie paused up ahead and gave them a look that said, Hurry. You’re holding us up.

Colin found a stick floating back and forth near the shore. Dropping the chew toy he’d brought with him from the house, he battled Sophie for the stick. The dogs had clearly forgotten they were afraid of the waves.

“You never told me,” Piper said to Aiden. “Why did you decide to get a dog?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets, like he didn’t know what to do with them when he didn’t have a tie to straighten. “I suppose I’ve been lonely ever since my father died. It’s a big house to live in all by yourself. It’s nice to have female companionship.” He chuckled. “Even if it is another species.”

“Aiden Caldwell, lonely? I’m sure you have no problem finding female companionship,” she teased, trying to sound casual about it. And it would have been convincing too, if not for the way her voice went kind of pitchy. She tried to laugh it off, but it sounded more like a flamingo call to her ears.

Aiden bent down to grab the chew toy Colin had dropped and stuffed it into his pocket. “My business keeps me busy. Too busy to meet people sometimes. Most of my interactions are for business rather than pleasure. I’m a little rusty with females who require more enticement than the phrase ‘Do you want a treat?’”

Sophie’s sensitive ears tuned in to the magic words and she barked in response. Forgetting about the stick, she splashed over to him and stared up with round, expectant eyes.

Aiden fished around inside his pocket. A moment later, he produced a treat for both dogs and made them sit before he handed them over. Sophie thanked him by choosing that moment to shake off her long hair like some canine Baywatch babe, flicking salt water and wet sand all over him.

“I’ve kept treats with me ever since you taught me that trick,” he said. “My housekeeper says she always has to check my pockets before taking my suits to the dry cleaners.”

“Be careful,” she warned. “You’ll spoil her.”

“How can I say no to a pretty face like that?”

She thought about what Aiden had said about female companionship. It was hard to believe that someone as successful and droolworthy as him could have such a lackluster dating life. Not for the first time, she wondered about Tamara, his personal assistant. If he didn’t mix business with pleasure, then what was their deal? Suddenly, she remembered the reason they met.

“Wait a minute. But you had a date with Nicole.”

“Nicole?” His forehead creased for a second before a look of understanding lit his face. “Ah, yes. Nicole.” He said her name like it was an annoying hairball that plugged his shower drain. After the telegram fiasco, Piper couldn’t blame him.

“That was a blind date a friend set me up on. A terrible one. My fault, really. I’m a little out of practice. The evening sort of died a horrible death.”

“Well, it seemed to haunt you, so it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck, which was growing pink from the midday sun. “I suppose I gave her the wrong impression.”

“The wrong impression?”

“I guess she thought I was more interested than I was.”

Piper nodded, wondering what “wrong impressions” she’d gotten from him so far. And, more importantly, which one was right.

“What gives a girl the wrong impression?” she asked, way too innocently. “Could it be when you conveniently find yourself at home every time your amazing, attractive, and humble dog walker turns up? Would that count as wrong impression material?”

Aiden chuckled, low and throaty. His pleasant laugh made him seem younger—or rather, his actual age of thirty—as opposed to the serious businessman he’d been forced to become so early on.

“That would certainly give an impression,” he said carefully.

An “impression,” she noted. But not a wrong “impression.” Feeling braver, she shook her head teasingly. “Whatever will you do, Mr. Caldwell?”

“I’m kind of hoping something will just”—he bit his bottom lip as his mouth fought a grin—“fall into my lap.”

She couldn’t help but smile as she remembered their first meeting. Now that wasn’t just a hint. That was like shouting into a megaphone.

Pretending to watch a group of giggling coeds take selfies on the beach, she examined Aiden. He was more relaxed today than she’d ever seen him. The invisible pole that usually held his tight posture in place had disappeared, and she hadn’t seen him subconsciously reach for where his tie should be even once that day. She felt as though she was really getting to know him, the off-the-record him. The Tonight Show Aiden, as opposed to CNN.

He was still as polite and reserved as ever, though, with his constant professional barrier erected between them. It was as if he weren’t even conscious of the barrier, always operating like some optimized administrative robot programmed in HR dos and don’ts. But his smiles were easy; his eyes had a flirtatious glint.

“How have the donations for the center been coming along?” Aiden asked.

“Really well. I’ve already made an appointment to have the security system installed.”

“Have you gotten ahold of Marilyn on the cruise ship?”

Piper frowned. “No. I’ve left messages on her cell phone, but I’m not sure she’s getting them. Have you?”

“I’ve tried calling the cruise line, but I’m not having any luck.” He took a breath like he wanted to say something more.

Piper hoped it was something along the lines of “I need you. Right here, right now.” Or, “Your eyes are like two pieces of amber burning in the morning sunrise.” Or something to that effect.

In the end, he looked away and said, “It’s busy here today.”

Whatever he wanted to