Paws off the Boss - Casey Griffin (best books under 200 pages .TXT) 📗
- Author: Casey Griffin
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Book online «Paws off the Boss - Casey Griffin (best books under 200 pages .TXT) 📗». Author Casey Griffin
“It’s not a handout. I promise,” Aiden told Piper. “Honestly, I need a dog walker. But if you’re not able to do it …” He let the suggestion hang in the air.
As disappointed as she was by the turn of events—although what she’d hoped for, she wasn’t sure—she didn’t have a lot of options. She had bills to pay. In fact, rent was due that day, and already she’d have to pay it late. How could she say no to a job that fell into her lap?
Aiden rubbed the scruff of his five-o’clock shadow. “I guess I’ll just have to find someone who loves dachshunds, is knowledgeable about animals, and needs a job. Do you know of anyone around here that would fit the bill?”
Oh, those glimmery, glimmery eyes. Piper wondered if that was why he was such a successful businessman. He simply glimmered people into making deals.
She rolled her eyes. “All right. I work the early shift for my practicum at the veterinary hospital, so I’m free most afternoons from two o’clock onward.”
On weekdays, she started clinical practice at the veterinary hospital at 5:00 a.m. She could head to his place after that. Now that she did the math, she thought it might be nice to create her own schedule.
Aiden’s dimple twitched. “Perfect.”
She pointed at their two doxies cuddling in the patch of sunlight streaming through the window. “Besides, I’d hate to split these two kids up.”
“Right, do it for the children.” Stealing a pen from the desk, he took a business card out of his pocket and jotted his telephone number on the back. “This is my personal number. Call me. We’ll set up a meeting for this weekend.” He scooped Sophie up, pointing her cute, quizzical face at Piper. “Because you wouldn’t want to disappoint Sophie.”
“All right, all right. I’ll call.” Piper could feel a giddiness infecting her face.
“Great. I’ll see you this weekend.”
He started to leave, but as soon as he neared the door, Sophie struggled in his arms. Colin jumped at his feet, pawing his leg.
“They get this way every time,” Piper said. She grabbed a handful of treats from the jar on the counter and gave them to Aiden. “Here, this might help.”
“Thanks.” He dropped them into his designer suit pocket.
She bent down to pick up Colin, thinking her life had done a complete 180 so fast her head spun. Or maybe that was her nerves as Aiden paused in the doorway and reached out to her. But when her eyes drifted down, she was staring at his hand.
Confused, she reached out and shook it. Two handshakes in one day? More action than she’d had in months, she supposed—other than the vibrator Zoe gave her for her birthday.
With a brief nod, he turned and left. The door shut behind him, and she let Colin down. He skittered to the door, hopping from foot to foot. The two of them watched Aiden and Sophie jump into his black BMW—of course it was a BMW. At least it was black and not white like her brother’s.
Aiden had parked next to an old beater Buick. The contrast was hard to ignore. It was a sign—a flashing neon one—that they were from two different worlds.
Colin stopped pacing and flopped down, contemplating what just happened. His expression appeared more lost and forlorn than usual. He gazed up at her. Where’s Sophie going?
“Don’t worry,” Piper said. “I know how you feel. I think we’ll have to go for a visit.”
Her heart did a funny skip at the thought. She ignored it and slipped Aiden’s card into her bra. It was just the excitement of a new job. Although, when Sam had offered her a job singing telegrams, she couldn’t remember feeling this happy, nor did she try to imagine Sam naked. Not that she was thinking about Aiden naked. Oh, wait … Now she was.
Piper shook her head to clear the daydream. She couldn’t go there. A guy like Aiden? A girl in her position? It wasn’t like they were rubbing elbows at upscale San Francisco soirees. He came from a different world, one she didn’t want to be a part of.
She refused to waste time daydreaming about Aiden. Okay, she knew perfectly well she would daydream about him—but not by choice. The handshake had alerted something inside of her, like a meerkat perking up, standing on its hind legs to look about. For what, she didn’t know. Benjamin Franklin was burning a hole in her back pocket, and not in a good way.
While she peered out the window, she heard her friends slip into the reception room and come up behind her.
“Well,” Zoe said. “You have one thing in common now. You both own dachshunds.”
“We’re a perfect match,” Piper responded. “On Sunday mornings, he can read Forbes while I read the classifieds.”
Addison bounced on the balls of her feet. “Oh! It’s like Pretty Woman. He’s Richard Gere and you’re Julia Roberts.”
“Are you calling me a prostitute?”
Addison sighed. “It’s so romantic. He’s going to fall in love with you, and, because he’s rich, he’s going to save you from your poor, pathetic life. Just like in the movie.”
“Gee, thanks,” Piper said. “But I don’t need saving. I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself, if you haven’t noticed. I know where I want to go, and I’m working hard for it.”
Zoe laid a hand on her shoulder. “Just promise that you’ll make him work for it. If you get my drift.”
“Trust me. I’m not interested in Mr. Handshake.” As Piper watched him pull out of the parking lot, she relented a little. “But if I were, that would be a tough promise to keep.”
Piper raced down her apartment stairs, juggling her car keys, a sandwich, and a wriggling backpack. She patted the backpack. “Almost there. One day we’ll live in a place where I won’t have to hide you.”
The backpack whined testily.
Before heading out, she popped by the mailboxes in the small lobby and unlocked her cubby. She was riffling through the letters when her cell phone rang. Tucking it under her chin, she answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Piper.”
She cringed. “Mom. Hi.”
Piper cursed herself for not checking the caller ID. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to talk to her mother. But their conversations usually ended with her mother handing the phone to her brother before Piper could say no.
“I haven’t heard from you in a while.” Her voice sounded too cheerful, like forced casualness. “Thought I’d call you and see what’s new.”
“Why?” Piper blurted. “I mean, I’m good. Thanks for calling.”
Her mom clicked her tongue. “Can’t a mother just call to say hello?”
Not my mother, thought Piper. There was always an ulterior motive, and it usually had to do with her brother. Ever since her mom had moved to Seattle to be closer to him six years earlier, she’d been on a mission to push them closer together. Just one big, happy family, as though nothing had happened.
“Yeah, of course,” Piper said. “I’m good. I’ve been busy. Only two more weeks of practicum left at the veterinary hospital. Then there’s my licensing exam after graduation.”
“That’s good … Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Here we go, Piper thought.
“Have you checked the mail lately?”
“I’m checking it now.” Piper sifted through the pile: junk mail, flyers, final notice, final notice. Their big, bold red letters screamed at her. Her neck and shoulder muscles tensed, but she couldn’t do anything about them until payday—which would be the worst one ever with one paycheck instead of three.
She slipped the final notices to the back of the pile and saw why her mother had called. The next letter came from Seattle. It was from Piper’s brother—however, the writing on the envelope looked suspiciously like her mother’s.
Piper’s eyes narrowed. “What is this, Mom?”
“Oh, you got it. Good. With your graduation coming up, Ethan thought it would be nice to send you a present.”
Piper waved the flimsy envelope. Something told her it wasn’t a bouquet. “This better not be what I think it is.”
“You know, money is one of the most common gifts for a graduation present,” she said. “And Ethan feels so bad about not being able to make it down for your big day. The check was his idea.”
Unless a roomful of people were watching, Ethan’s generosity with his money rivaled Ebenezer Scrooge’s, so she knew that wasn’t true.
“I don’t want it.” She averted her eyes from the final notices burning her hand like cattle brands.
“But Ethan wants you to have it.” Her mother’s voice filled with hopeful desperation. Like if Piper accepted this one peace offering, all would be well.
“Which is exactly why I
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