8. Felicity #2
Camron nodded. “Yeah, it is, but gets worse. He started chewing holes in the walls and barking all day and night. The family thought it might be a better idea to leave him in the yard, but he’s smart as hell, so he figured out how to scale the fence.
He took off and got hit by a car. A good Samaritan brought him to the vet, and when they called the family to tell them what happened, they said he was too much trouble and never came to pick him up. ”
It was my turn to drop to my knees to pet the sweet dog. “Boris! You poor baby!”
He wiggled and licked my face like he was trying to reassure me he was fine now.
Adopted by a billionaire? I’d say he was better than fine.
I looked up at Cameron. “How did he make his way to you?”
I could feel him watching me pet Boris, which made me self-conscious. Was I doing it wrong? When I glanced up at him, he was smiling at us with so much warmth in his expression that it made my heart stutter. I quickly refocused on the dog.
“My assistant Daniel was visiting his parents out on Long Island and ended up taking their cat to the same vet where Boris wound up. He heard the whole story and immediately thought of me. I’m a sucker for a hard luck story, so of course I adopted him.”
It was hard for me to imagine Cameron being a sucker for anything but fat sales reports. Could it be possible that he was actually a softie, deep down?
“I set up a little fund for the clinic for other animals in the same situation,” Cameron continued.
“Turns out people dump their pets at the veterinarian all the time—if the cost of treatment is too much, or the animal is old, or just unwanted. It’s heartbreaking, but now there’s a cushion to make sure those animals get treatment and wind up in a safe place. ”
I chuckled at the thought of his “little fund.” I’m sure Cameron had provided enough financial support to create an extra wing for unwanted animals.
I gave in to Boris’s demands for more pets and sat down on my kitchen floor. The dog plopped onto my lap and rolled onto his side, so I had full access to his belly.
“He really likes you,” Cameron mused.
“Please. I saw how he was in the lobby. He likes everyone.”
“No, this is different. He’s sort of obsessed with you.”
For the briefest moment I wished Cameron was talking about himself, but reason took over. Why would a billionaire have any interest in someone like me? And besides, the kindhearted dog owner stuff was just a tiny facet of the person I knew as a complete bosshole.
But…which part was the true Cameron O’Connor?
“I need to get him home, or else he’s going to start helping himself to your groceries. He knows when it’s dinnertime.”
I laughed as Boris went from a full recline in my lap to upright alert at the mention of dinner.
“Told you,” Cameron chuckled. “Anyway, thanks for taking my mind off the bullshit I’m facing.” Tension briefly flashed across his face.
“I owe you thanks for being my grocery sherpa.” I stood up and paused. “And for being an ear about the Unhinged Heart stuff.”
“I thought we weren’t ever going to talk about that again.”
“Right, of course!” I pretended to cross it out in the air in front of me. “Striking it from the records.”
“Exactly,” he said agreeably.
We stared at one another in silence for a few seconds, like neither one wanted to move out of the bubble we’d created in my tiny kitchen. Boris broke the spell for us, running to the doorway, then turning back to bark at Cameron.
“See what I mean? Dinner,” he said, following his dog out.
Tyler and Nina were still engrossed in conversation in our family room, so much so that they didn’t even notice when we appeared.
“Boris and I are heading upstairs,” Cameron said.
I kept forgetting my boss lived in my building. I sort of liked the idea and hated it at the same time.
“Right, me too,” Tyler said quickly.
Nina finally woke up from the spell he’d cast on her, blinking like she was adjusting to bright light. “It was so great talking with you. Thanks for the advice.”
“Advice?” Cameron frowned as he glanced between the pair. “Are you an aspiring songwriter?”
She laughed. “No, not even close. Tyler told me about a fantasy series he’s reading, and now I want to read it too.”
“We could start a texting book club to discuss it,” he said, sounding adorably excited.
I glanced at Cameron, and he shrugged helplessly.
“Anyway, we’re out of here,” he said. “See you Monday, Fagin.”
Why did it feel flirty?
The minute the door shut behind them, Nina squealed silently and jumped up and down, clapping her hands.
“Did that really just happen? Tyler Boyd was in our apartment?”
“Don’t get too excited. He’s besties with a bosshole,” I said, trying to ignore the fizzy sensation in my chest.
Nina snorted at me. “Bosshole? That guy? Did you see the way he acted with his dog?”
“I guess,” I said with a noncommittal shrug. “But who doesn’t love dogs?”
“I think you forgot to tell me something very important about your new boss…”
I tipped my head at her in confusion.
“He’s hot as hell!” she covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
“Nina, no he’s not,” I grabbed a pillow and tossed it at her, hoping she didn’t see my red face.
“Oh, but he is, you’re just too stubborn to admit it. And methinks he might have a little thing for you.”
My heartbeat quickened, but I tried to ignore it.
“Methinks?” I laughed at her. “Okay, Shakespeare, maybe I need to get you out of the stacks.”
“Whatever,” she said as she tossed the pillow back where it belonged. “I’m just telling you what I observed.”
“Maybe it was pure hatred you picked up on? Because we’ve had a bumpy getting-acquainted stage.”
“Well, as the Bard says, the course of true love never did run smooth.”
“True love,” I sputtered, mustering up a laugh. “Please.”
But a teeny tiny part of me wondered if a guy like Cameron could ever fall for a girl like me.
I choked on the thought. Yeah right. We’d be lucky if we got to tolerating each other.