Chapter 21

Fallon

“Why the heck are you so secretive about Mr. Rich Boy?” Corinne prodded.

Maybe because Mr. Rich Boy turned out to be Mr. Playboy, I thought to myself.

We had a Moyen poodle in today with fur as white as snow. She was averse to being groomed, so I needed Corinne’s assistance to pull it off without being nipped. Snowball hated both baths and nail clipping, so we had to be careful when it came to her service.

I sighed, pausing to look at Corinne. “It’s complicated. And I don’t know.”

“If you don’t tell me, I’m not bringing you brownies ever again,” Corinne said.

She was an avid baker, and I was her taste-tester for every new sweet treat. Her brownies were the best I had ever tried—pecan nuts, dark chocolate, the inside moist and fudgy.

“How dare you threaten me with something like that?” I gasped. “I thought we were best friends.” I stuck my bottom lip out as I took small hair cutting scissors to clean up the poodle’s legs.

“Okay, maybe that was a little too far.” Corinne sighed. “I just don’t think it’s fair you’re keeping all the juicy stuff to yourself. You usually tell me everything, even the embarrassing things.”

I gave the little snowball one last spritz of deodorizing spray, a kiwi and strawberry scent per her parent’s request.

“You’ve been such a good girl, Snowball,” I cooed. “Let’s get you back to your kennel. Mom and Dad should come pick you up soon.”

Corinne huffed and waited for me in the staff room. It was lunchtime, so one of our part-timers took over for the next half hour. It was only noon, but it felt like I had been on my feet for twenty-four hours straight. Corinne’s face was flushed with disappointment.

“Come on. How bad could it be?” she asked.

Corinne took our lunches out of the small fridge and slid mine toward me. “It’s bad.”

I couldn’t stop thinking about the stupid, drop-dead gorgeous bitch who’d practically thrown herself at Dominic right in front of me. What kind of guy had women who actually did that?

“I told you about the time I went back to a Tinder date’s house, and I got so drunk that I somehow managed to pull his sink out of the wall while doing a quick before-bang cleanup. There. I told you something stupid. It’s your turn,” Corinne said.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

I picked at the garlic in my pasta as images of a certain woman’s long and dark mane flashed behind my eyes.

“You’ve been acting weird ever since you had those dates with him,” Corinne said. She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Okay. Fine. The first date was a total disaster. He took me to that fancy restaurant down by Jamaica Bay. But he was stupid and arrogant, and he was mean. So I left,” I said.

“Then why the hell did you go on a second?”

“Because he came to me, asking me to give him another chance. It was… it was like Jake all over again, so I crumbled.”

“Oh, hell no,” Corinne said with a sigh. “Don’t do that again. Not another Jake.”

“No. Don’t worry about that. It’s different. He’s different. He’s the most handsome man I know, and he can be sweet, and there’s just something about him,” I said, thinking about the confident set of his shoulders and the don’t-mess-with-me look in his eyes and the crazy things it did to my insides, but not willing to share those details with Corinne just yet. “But he makes me so angry that I want to pull my hair out.”

I told Corinne about everything—the risotto, what we talked about, what he was like, the menu I didn’t know how to read. As I went on, Corinne’s smile grew wider and wider.

“You didn’t go on the second date because he manipulated you with flowers and cheesy lines. You went because you have the hots for him,” Corinne said matter-of-factly.

“No! No, I didn’t!” I ignored the way my cheeks grew warmer because it wasn’t entirely untrue, if I was being honest. Dominic might have been a dick, but he was a hot dick. I would have had to be blind not to notice.

Corinne eyed me closely, leaning her face toward me.

“Corinne, I don’t think you quite get my point here… I can’t stand him,” I said as much to myself as to Corinne, shoving any thought of pants or dicks or any of Dominic’s other body parts out of my head. “He’s a typical rich boy who expects every woman to climb in his bed. And unlike most men, this guy actually has women who’ll do it.”

Corinne popped a crouton in her mouth, chewing loudly. “Uh-huh. Okay. Whatever you say, honey pie.” “Seriously. I called Dad after that train wreck of a date and told him I was done paying his favor. But he

told me he’d actually bartered me for three dates! Three!” I dropped my head on the table. “I’m spineless, right?”

“You can’t wait for your next date, can you?” Corinne poked my arm. “I’m only going for Dad. Captain Spineless, remember?”

“No, you’re not. But, honey, honestly, your dad’s a grown man. Maybe it’s time you start letting him handle his own problems.”

I merely shrugged.

“Yeah, I know.” Corinne flashed me a small smile and laid her hand on mine. “Then just take it for what it is. Free dinner with a hot guy. If nothing else, it beats an ordinary night at home. We can make fun of it after.”

Maybe my love life sucked, but I had the best friend in the whole world.