Cassandra looked at her own slender frame, then quietly slid into the front passenger seat.
Ryan smirked, adjusting the dogs in the backseat. He reached out to ruffle their heads.
All that dog food didn’t go to waste. He appreciated how sturdy they were.
The dogs were thriving. Two of them took up the entire backseat, while the third had been relegated to the trunk space.
By the time he got back into the driver’s seat, Cassandra was tapping away at her phone.
He glanced over. “What are you posting?”
“Something on Twitter.”
Curious, he pulled out his phone to check. The moment he saw her post, he went speechless.
“Got kicked up to the front seat just so the dogs could ride comfortably in the back. Life is tough!”
Attached was a picture she’d just taken–three giant dog heads staring blankly into the camera.
Cassandra knew exactly what she was doing. At this point, everyone in the hotel–from Lilian to the janitors recognized her. Who knew how many people had already seen her getting into Ryan’s passenger seat?
She needed to explain. Public relations, so to speak. Partly to avoid workplace gossip. But it was mostly for Janice’s benefit.
She didn’t want anyone thinking she was trying to steal the “girlfriend spot“. She was only in the front seat because the dogs left her no choice. That was it. No ulterior motives.
Ryan snorted. “You’re overthinking it.”
Then, he started the car.
At the pet clinic, the three dogs were ushered in one by one for their checkups. Cassandra found a seat in the waiting area and checked her phone.
Her post had blown up.
Daisy, Lilian, and Janice commented and liked her post. Harold had left a comment. “Mrs. Dorsey, who’s the man next to you? I screenshotted it for Mr. Dorsey. H on his way to the airport right now.”
Crap.‘ She had blocked Cameron, but forgot to block Harold.
So basically, she hadn’t blocked him at all. Without hesitation, she quickly blocked Harold. But before she could even breathe, her phone pinged again.
Chapter 77
It was a new comment by Ryan. “She’s in my car,
Wait, what? Wasn’t he supposed to be paying the vet bill? How did he have time to comment?
She looked up–and there he was, walking toward her with a stack of receipts in one hand, typing on his phone with the other.
Harold replied, “Got it. I’ll inform Mr. Dorsey about this.”
“She’s been with me for the past few days.”
“Even better. Mr. Dorsey will be relieved. You’ve got this under control.”
Ryan sat down beside her and locked his phone.
Cassandra stared at him. “You two are chatting in my Twitter feed now? Can’t you just message each other?”
Ryan frowned. “It’s too much work.”
His phone rang. He didn’t need to guess who it was. He answered it. “Hello?”
“Ryan, has Cassie really been with you these past few days?”
“Yeah. Why?” His voice was distant, almost dismissive. Maybe even a little impatient.
Cassandra blinked in surprise. Weren’t he and Cameron supposed to be best buddies? What was with the sudden attitude shift?
Cameron let out a breath. “Good. I was worried she might be seeing someone new. But with you around, I can relax.”
Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. “If that’s all, I’m ending the call.”
“Are you that busy?”
Ryan
let out a low grunt from his nose. “Yeah.”
“Sorry, man. I know this whole thing with Cassie has been a hassle. Hope I’m not interrupting your relationship with your girlfriend.”
He was still scowling–until that last line. Suddenly, his expression softened, and a slow smile crept onto his face. “Things between us are going very well.”
C