Page 21 of Sexy Bad Valentine

“The one in the foyer?”

“That’s the one. I’m going to see if I can get a cleaner to come over here. Hate to cut and run, Dee, but it’s a bit of an emergency.”

“Maybe you should take Barclay to the vet. Look after my baby.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” I scratch the big mutt behind the ear. “He’s growing on me.”

“Okay, I better go too. Just don’t mess this up, Maxwell. Stay away from the girl for her sake as well as your own. The last thing we need is some girl ruining Puppy Love because you’ve slighted her.”

“Talk soon.” I hang up on her. Kelly could have warned me my sister was on the warpath instead of threatening Evie. No wonder she doesn’t want anything more to do with me. Damn it.

***

I cover the length of my office for the sixth time in ten minutes. Outside the windows, snow is turning everything white. Avoiding Evie should be easy. But burying myself in work all morning hasn’t kept her out of my head. Trying to kid myself that last night was enough is impossible.

Kelly is probably downstairs in the lobby right now, waiting to take Evie to the next location. An actual dog walker will be waiting with her doggy date.

There’s a tap on my office door and I growl, “Come in.”

“We have a slight problem.” Kelly steps inside and shuts the door behind her.

“What would that be?” I busy myself with straightening the stapler on my desk, since I’m still annoyed at her for not warning me about Deanna’s ultimatum.

“The guy we hired this morning to fill in as dog walker got hit by a car on his way here.”

“Was he hurt?”

“A couple broken bones. He’ll be out of commission for a few weeks.”

“Does he have family? Anyone to take care of him? Perhaps we should hire him some help for a couple weeks.”

“I will get right on that. We’re also in need of a dog walker.”

I pause at the mischievous glint in my assistant’s eyes. “What are you suggesting?”

“You might want to hurry up if we’re to stay on schedule.”

“You do realize my sister will not be happy.”

“Right now, you’re my concern. And the show,” Kelly says. “Besides, we don’t really have a choice.”

I straighten my shirt collar and cuffs, my shoulders pulled back. I’m suddenly lighter than I have been since Evie left last night. Picking up the company jacket I used the last time, I shrug into it. “I heard what you said to Evie, you know. You warned her to stay away from me.”

“Absolutely.” She checks her tablet. “And I would do it again.”

“Because I’m a terrible human being, right? One who only uses women for pleasure?”

“No.” She glances up at me, holding my gaze. “I think she might actually be able to hold her own.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, but she might also cost you more than you’re bargaining on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, walking out of my office ahead of her. “And I’m not sure I care.”

Kelly hurries a few feet behind me. “You might if this doesn’t end well.”

“I’ll behave,” I tell her while we ride the elevator. “During taping. There are two weeks left. I’m not going to cause her problems with Deanna. I have some ability to control the things that happen around me, even if my sister doesn’t believe so.”

“That’s not what I meant,” she says as she steps into the lobby.

Evie is standing right inside the front doors and I’m supposed to be at the meeting point with the dogs, so I don’t question Kelly. “I’ll go straight down to the parking garage and get the dogs.”

“Great. We’ll meet you there,” she says as I step back and the doors close.

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