Page 18 of Leo and His Love Bunny

“It’s great you have a friend who helps you with her. I think I’m too busy for even a cat.”

“I admire that. Someone who counts the cost before they jump in. So many people get pets and never stop to consider how much work it might be.”

Maybe that was it. Or maybe I am just commitment phobic. I feel like most of the time I can’t even take care of myself, let alone take care of myself and a pet.

No point getting into all of my weaknesses with Leo. As far as I can see, he doesn’t have any. My hand pulls out a piece of drawing paper I had stuck in my notebook that sat on the coffee table. I like to keep my fingers busy, and I absently start to fold it, using the coffee table between us to flatten it out and push on the creases.

“I just want you to know that I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep hanging around me, even though you said in the shop that we were working on something together.” I blurt the words out, staring at the paper as it creases under my fingers.

“I can’t really force you to do anything with me, but that’s what I meant about lying. It didn’t sit well with me all day, and... I had an idea of something we could do that would make it true. Something that would benefit you at the same time.”

Chapter 9

Leo

Nora looks up, surprise in her eyes, her fingers, which had been playing with a piece of paper, folding it and creasing it carefully, stilling.

She has beautiful eyes. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed that before. I don’t know why I’m noticing it now. But they’re like a chocolate brown. Warm and swirling. They give me the feeling I could get lost in them, which is sappy and not at all like me. Yes, I like to be honest, and yes, details are important to me, but I’ve never been the kind of guy who gets so squishy and romantic.

Those kinds of things make me uncomfortable. But a couple of seconds pass before I realize that she spoke and I didn’t even hear it, and I rip my gaze away from hers, away from those gorgeous brown eyes.

My brain feels slow, sluggish, but I realize that she asked what I had come up with. And maybe said something about not minding the room around me.

Not sure what to make of that. Does that mean that she can force herself to stay in my company if she has to? Or does that mean that my personality doesn’t match my biceps, but she’ll hang around just to be able to stare at them some?

It is not like me to sit around and ponder those things, and they don’t matter anyway.

Goalie has delicately walked across the floor, jumping up on the coffee table and sitting down directly in front of the parakeet’s cage.

“Love bunny. Love bunny.”

They gaze at each other, and it reminds me of the way I was just looking at Nora. Like her eyes were the most gorgeous eyes I’d ever seen before and I could lose myself in them.

Except the affection between Trixie and Goalie seems to be mutual. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who feels anything between Nora and me.

For the first time, I think that maybe this is a bad idea.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” Nora says, and I realize that she’s interpreted my pause as reluctance to share with her, rather than me getting myself together and reminding myself that I need to stay focused on my career and my goal of being an inspirational writer and speaker and not get distracted by superficial relationships.

But superficial doesn’t describe Nora. Except... It does. Since she is the one who is most interested in my biceps.

I don’t do superficial relationships.

I chant that to myself, and then I say, “It was my idea. I came here to tell you about it. Of course I want to tell you. I’m just... I’m trying to find the words.” That is mostly true. Seems kind of weird now that it’s time for me to tell her about it. But it could be a way for her to redeem herself, after the breast debacle of earlier today.

“I play hockey.” I feel like slapping my forehead. I’ve reverted to a five-year-old, and it’s not pretty.

“I know.” She chuckles a little.

I shake my head. “Sorry. I guess I can’t think and talk at the same time.”

“I have that problem sometimes too. Case in point, earlier today when I told the entire town I was infatuated with your delicious biceps. I cannot believe I said delicious.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, and her cheeks turn the most adorable shade of pink. I want to touch them.

My hand forms into a fist at my side, and I force words out of my mouth.

“Obviously I can’t play hockey forever, so I’ve been thinking about what I want to do when my career is over. I have alwaysbeen good at encouraging and motivating my teammates. I guess that’s why they’ve made me the team captain. That, and I suppose I’m good at bossing people around.” I say that kind of tongue-in-cheek, since I really am good at bossing people around, but I’m also good at making snap decisions, and I’m good at interpersonal relationships. I help the guys to get along, I lead them where we need to go, and I’m not afraid to go first. I’m also not afraid to go alone. Sometimes a leader has to, until the people behind him see the path he is on is a good one.

She laughs a little. “I have a bunch of brothers, and I think every single one of them is good at bossing people around. It must be a male trait.”

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