Page 77 of Total Shutdown

Fucking finally, a day off.

The plan? Fucking nothing. Veg out, watch theAlienmovies, and eat my body weight in all the delicious snacks that are no good for me or my waistline.

I’ve worked myself into the ground these past few weeks, picking up any shift available and covering for colleagues and their vacations.

TV remote in hand and a bowl of Cap’n Crunch balanced on my lap, I’m poised and ready to start my day of nothing when the intercom buzzes, and I drop my head between my shoulders.

If this is Cameron showing up to find out why I haven’t replied to his earlier text, asking how to replace a brake cable, I swear to whoever lives up there that I will throttle him with said cable.

That, or shove it somewhere.

Cap’n Crunch now turning to mush, I haul myself off the couch and head for the intercom, connecting the line just as it buzzes again.

“Yes?” I answer, exasperated.

“Ooh … all right, ma’am, what’s got your panties in a twist?” Kendra’s voice sings down the line, way too enthusiastic for a morning.

I immediately hit the button to allow her access and unlock my door, heading back for my couch and settling in with my cereal.

She’ll let herself in.

“Nothing like a warm welcome,” she says, dropping her bag by the door and kicking off her sneakers.

Unlike me, Kendra is a neat freak. I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as messy, more that I thrive in organized chaos. Apart from when it comes to my garage. That is a different story.

She flicks her eyes up to the dirty dishes by the sink.

“Don’t even think about it. I can rinse them later. I have the entire day to myself, and right now, I’m watchingAlien.”

Kendra takes a seat next to me, leaning over to peer into my bowl. “I used to eat those when I was eight.”

“I want no judgment,” I respond around a mouthful. “I’m answerable to only myself and my waistline.”

She flops back into my soft couch, chuckling. “Isn’t this film a bit … heavy for a morning?”

Dropping my spoon into the bowl with a clatter, I slide it onto the small coffee table in front of us. “Did you stop by for a reason, or is it National Pick Collins Apart Day?”

Kendra just smirks at me, mischief all over her face. “No. Actually, I was on my way back from early morning conditioning, and I thought I’d drop in and ask the question both Jenna and I are desperate to know. She’d be here, too, if she didn’t have lunch with her boyfriend’s parents.”

Now I’m intrigued.

Picking up the remote, I hit pause on Sigourney Weaver and turn back to my friend. “You know, I don’t need to know the Blades schedule. I can tell just by how annoying you are whether Jack is around or not. You find ways to bother me when he’s away rather than racing back to have endless sex with him when he’s home.”

She lifts a finger in the air. “It’s funny you should mention sex because that was the first thing I concluded when you and Sawyer snuck off together on Saturday night.”

“Squirt for me, Collins.”

The delicious memory of Sawyer swallowing me down hits right between my thighs, and I cross my legs, desperate to hide its effects.

“Is that your question? Where we disappeared to?”

“Uh-huh.”

Buying myself some thinking time, I fidget with my hair, readjusting my messy bun.

“We needed to talk after the date at the Botanic Garden, so that’s why he came to find me. Sawyer pulled me into your spare room, and we talked everything over.”

She’s not buying it—I can tell as she twists a lock of blonde hair around her pointer finger. “Who knew that two people talking could turn the biggest playboy in the NHL white as a sheet just from witnessing said conversation?”

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