Page 22 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1
“He’ll get what’s coming to him, Lils, mark my words. Until he does, don’t let the asshole steal your sunshine.”
“You’re right. Why am I wasting my energy on him?” I huff.
“Exactly. Now, where’s the feisty Lily I met three years ago?” Daisy demands.
“She’s still in here somewhere,” I sigh. “Three years, huh? That’s crazy! Can you imagine ifwe hadn’t both interviewed for the same job that day? We never would’ve met.”
“Oh, you mean the job Ididn’tget?” she teases.
Daisy and I clicked that day, bonding over mutual interests as we waited to be called in for our interviews. Friendships happen like that sometimes—you connect with someone in a completely unexpected way. Daisy and I have been best friends ever since. We like the same things, laugh at the same jokes, and even have similar tastes in men—although, like me, Daisy has never found a man she wants to play hide the sausage with. She’s waiting for the right one.
“Remember that pact we made? The first day we met?” I ask, my voice rich with remembered amusement.
“Oh, Lord, how could I forget?” Daisy chuckles. “We promised each other that if neither of us found the man of our dreams before we hit seventy, we’d both sign up for the same nursing home and become horny old spinsters.”
“Well, we haven’t reached the nursing home stage yet, but at least we got to share an apartment,” I reply, smiling at the memories of all the fun times we’ve had.
“God, I miss that, Lils. I miss you,” she says sadly. “I loved our little apartment.”
“Me too, honey. Colorado seems so far away. The last few months haven’t been the same without you to keep me sane.”
“I know, but Mom needs me right now,” she replies, reminding me why she had to return to her hometown.
“How is she?”
Daisy sighs heavily down the line. “It’s tough. I’m not going to lie. People don’t realize alcohol addiction is a sickness like any other.”
Tears sting the back of my eyes at the pain in my friend’s voice. “I’m sorry you’re having to deal with it alone. I wish I could be there to help you.”
“Just hearing your voice helps me,” she replies softly. “And you know you can come visit anytime you like.”
“I know, and I will as soon as I’m settled in this job,” I reply, blinking away the wetness in my eyes.
“Good. Enough depressing talk,” Daisy says firmly. “Did Boss McHottie say when he wantsyou to start?”
“Monday,” I reply, chuckling at her nickname for Callum. “My new boss may be hot, but I’m not going down that road, even if I do want to lick him like a popsicle.”
“Ha! Like you’d even know how,” Daisy sniggers.
“That’s a low blow, Daisy Jenkins.”
“Again, how would you know?” she asks, then bursts into gales of laughter at her lame joke.
I shake my head at Groot in exasperation. “My best friend has a mind like a sewer.”
Groot looks up at me with bored amber eyes and carries on licking his ass.
Chapter Three
Callum
“Friday? Isn’t that a little short notice?” Lily demands, her hands braced on her ample hips as she glares at me across my desk.
I called her into my office to tell her she’s accompanying me on an overnight business trip at the end of the week. To say she’s not too happy about it is an understatement.
I lean back in my chair and pin her with a cool stare. “It’s Monday today, Lily. Which means you have almost four days to get everything organized. Granted, it’s shorter notice than I would’ve liked, but it’s the only time I have available in the next few weeks, and I need you there.”
It’s been a month since Lily started working for me, and it's been a mixture of heaven and hell.
