Dear Roomie

by Kate Meader

  The scruffy guy barked. The next sight was a big, moist sliver of pink flesh.

  Kennedy laughed. “Oh, boy. I think he recognizes Daddy.”

  “Did he just lick the screen?”

  “He did! He’s so excited to see you. Keep talking to him. Oh, I know! Tell him about the game. About one of your goals? Did you score a goal?”

  No, but neither of them would know. “I made this great slap shot move off my blade that the goalie didn’t see coming. Back of the net, the crowd went wild.”

  Bucky barked and jumped out of frame.

  “Where’s he gone?”

  “Oh, he got bored. Don’t take it personally. Dogs have limited attention spans.”

  He couldn’t get annoyed at that. “So something happened.”

  “The video? Mia sent it.” Okay, that was a relief. She didn’t seem upset. “Mia also told me that you’re worried I’ll throw a frat party or burn cigarettes into your coffee table.”

  “I had to check, but she gave you a good reference. She adores that dog of hers so I figure she wouldn’t take a chance on his care.”

  “I am trustworthy. And I only had five guests over—hardly a party.”

  He squinted at her. “I know you think I’m completely humorless but I understand that’s a joke.” He hoped.

  “Hmm, maybe. You’ll have to trust me, Reid.”

  Trust me. Only so far as was necessary.

  10

  Reid slipped inside the apartment, dropped his away bag in the hallway, and listened for the patter of doggy feet.

  Nothing.

  Disappointment rocked him. He was certainly playing the fool, living in far too much anticipation of his new friend’s affection. The press got a kick out of asking him stupid questions about the rescue, though they were more interested in Kennedy. No surprise there, they were always looking for an angle. Kershaw had taken to calling him Aquaman on the plane ride back, which everyone thought the height of comic genius.

  Henri called multiple times while Reid was flying back to Chicago. He had a feeling he knew what that was about.

  Perhaps Kennedy and Bucky were out walking. She had other clients, and hopefully Bucky was getting along with them. Socialization, she had called it. Something that Reid could do with a little bit more of.

  He rolled his bag toward the bedroom, eager to change and take a shower. Maybe he’d check the GPS tracker first, see if they were nearby. In his room, he found his dog, sitting at the entrance to the en suite bathroom.

  “Bucky!”

  The little guy cocked his head and raced toward him. Thank God he was safe. Reid hugged him and let his face be thoroughly licked. He pulled a dog biscuit from his pocket and held it out for him.

  “A little something for you.”

  Bucky snatched it up and wolfed it down so fast Reid worried he might choke. But no. He had it under control like the excellent dog he was. His bright eye—looking even brighter than three days ago—was filled with joy.

  “Hi, there.”

  He looked up to find Kennedy standing at the entrance to the bathroom in a towel. He had a flash of ink on her upper arm before his grasping eyes realized he was about to turn into a creeper if he continued.

  “Hi. I’m sorry—I should let you get … why are you showering in my bathroom?”

  She giggled. “Okay, Papa Bear. Your shower has the extra jets so of course I’m going to use it before the guest one. Well, I won’t again because you’re giving me that look that says I’ve overstepped.”

  “No, it’s fine. I just didn’t expect to see you.” He bent down again and rubbed Bucky’s head. He couldn’t look at her in that towel, not when he’d gone without sex for four months. Instead he spoke to the dog. “Were you spying on Kennedy?”

  Spying? Why had he used that word?

  “He was, the cheeky devil. I tried closing the door but he just scratches at it. Clearly has voyeuristic tendencies or abandonment issues.” She waved that off. “Sorry, not a dig. I know you have to go out of town to earn a crust.”

  “Has he been for a walk yet today?”

  “No, but I can get dressed and take him out.”

  He held up a peremptory hand. “No, I’d like to go out with him.” He certainly wasn’t asking permission, yet somehow he felt as though she was in charge of the dog’s welfare.

  “Sounds great. I’ll start the coffee and we can chat about how it went when you come back.”

  She headed back into the bathroom and shut the door.

  Kennedy might have misjudged Reid. When he spotted her in a towel, he’d almost looked shy and somewhat apologetic to have encountered her half-dressed, even though she was the one who had taken over his bathroom. The shower was that much better.

  Just seeing Reid with Bucky warmed her heart. The big grump turned into a total cinnamon roll around that puppy. Animals, the great levelers.

  Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and both of them came into the kitchen. Reid’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright, making him look like a windswept, romantic hero just back from a walk on the moors. Very Heathcliff.

  If Heathcliff wore a suit. They must have to dress nice for travel, which was weird. Dress codes for sports people made no sense, though she approved because Reid Durand looked amazing in a suit.

  Dragging her eyes away from how the those pants clung fondly to his thighs, she managed to eke out, “How did it go?”

  “Fine.” He went to the sink to wash his hands. His gaze fell to the counter. “You moved things around.”

  “Oh, yeah, the mugs. That cupboard is kind of a stretch for me so I put a couple on the counter so I can just reuse them. Easier than having to grab a stool.”

  He nodded, but his eyebrows formed a frustrated V. Drinking vessels out of sync. Does not compute. He was welcome to put them back as soon as she was gone …

  … or right now. The cups were restored to their original location.

  “Is there anything I need to know?” He poured coffee, asking this with his back to her. When he turned, she got the impression he was trying to school his expression to calmness. That cup move must have really pissed him off.

  He was probably not going to love what she said next.

  “So don’t freak out but yesterday, I had to take him to the vet—”

  He slammed the cup down, splashing drops of coffee on the counter. “The vet? What happened?”

  She held up a hand. “No big deal. He vomited yesterday afternoon and I was a bit worried that he might have swallowed something toxic because the cupboard door under the sink was ajar. That’s where the dishwasher packets are and the box was open.” She waved quickly. “But he was fine! The doc took a look and said that the food we’re giving him might be too rich. He’s not been fed so well for months, so it’s playing havoc on his stomach. That’s all, I promise. I moved the stuff from under the sink to the utility room for now until we can figure out how to dog-proof the apartment.”

  He did not look appeased. “You should have told me when I called last night.”

  “I could have but you would have just worried, maybe tried to get home sooner. It was all under control. You seem to be a bit, uh, emotional about this puppy so it was better this way. Trust me.”

  “Trust you? Not sure I can if you’re lying to me. You should have told me the minute I got in.”

  “And ruin your reunion? You guys needed to have some tension-free alone time. Now you have, and I’m filling you in on what’s transpired. No secrets, just timing, okay?”

  His stare burned into her and if she wasn’t so sure he was absolutely pissed, she’d be getting a tad turned on. Her nipples tightened along with the muscles between her legs.

  Reid Durand, better than Kegels. Imagine having that staring down at you while he was inside …

  Nope. Not going there, especially with Hot Jerk. Not when she needed to ask him a favor.

  “If something’s wrong, I need to know about it.”

  “Ho
w would you have reacted?”

  He bristled, clearly surprised at her challenge. Probably didn’t get much pushback in his blessed, all-hail-the-king life. “It doesn’t matter how.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “I would have called the vet myself and spoken with him.”

  “Her, actually.”

  Blackest of scowls. “I would have been able to assure myself that he was okay. And I gave you the name of a vet I’ve already worked with. A male vet.”

  “Who wasn’t available. This was his partner in the same practice. All this happened before your game yesterday. Should I have called you then? Right before you went on the ice?”

  He folded his arms. Unfolded them. Placed his hands behind him on the counter, gripping hard. Sheesh, this guy needed a massage or anger management therapy or a good bout in the sack. Not that she was offering …

  “If not then, right after.”

  “So it would have been okay to delay telling you because it was no longer an emergency and you had a game to play?”

  “Yes, that would have been okay.”

  Game, set, and match. The look on his face was priceless. In the way of a bossy alphahole who realizes he’s lost the argument but absolutely hates it, he was evidently thinking about how to claw back some territory. “But last night when we spoke after the game, you should have told me.”

  “What would you have done then? The vet’s office was closed so you would have just been worried all night, maybe not getting any sleep, or trying to get a hold of the vet after hours. You saw him yourself—he was fine. Vet Lisa assured me he was okay and I made a call that this information would be best kept to myself until you returned and could see Bucky in person. You have to trust me to make some executive decisions here or this isn’t going to work.”

  Had she just talked herself out of a job?

  He folded his arms. Stared. Looked down at Bucky. Back at her.

  “I would prefer you keep me informed … but I understand why you didn’t. Next time, just tell me, I can handle it.”

  “So you can handle the truth!”

  Blank stare. Not a fan of the paraphrased Jack Nicholson impression, then.

  “Okay. Got it.” She fake-wiped her brow. She’d tell him about the multiple peeing incidents later. Bucky’s, that is. “Thought I’d lost my gig there.”

  “I considered it, but you’re all I have and Bucky likes you. That’s important.”

  And she liked him. Reid was growing on her as well. She liked that he had bowed to her greater wisdom here and didn’t act like a complete dick about it. The beauty of compromise.

  They stood staring at each other for a moment that turned into two, then three. It should have been awkward but wasn’t.

  “Cute sweater,” he finally said in a tone that implied, that’s hideous.

  She picked at one of the lumps shaped like pine cones on the front. “It’s Edie’s.”

  “Edie?”

  “My grandmother. I don’t have winter clothes so she let me borrow it.” It had the comforting scent of her, too. A faint citrus that kept Kennedy connected to another time.

  “Why don’t you have winter clothes?”

  “I’m usually in warmer climes, but Edie had a stroke and moved into Larkvale.” At his curious expression, she explained. “It’s an assisted living home for seniors. I haven’t lived in the States for a while so I came back to spend time with her.”

  “Is she …” His entire demeanor went on alert. “Ill?”

  “God, no. The stroke was one of those minor ones. She’ll outlive us all but it made me realize that I need to visit more often. I’ve been gone a while.”

  “Why?”

  “Why have I been gone?”

  He nodded.

  “For the last six years I’ve been traveling in Mexico, South America, Asia. In fact, by January I’ll be back in Thailand teaching English. I’m just waiting on a work visa.” One of her first jobs had been teaching English in Japan, and now she would be doing it again in one of her favorite countries. Definitely more stable work than bartending for a few bucks or trying to marshal funds from broke backpackers for a yoga class. “Always chasing the sun, that’s me!”

  People usually weighed in at this point in her stock explanation with how awesome it was, how jealous they were, how lucky she had it. This time, her cheery coda didn’t produce the typical response.

  Reid said nothing, just stared. She felt exposed, her skin flayed and burning. She’d yet to decide if Reid’s dark-eyed intensity was sexy or serial killer energy.

  “I should get going as I have a few appointments. I wondered if you’d mind paying me before I leave? You can Venmo me.” She doubted he’d stiff her but if he changed his mind about using her services again, she’d rather have the cash in hand now.

  “Mais oui.” He took out his phone and started tapping the screen, completely oblivious to the fact her spine had liquefied in the face of spoken French. “We said two hundred a day?”

  She swallowed, worried that she may have overpriced her talents.

  “Three days, two nights,” he murmured. “Plus what I owe you for the vet … that should do it. Let me know if it’s not what you expected.”

  She checked, her eyes bugging out. “That’s a thousand dollars.”

  “It’s a tip for the extra work you had to do, taking him to the vet. You were cool under pressure and then I was less than polite when you explained. There should be some compensation for putting up with a cranky employer.”

  She liked that he had a sense of humor about it. “Yes, but this seems like overkill.” This would pay for her return ticket to Asia and leave her with some to spare.

  “And you had to stay overnight away from your home. That’s above and beyond. Today’s my day off but I have practice tomorrow, 10 to 1, again the next day, then a home game on Sunday night. Are you available?”

  Just like that. Rich people were used to buying their way out of their problems. Hot people, too.

  Of course, right now, she was ripe for purchase seeing as she had problems of her own.

  “Sounds like you need someone here 24/7.”

  “Yes, it does. Do you live nearby? My schedule is pretty structured and I usually know far in advance where I’ll be. We can plan this to the hour.”

  She wasn’t big on all this structured time and she did have other clients. But mostly she had a different problem that only he might be able to fix.

  “I can be at your beck and call but I need to ask something first.”

  “Okay.” His tone was suspicious.

  She took a deep breath and steeled her spine. “Could I move in here?”

  11

  Reid didn’t say a word. So he wasn’t the most talkative of guys, but he definitely had opinions. She had heard them.

  Only now, zilch.

  “Did you hear what I said?”

  He crossed his arms and assessed her in a way she felt to her toes. “Why do you want to live here?”

  A thinker before he spoke, apparently. Fine, fine.

  “You might recall that lovely argument a few days back that led to a customer complaining at your encouragement and me losing my job?” It never hurt to remind him of his part in her imminent financial ruin. “Well, that was about my living situation. I need to find another place to live for the next seven weeks and the schedule you’re describing for Bucky is basically full-time. It would make more sense if I’m on-site and as I also need a roof over my head, I think this would solve two problems with one stone. Or however it goes.”

  This explanation was met with silence. So he needed more. Reid was the kind of guy who didn’t make decisions impulsively.

  She geared up for her next argument. “Sure, you don’t want anyone living here, especially a complete stranger, but I stayed for the last two nights and I didn’t throw any wild parties or anything. The only thing I did that you clearly don’t approve of is move a couple of mugs around and use your epic shower. If
you set the ground rules, then I won’t do anything that pisses you off. Also, I can keep things ticking over here. Get groceries, do your laundry, clean up.” She looked around. “You like it neat. I can make sure it stays that way. And you can deduct a room and board fee from my wages.”

  “Okay.”

  “I would definitely stay out of your hair when you’re around. I have some other commitments I can work around so I can be gone when you need space or stay in my room—”

  “I said okay.”

  “What?” She stopped pacing—only now realizing that she had been pacing—and gave him the Reid treatment. A burner of a stare.

  “I said you can stay here. Perhaps not forever, but we could try it while you’re looking for another place.”

  She would be gone by the end of the year and if she played her cards right, she could stay here that entire time. Resolved to keep that to herself for now, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him. “Reid, that’s amazing. Thank you!”

  When he didn’t return her affection, she stood back. “Sorry. Not a hugger. Got it.”

  Color flagged his cheekbones and something funny happened to his nostrils. Wow, he had not enjoyed that.

  “I’ll definitely look for another place,” she rushed on to cover the awkwardness. “And I should be able to rearrange my yoga classes around your schedule.”

  “You teach yoga?”

  “Occasionally. These days I’m teaching it to the old folks at Larkvale Senior Living.”

  “And you walk dogs? And serve coffee? Well, you did.” Maybe he was rethinking the offer to let her stay. Some people were distrustful of in-your-face poverty, thinking it signified laziness. Nothing said poverty more than multiple part-time gigs.

  Best not to tell him about the art class modeling. “Yep. I like to keep busy which is why I will not bother you when you’re here. You won’t even know I’m on site except for your neater-than-neat apartment.”

  “You don’t have to convince me,” he said, though he sounded far from convinced. “I said yes.”