Zero Forks - Cat Johnson Page 0,30

easy. I angled in the chair, twisting to look up at him standing behind me.

Damn, he had nice muscles. And why hadn’t he put on another shirt?

He’d asked me something. What was that again?

Oh yeah. The wedding.

“It’s my mother’s sister’s daughter. I can’t not go. My mother would never allow that.”

There would have to be some unquestionable excuse to get me out of this one. Incarceration. Coma. A stint on the International Space Station. None of which I saw pending in my near future.

He glanced between the card and me. “Okay, so go and get drunk.”

I sniffed out a laugh. That would be dangerous. A toxic combination. Alcohol and emotions didn’t mix well.

I’d only just recently stopped waking up in the middle of the night furious or crying over Greg. I’d been in bad shape post break-up.

I still felt as if I was being held together by duct tape. He’d broken something in me that would never heal completely.

Even years from now I knew there’d still be scars. I’d changed. He’d changed me. I’d never be the same again.

I’d certainly never give myself to love again. Never completely trust again.

But none of that mattered. That I’d have to get through the ceremony and reception without vomiting every time I saw Greg with Jana was a real concern, based on how the wine I’d drank today was currently threatening to come back up. And that was just from seeing an invitation.

What would being face to face with them do to me?

Boone moved around to stand in front of me. The next thing I knew he was squatting down next to my chair so we were almost eye level.

Damn, he had nice eyes. I’d never gotten to stare into them this closely before. Hazel didn’t come close to describing the gorgeous color, a mix of green and gold and brown.

And what were those muscles that bulged so high in the space between his neck and his shoulders? Did all men have them? I hadn’t noticed them on Greg.

I should not, I would not, let myself be attracted to Boone.

Greg had broken me. Boone would too. It was only a matter of time before he found himself a nice young Mudville girl. I needed to stop coveting what I couldn’t have and concentrate on the problems at hand. One of which was how Boone was currently invading my personal space.

“Yes?” I asked, the question sounding a bit grumpier than I’d intended as I tried to deal with his close proximity and how it made me feel.

“There’s something else wrong with you. This isn’t just you not wanting to go to some cousin’s wedding. What is it?”

The whiff of something that smelled like the forest, whether it be his soap or antiperspirant or just him, was a big reminder that I, as his boss, shouldn’t be this close to him, my employee.

I leaned to get farther from him and hit the back of the chair. But even if I couldn’t distance myself from him physically, I sure as hell had to try to distance myself emotionally.

“It’s nothing that concerns you. Is Stewie all good?” I asked, clearly changing the subject after I cut off his invasion into my private matters.

He watched me for another second, looking almost hurt. I’d been harsh. I felt bad about that. Just one more thing for me to deal with.

Finally, he stood, giving me back enough space I could breathe again without getting a lung full of his enticing scent.

“Yeah. He’s good. The dog crawled into bed with him. I hope that’s okay.”

“Um. I guess.” Right now, the dog was the least of my worries.

A kid. A dog. A hot young man. All under my roof. A huge old Victorian roof, at that.

How was this my life?

A week ago I hadn’t even owned a houseplant in my one-bedroom apartment.

It was a surreal change. And I wasn’t sure if it was a welcome one or not.

The past year I’d been digging myself a rut of repetition. Work. Home. Repeat. All while pretending my life hadn’t been turned upside down when Greg had left me.

The one and only time I’d deviated from my plan was with Jerry. And we’d seen how well that worked out, didn’t we?

That memory had me wanting to run back to the nice safe life I’d built for myself. A life without hot young shirtless guys, or their dogs.

But that was also a life without Stewie in it and for now and the next few months that