Paws off the Boss by Casey Griffin (best summer reads of all time TXT) 📖

“Yes,” Piper said. “Just yesterday afternoon.”

He made another note on his pad while Piper and Aiden shared a worried glance. Finally, he clicked his pen closed and tucked the notepad away.

“Okay, I think that will be all for now. I’ll contact you if I need any more information.”

Marilyn reappeared from the kitchen and took his cup. “Do you think my guests will be safe, Officer? Should we expect another attack?”

“For now, let’s hope this is an isolated incident. It doesn’t appear as though there was malicious intent. We’ll chalk this one up to mischief, for the time being.”

“Tell that to the brick that nearly rearranged my face,” Piper said, a little insulted.

“I understand,” he said, “but the center had been closed for the day. There was no way to know anyone was inside, except for the dogs, and they’re kept in the back. In my experience, this type of vandalism is just a warning. No harm meant.”

Piper scowled at the officer, thinking about the poor ladies, but he didn’t seem to care about them.

Marilyn saw the argument on her face and swooped in. “Thank you for coming, Officer. I’ll walk you out.”

Piper’s glare session was interrupted when Aiden reached out to her. This time, it wasn’t for a handshake. He laid a hand on her shoulder, warm and comforting. For the millionth time that day, she remembered what his hand had felt like in hers. Her palm twitched with the desire to feel it again.

“Are you sure you’re all right? You seem rattled.”

“I’m okay, thanks.”

While she was still shocked to see him there, his presence and confidence calmed her, his I’m-the-boss demeanor, all the things that had annoyed her earlier that day when she’d left his house. She must have been more rattled than she realized because, with his hand lingering, she felt drawn to him. She ached to lean against him for just a second.

But what was she? Some helpless damsel in distress? Shaking off the longing, she gave him her best “keep calm and carry on” smile.

“I’m fine,” she said again. “Just fine, fine, fine.”

Marilyn returned, and Aiden’s hand dropped to his side.

“What a business, all this,” she said. “Who would want to attack a dog shelter?”

“Scum,” Piper said. “Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll catch the guy.” Not that she had all that much confidence in Officer Tucker. She said it more to reassure the older woman. Piper could already see that Marilyn would be up worrying half the night. Much like she would be.

“Perhaps I should cancel my vacation,” Marilyn said.

Piper gaped at her. “What? Don’t be silly. You’ve been looking forward to this trip for months.”

“I was planning to go on a Caribbean cruise this week with my sister and her kids,” she told Aiden. “But I don’t think it’s such a good idea at a time like this.”

Piper gave her a firm look. “You’re going. And you’ll have a great time. I’ll take care of things here. It’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure it will, dear, but—”

“But nothing. Trust me. Go.” Piper knew she could handle it. Along with clinical shifts at the vet hospital, her telegram job, studying for her licensing exam, dealing with the cops, and graduation. Oh, and don’t forget her new job with the world’s most distracting boss. She wasn’t taking on too much. Nope, not at all.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, just to hear herself say it.

Marilyn clicked her tongue and walked over to the desk, fishing around in the junk drawer. After a moment, she plucked a roll of duct tape from its mysterious depths. “Maybe you’re right. Even if I stayed, I’m not sure what good an old woman like me would do fretting about the place.”

Piper made a show of rolling her eyes for Marilyn. She always referred to herself as an “old woman,” but she was barely in her sixties. In fact, she could have passed as being in her mid-forties. And Piper had a feeling she knew it too. She had a certain youthful air about her.

Marilyn handed the roll of tape to Piper. “Well, Mr. Caldwell, it was nice of you to come. Is it customary to check on your properties yourself if something happens?”

“Not usually. But I wanted to come in person to make sure everything was okay. As you well know, I have a vested interest in this property.”

Marilyn inclined her head and gave a knowing smile. “Of course.”

Piper’s shoulder still felt warm where Aiden’s palm had rested, but now he avoided her questioning look. She hoped she was his “vested interest,” but the exchange that passed between him and Marilyn was a strange one. It spoke of confidentiality, like there was a loop, and Piper was out of it. Loopless.

“We appreciate your concern, Mr. Caldwell,” Marilyn said. “Piper, would you mind helping me finish up here and settle the guests before heading home?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Grabbing a chair from the corner of the room, Piper dragged it in front of the broken glass door and stepped up. She reached down for the cardboard resting against the wall, but Aiden got to it first. He traded her for the duct tape in her hand.

“I’d like to stay behind and help, if you don’t mind.”

Piper opened her mouth to say she didn’t need any help, but Marilyn answered before she could.

“Thank you,” she said. “If you’ve got a handle on things here, I’ll check on the guests and grab a broom for all this glass.”

The woman mumbled to herself as she headed into the back. The door closed behind her, and silence fell over Aiden and Piper. She held the cardboard while he ripped off pieces of tape to secure it in place.

After a couple of minutes spent gnawing on her lip, Piper asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you owned the property?”

He used his teeth to tear off another piece of tape. “I suppose I just didn’t think of it. I was being honest when I said that I like to keep my business life and my personal life separate. It’s old-school, but isn’t that the golden rule? Don’t mix business with pleasure?”

Piper frowned. “Right.”

She was dying to ask why he’d really come. What was his vested interest? He and Marilyn had done everything but tap the sides of their noses and wink to hint at their little secret. But Piper supposed it was none of her business. No loop for her.

Aiden pressed the last piece of tape in place. Piper went to jump off the chair, but he reached up and put his hands around her waist. He helped her down, his arms and torso flexing beneath his shirt with what, she imagined, was thanks to a well-established gym regimen. Gym hater or not, she needed to join that gym. Just to look, of course. There was no harm in that, right?

When she was firmly back on the floor, he hesitated before pulling away, like he wanted to say something. That afternoon, he’d made it clear she was just another employee. But the way his eyes softened now, his hands still gripping her waist, made her doubt that.

“So, is this business?” she asked. “Or pleasure?”

The door to the back swung open, and Aiden’s hands dropped to his sides.

“All right, then,” Marilyn sang out as she rounded the desk. “It seems the little ones have settled down already. I’ll quickly sweep up. I don’t think we can do any more here tonight. Might as well go home and get a good night’s sleep.”

“That’s a relief,” Aiden said, a little jumpy. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Marilyn.” He shook her hand and turned to do the same to Piper.

Beating him to it, she stuck out her hand. He only paused a second before taking it, but long enough that Piper knew it caught him off guard. She shook his hand firmly, no-nonsense. Just business. They wouldn’t want to confuse that thick sexual tension for pleasure or anything.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Caldwell,” Piper said. “Good night.”

Turning on her heel, she grabbed her backpack, whistled for Colin, and headed for her Volkswagen.