He huffs, but stops and glances around the sidewalk, his face squishing as he turns his head from side to side. “Wait, where are you moving to?”
“Crystal Gardens.”
His cheeks sink inward as he chews on them. “Are you renting or buying?”
“Buying. It’s a new build. The whole place was gutted a few years ago and they’ve been building condos.” I point down the street to the Elysian Sky Developments office. I kinda hate the name, but they do excellent work.
Joey looks slightly concerned, almost more than when I said there were demons living in a building.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
His eyes drift upward and he mumbles something in Italian. “I live in this neighborhood.”
Oh shit. “That’s a problem.”
He’s quiet for a second. “Why? It will make it easier to walk Kingston.”
I shake my head. “Nope. I can’t have any of my people in this neighborhood. This is Harriet’s turf. She’s super sweet, and we send each other customers all the time, but I like to respect boundaries.”
Joey nods. “Cosa Nostra.”
Hers, at least. The longer I walk with Joey, the less I want to respect professional boundaries. I'm a little concerned the lines are getting blurry and almost invisible. Because yes, he is very attractive, and he’s been kind and attentive all morning. Plus, he’s been shockingly accepting of my crazy-ass brain, too. While he’s noticed other women, he hasn’t been checking them out. But his eyes drop to my cleavage a few times during our walk.
“Okay.” He sounds disappointed, but then his eyes get hard and his jaw tightens. “I’ll talk to Harriet and make some sort of an arrangement.”
I laugh. “Or I could text her. Shit, it’s not like it’s mob warfare or anything.”
I catch his side-eye as he jams his hands in his pocket. The summer sun beats down on our backs, and I’m grateful we’re only a few buildings away from our stop.
I take the leash from him and stand in front of the office door. “Behold the true power of his boopable snoot,” I say as I push open the door.
The room smells crisp and clean… too much so. Like they’re trying to cover the smell of mold, or maybe other construction. The space is small, with one receptionist gatekeeping a conference room and a few private offices. The receptionist is younger than me, with short brown hair, big hoop earrings, a trendy business-casual jacket, and what I assume are pants. As soon as she sees Kingston, she jumps up. Yep. Black pants.
“What a good boy!” She almost vaults over the desk and lands in front of the dog. Kingston takes a step back behind me. “Can I pet him?”
She’s around my back, bending down and putting her hand out for the dog to sniff before I even answer her. Kingston inches closer, takes a whiff, and opens his mouth, his tail curling up again.
“Can I see Mr. Hall?”
The woman points behind her. “He’s in the second office on the right.” Kingston rolls over onto his back. “Do you want some belly rubs? Yes, you do. You’re the goodest boy ever.”
I should take this dog everywhere.
Behind me, Joey’s on his phone, tapping away. “I’ve got a family thing I need to take care of.” His phone buzzes, and he types again.
“Ok, I’ve got a few dogs to walk, and then Kingston has a vet appointment at two today. I can bring him to that.”
Joey shifts his weight from leg to leg. “I should be there, he’s my dog. Where is it?”
“Near Jacobson Street, next to the CrossFit gym.”
“Got it.” He nods his head at me and says, “See you there.”
I crack my knuckles and roll my head from side to side. Time to lay the smackdown on some contractors.
Chapter Eight
Joey
