There’s just something so straitlaced and stern about Mr. Leo Brennan that makes me want to see what happens when I ruffle his feathers.
“How’s your ankle?” he asks, stepping into the kitchen. He stands opposite me at the island, hands resting on the countertop.
“Still attached. Which I believe is a good sign,” I reply as I take a sip of my orange juice.
A quick quirk of his lips is there and gone so fast you’d miss it if you blinked.
“That’s definitely a good sign,” he says.
“And on the plus side, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have people sign my body parts, and I guess I’m about to find out.”
“I’d offer to be your first signature, but my penmanship peaked in third grade, and it’s been downhill ever since,” Leo says.
“I don’t believe there’s any part of you that’s a disappointment,” I say as I rake my gaze down him.
Leo looks startled, but I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the first time a guy has ever flirted with him, or because he doesn’t expect it at nine o’clock in the morning from a broken-ankle victim.
I didn’t pick up any clue of Leo’s sexual orientation from my Googling of him, because apparently, he keeps all information about his personal life locked down. But a guy can hope, right?
It doesn’t seem fair for the universe to make a guy so gorgeous be completely straight.
“I believe the painkillers might have affected your vision,” he replies dryly.
Which tells me precisely nothing.
But that’s okay, I’ve got bigger things to tackle right now.
“So, you said last night you’d help me with my jobs. But you don’t really look dressed for dog walking.”
Leo’s eyes widen, his eyebrows shooting up. “When I said I would help, I didn’t mean I would be personally walking the dogs. I meant I would hire someone to walk the dogs for you.”
I shake my head sadly. “I don’t think that will work. I can’t send a stranger to walk my clients’ dogs. They expect me or someone I personally vouch for.”
Leo narrows his eyes. “And you can personally vouch for me?”
“Once I’ve given you some preliminary training, I’m sure you can figure out which end of the dog the leash goes on.”
“I really think it would be more prudent to hire someone with dog-walking experience,” he says.
“But then they might steal my clients. I can’t afford to lose clients.”
Leo still looks skeptical.
“You can’t solve all my problems by throwing money at them,” I say.
An emotion skitters across Leo’s face, too fast for me to accurately read, but then his jaw tightens.
For a second, I forget I’m supposed to be playing him. I want to know what that look means.
“No. Of course not. I’ll endeavor to do everything I can to help.” He says the words solemnly, like he’s taking a vow.
I hide my smile.
“And I’m thinking it might be a good idea if you move into the other room of this apartment for the next few weeks.”
Now I’ve completely flummoxed him.
“If you need assistance, I can hire someone with home healthcare experience,” he says slowly.
