“No, I’m sorry,” Koen sighed.“Christ, I feel like an asshole.”
That actually made me smile.“No, really...it’s okay.At this point, I think it’s the world’s worst kept secret.In fact, I think that the only person who doesn’t know about my pathetic crush is Dalton himself.”
“You’re not pathetic,” Rya immediately remarked, defending me as always.
“Well, I feel pathetic, which is just as bad,” I drawled out.
“Look, there are some good guys that-”
I put my hand up to stop Koen mid-sentence.“Please do not,” I chuckled humorlessly.“While online dating may be awful, blind dates are so much more worse.”
“That’s because your mother is always trying to set you up with douchebags,” Rya snorted.“I mean, nothing’s worse than a country club frat bro.”
“I’d take offense if you didn’t love me so much,” Koen laughed.
Rya grinned.“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be,” he replied generously.“They really are the worst.”
I watched their sweet interaction, and I could admit that I was a bit envious.Contrary to popular belief, it was rare to find someone that you could co-exist with comfortably.Granted, Rya was still working out some issues when it came to Koen’s money, but when he wasn’t being Koen Wilder, she was completely at ease in his arms.
“Maybe I can start working delivery in my spare time,” I suggested.“That’s a good way to meet guys, right?”
“It’s a good way to meet unhappy, ungrateful, lazy people,” Rya retorted.
That got a laugh out of me.“They’re not all unhappy, ungrateful, or lazy.”
“Trust me, you do not want to meet a man who is too lazy to pick up his own food,” she insisted.“You’ll be taking out the trash and killing spiders by yourself.”
“Ormaybe he’s been through some traumatic event that has turned him in an agoraphobic, and he’s just looking for someone to share that burden with,” I suggested.
“Yeah, on that note, I’m going to check on...on some last-minute stuff,” Koen replied evenly.
Once he was gone, Rya asked, “Do you really want to take on that kind of challenge?”
“It’s gotta be easier than dealing with Dalton’s mood swings,” I huffed.
Rya let out a heavy sigh.“You’re not wrong there.”
Chapter 10
Dalton~
Though I’d already seen the place, that didn’t make me any less excited for Rya.She was having her very first housewarming party, and even though it was an intimate affair, she was sharing her next big step in life with us, and I found that to be rather special.
As for their gift, instead of getting them something that they didn’t need, I had opted for a pet starter kit, getting Rya everything that she was going to need when she finally got herself a pet, and I also knew her well enough to double the order because Rya was a big believer that dogs should have other dogs to play with.
Nevertheless, because all of it would have been a bitch to wrap, I’d had delivered it yesterday while Rya had been at work, and Koen had been willing enough to hide it for me.Luckily, he liked animals, or else Rya never would have given him a chance.
Anyway, the only thing missing from my gift was the animal itself, but after having worked at Precious Pets for so long, I knew enough to know that it’s best not to force a connection.The best thing that Rya could do was go to the shelter, browse the animals, then choose the one that called to her.Honestly, if Koen’s not careful, I could see Rya bringing home two dogs, a cat, and possibly a turtle if one’s available.
Now, because it was family only, I didn’t have a problem finding a close parking spot, but what I had noticed was that Leandra’s car wasn’t here yet, and that was a good thing.Her lateness would give me time to pick Rya’s brain before she got here.Surprisingly, it’s been a few weeks since I’d last seen Leandra, and while our schedules at Precious Pets changed randomly, I usually worked a shift or two with her a week, but there’d been nothing for the past three weeks or so.
Ringing the doorbell, I waited for someone to answer the door, and if nothing else, it was going to be good to see Rya’s dad and his new girlfriend, Cynthia Murray.Now, while I’d already met the woman, I wasn’t around her as much as Rya was, but according to Rya, Cynthia was solid, and I couldn’t be happier for Mr.Harlow.He was the father that every child should have, and he was definitely in my top five of favorite people in the world.
When the front door finally swung open, Koen was standing on the other side, a huge grin on his face.“Dalton.”
“Don’t blindside me,” I told him as he stepped aside to let me in.“Were you able to keep everything hidden?”
