Page 13 of Fake It Till You Make It

Amarie looked up at him, smiled, scooped up a floppy Adele, and draped her over her shoulder. “My apologies. I thought my animal-handling skills took priority considering your health and safety were at risk, boss. Now, about the job.”

Leah laughed out loud. Eli may have cursed, but she couldn’t swear to it.

“You’re hired… for today,” he grumbled.

Amarie’s breath hitched. She’d done it. Though an unconventional start to the interview, she had applied her unique talent, with the boss and ball of fur, and gotten the job. “Yes!” she cheered.

“Pay’s eleven dollars an hour. Work starts now with Kitty Scissor Claws you’re cuddling.”

“But—” She stopped her happy dance. In D.C. she’d need three roommates, an EBT card, and a second job to survive on so few dollars.

“Final offer,” Eli interjected.

“Okay,” she acquiesced, but she still needed to fix Prince, find a place to live, and afford coffee.

“Welcome aboard, Amarie.” Leah opened her thin arms wide.

“Ah,” she said, a bit sheepishly, going in for a hug, “does the job include breakfast?”

“And lunch,” Leah offered, closing Amarie in a warm embrace.

Eli threw up his hands at his mother. “Since when are meals and hugging a part of our hiring practice?”

“Since I’m the momma.” Leah grinned.

He glared directly at Amarie. “Enough already. Time for work.”

Not wanting to repeat the mistakes she’d made with Russell, she piped up. “I’m going to need everything in writing.” She paused. “Oh, and a fifteen-minute break.”

“A break?” Eli sputtered, his face awash in crimson again. “You haven’t started work yet.”

“Oh, you’re right.” Amarie beamed. “I don’t need your permission.”

Beyond satisfied with her performance, Amarie didn’t wait for a response. She deposited a purring Adele into her boss’s hands and headed for the veranda to tell Vali the good news. She could practically hear Eli’s muscles harden to stone. His curse rang out, puncturing the air with spearing force. Greek warrior, indeed.

Chapter Four

TO ELI’S SURPRISE,Amarie had volunteered to share in monitoring Adele’s overnight recovery. She’d slept on his office couch in between vital sign assessments and surgical site checks without complaint. This morning she’d washed up in the house, joined in the Calvary family breakfast conversation, and then waltzed into the clinic exactly fifteen minutes before it opened without so much as a glance in his vicinity. He didn’t have to tell her tardiness was not a rule he would flex on. There had to be an angle to Amarie Walker. No employee mustered her level of dedication on day one. He needed to uncover her playbook before he took a curve ball to the gonads.

His momma sidled up next to him, slipping her waterproof apron over her head. “You look well rested.”

“Yep,” he nodded.

“Having Amarie around to share the load is nice, huh?”

Refusing the bait, Eli kept quiet. The added hours of sleep he appreciated, but he’d withhold his praise till further notice.

Mrs. Kline arrived, hands wringing after a night ofseparation from her emotional support feline. Amarie greeted Lois with a smile, depositing a purring Adele, the traitorous chameleon, into her owner’s outstretched arms.

“She was a perfect houseguest. You trained her well,” Amarie added.

Overjoyed, the retired seamstress babbled a string of baby gibberish into Adele’s perked-up ear.

“Thank you for everything, Amarie.” Their longtime customer embraced his new hire, patting a fragile hand, fingers twisted with arthritis, in genuine gratitude on Amarie’s back for taming her normally ferocious feline into a sublime state.

“Wow,” Eli muttered. “I actually removed the growth and stitched her up.”

His momma nudged him with her elbow. “Play nice.”