Page 58 of The Innocent

It was interesting logic, though she didn’t actually see the parallel between the positions.

“Have you thought about meeting people through a dating app? My friend who’s recently divorced is on them, and she’s meeting lots of people.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s for me.”

“Why not? It would get you out of the house, a free meal, and maybe you’ll find someone you like.”

She felt the heat rush from her chest to her cheeks. It was an insane thought, but she’d already met someone she liked. She’d obsessively replayed her call with Jekyll a million times over. So embarrassing. Maybe if she hadn’t been caught off guard, she could’ve planned out a conversation with him. Initially, she was going to ask him to get together for coffee. She’d built up enough courage until she actually got on the phone with him. Her confidence completely evaporated the second she heard his deep, graveled voice.

“I’m not interested in dating at the moment.”

Unless a biker shows up.

She clamped her lips and grabbed the arms of her chair to stand. “I guess I should get out there before I miss out on a donut.” Imogene cleared her throat. “I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to me rant.”

“I would say anytime but I don’t mean that. But…” —she smirked— “We have dinner at my place every Sunday. Consider that an open invitation.”

What?

“To your family dinner?”

“Yeah. It’s when everyone unleashes their problems, and it’ll give you an outlet.”

“But it’s your family…”

“And friends. It’s an entire bitch-fest. At least your complaints are valid. And the food is really good. So if you find yourself free on a Sunday and want to hear others whine about their lives, come on over.” Judy paused with a soft smile. “I mean that, open invitation. I’ll text you my home address.”

It was probably the nicest gesture anyone had given her in years. Her eyes welled slightly, but Judy glared, pointing at her. “No tears. I don’t do crying.”

She snickered, sucking in a breath and keeping her tears at bay.

“Thank you.”

Judy looked over at her computer. “Don’t thank me for dinner. It’s gonna be a shitshow. It always is, but…” She tapped on the keys, and her eyes scanned the screen. “You can thank me for this. Your next two clients are female. This one will take you out of town for about five days. They’re both in Birch three days apart. The center will cover your cost for a hotel. Of course, they get to choose where you stay, so don’t expect the Ritz-Carlton.”

“No problem. I look forward to it.” She turned to walk out when the thought suddenly struck her. Dammit. She spun around. “Actually, I do have a problem.” She rushed to the desk. “I’m so sorry, I hadn’t even thought about it, but I don’t have anyone to watch my cat. If it was a day or two I might be able to get away with it. But five? He can’t go that long without changing his litter box.”

“You can’t have a friend come over and do it?”

“Well, I currently don’t have any of those. Plus, there’s an insane rule about guests. I’m not allowed to have any.”

“That’s right.” Judy muttered as if she fully understood Imogene’s dilemma.

“Maybe I can switch clients with someone else.”

Judy folded her arms and leveled her with her eyes. “One of the reasons I hired you was because you’re not married with children.” She waved her hand toward the door. “They all are, which makes traveling a strain for them.”

Dammit, this was worse than she thought. The last thing she wanted to do was put the burden on a coworker.

“I’ll figure something out. I can sedate him and have him boarded.” She glanced up at the ceiling biting her lip. “Of course, that would mean I’d have to get close enough to give him the pills. And he’s not big on me invading his personal space.” This was a nightmare. Her scratch marks still hadn’t healed from the last attack.

“Imogene.” Judy sighed. “God, I hate cats, but I’ll do it.”

“You will?”

“Yes, and for your sake, I’ll be discrete.”

She knitted her brows. “Well, aren’t you friends with the landlord? I’m sure you’d be an acceptable guest.”