“Paranormal romance?”
Heat assaulted her face. Why were they still talking about the fake novels she hadn’t written? She needed to change the subject. Maybe it was best to just say yes. “Something like that.”
“But you don’t anymore.” He looked at her. “Because of your sick father?”
Ugh. Talking about her father was worse. She didn’t want to talk about her father to a famous singer. He didn’t care. Why was he even asking? She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Do you mind if I ask what illness he has?”
Might as well just tell him. She was obviously incapable of lying right now, seeing how she just made herself into a paranormal romance author. “He has a heart valve condition.”
His eyebrows raised. Not that she could see them, but she could tell because his mask raised. “Is it serious?”
Her palms grew sweaty, and she rummaged around in her bag for something to wipe them on. She found nothing, so to disguise the reason she was searching, she pulled out a tin of altoids. “Do you want a mint?”
His lips quirked. “Is that your way of saying my breath stinks?”
“Oh, no. Not at all. I was just…”
“I’m kidding,” he said, reaching for the door. “I’ll take one.”
She fumbled with the tin, trying to open it. Why did she feel like she was on the most awkward date ever? She finally got it open and shoved it at him. He took out a mint and popped it into his mouth. She did as well, hoping the burst of flavor would distract her from all her weirdness.
When they got to Shadow’s room, she could hear Sir-Barks-a-Lot inside doing his best to make his presence known. Shadow made a face. “Could I ask you for a favor? Jalen had to go to a virtual meeting and asked that I take care of his dog. But I need a shower right now. Do you mind taking Sir Barks on a walk?”
“Okay,” she said without thinking. She loved Jalen’s little dog.
“Are you sure? I hate to ask. That’s not really part of your job description, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t mind. Honest. He’s adorable.”
Shadow unlocked his door and opened it. Sir Barks jumped on him like he was the happiest dog in the world. Jalen must ask Shadow to take care of his dog a lot. The dog sure was familiar with him. Although, as soon as Riley stepped into the room Sir Barks ran to her and jumped on her as well. She chuckled to herself at her assumption. Maybe the dog was just like that.
Shadow grabbed a leash and hooked it to Sir Bark’s collar. “Thank you for walking him. If you want, you can go out the deck door. He probably would love a walk on the beach. I’ll be fifteen minutes or so. Feel free to just come back in when you’re done.”
Riley couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. If she could be smart about this, maybe she could spend even more time with him after she walked the dog. This was turning out to be serendipity. She was going to find out who he was and get that promotion. She was sure of it.
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About the Author
Victorine and her husband live in Nebraska with their four children and two cats. She loves all things romance, and is currently addicted to Korean Dramas, which are super swoony and romantic. When she’s not writing, she’s designing book covers for authors or making something with her extensive yarn collection.
A Young Adult Romance Collection Page 61