Here to Stay--A Workplace Romance by Adriana Herrera

Author:Adriana Herrera
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2022-04-08T19:03:05+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Julia

This man and this filthy cat were going to be my undoing.

We walked into the vet’s with Rocco leading the way, holding the laundry basket full of feline like it was an offering from the goddess.

“Hi, my cat needs help.” He was speaking barely over a whisper, like he didn’t want to startle any other convalescent pets.

How could a man this hot be so fucking sweet?

I was trying hard to tell myself this was the same guy who could send my life and my career in a tailspin if he felt like it. But I couldn’t make it stick. This man who showed up at my door cradling a little cat like it was made of spun crystal and spoke in Spanish to my mother was hard to connect to that reality. There was way too much to digest in that newsflash, so I tried to focus on the issue at hand.

“No, I’m keeping her.” I looked up in surprise and found Rocco sending a very slighted expression at the receptionist.

“What happened?”

“She asked if we were going to send her to the ASPCA,” he said in an outraged whisper, as he clutched Pulga to his chest. Great. There went my Hunter sweatshirt too.

I was caught between swooning and rolling my eyes. When I caught a glimpse of the tech taking the information from Rocco, she looked a little addled by the man too.

Girl, get in line.

Rocco spoke to the tech again and this time it was clear he was not playing. “I want to make sure she gets the shots she needs and someone to take a look at her eye, and I will be taking her home.” He offered Pulga up for a quick inspection of the poxy eye, and then turned to me with a look that said “Can you believe they asked me that?”

I gave him a small smile and tried hard to act like I wasn’t deeply in my feelings in that moment, then turned away to hide my face from him. Because what I really wanted was to get up from the bench, go to that counter, and tell the vet tech with the moony eyes to back off, because this man and his flea-ridden cat were both mine.

But because I at least succeeded in holding on to the last ounce of self-control I had left, I forced myself to stay firmly in my role of supportive friend. “She’ll be fine. They’ll take care of her.”

He didn’t look too convinced, but turned back to the woman, who had even more information to share with Rocco. I stayed by the bench, hoping to get my shit together.

I needed a talking-to ASAP.

I texted Alba, hoping she would bring me back from the ledge I’d walked onto in the last five minutes.

Julia: Are you still pretending to be asleep to get out of helping with cooking?

Alba rejected all domestic activities and gender roles with a militant zeal, so the yearly ritual of her sisters and her mom

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