I let the curtain fall closed, and I turned away from the window and murmured, “He wasted absolutely no time. Just last night, he was holding me like that.”
“I’m so sorry, Phoenix.”
My emotions were a jumble, and I tried to shove them all away as I muttered, “Well, what did I expect after dumping him? Serves me right.” I pushed my hair back from my forehead and looked around. “I don’t know what to do now. I was going to spend the night in one of the guest rooms, but it all just feels so awkward.”
Kel got up and shifted the chicken and the chihuahua in his arms. “Come with me,” he said. “There’s a second bed in my room, and I think you really need a friend tonight.”
I retrieved my suitcase from the coat closet, and the golden retriever and greyhound got up and followed us to the far end of the house. Kel’s room had a sliding glass door which led to a fenced side yard, and he opened it for the dogs and chicken while he got ready for bed. Meanwhile, I sat on one of the beds and felt like a lost puppy.
After a few minutes, Kel returned dressed in pale blue flannel pajamas with cartoon cats all over them, and he asked, “Are you still planning to go to Hawaii tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I told Harper I’d go as his assistant, and I’m planning to honor my commitment. It’s going to suck, though.”
Kel sat on the other bed facing me and said, “I don’t think I did the right thing earlier today when I encouraged you to break up with Harper. You look so upset now, which makes me think he meant more to you than I realized.”
“All you said was that you didn’t see Harper settling down any time soon. Where’s the lie?”
“But what do I know? I should have kept my mouth shut.”
I took off my shoes and curled up on my side as I told him, “I would have made the same bad decision no matter what you said. I was feeling hopeless, and I couldn’t find it in me to believe Harper and I had any chance of a future together. Well, we sure as hell don’t now, after I rejected him and basically pushed him into that model’s arms.”
The dogs and chicken came back inside from their potty break, and the chihuahua made a half-hearted attempt at growling at me. Kel got up and shut the door as he said, “Let it go, Pepe. You know Phoenix is a good guy.” Pepe grumbled a bit as he climbed onto a miniature couch between the two beds, and Loco followed and cuddled up beside him. Then Oliver and Buddy jumped onto my bed, and Kel explained, “That’s where they normally sleep. Want to switch beds with me?”
“No, this is fine.” It was nice, actually. Oliver stretched out against my back and Buddy curled up in front of me, so I was totally surrounded by warm dog.
Kel climbed under the covers and shut off the light. He was quiet for a while before asking, “How are you feeling?”
“Right now, hurt and anger seem to be fighting for the top spot. It’s nice to know I was as easy to replace as a burned out lightbulb.”
Kel fell asleep after a few minutes, and so did the menagerie. That left me staring into the darkness and wondering how the hell I was going to get through the next week.
Chapter 8
Kel got up bright and early the next morning and went to take the dogs for a walk. Meanwhile, I stayed in bed for another hour with a pillow over my head. Eventually, I convinced myself to get the day started, and I took a shower in the adjoining bathroom before putting on a clean outfit from my suitcase.
When I stepped out into the hallway, I nearly collided with Harper, who was coming from his home gym. He was sweaty and flushed, but he still managed to look hot. Damn it.
As he wiped his forehead with the towel around his neck, he glanced at where I was coming from. Then he looked again before staring at me incredulously and asking, “Did you spend the night with Kel?”
Really? He was going to ask me about my sex life, after hooking up with that model? I muttered, “None of your business.”
He frowned at me, and we both stared each other down for a long moment. Then we started walking down the long hallway, which put us right in step with each other. So. Damn. Awkward.
The house was fucking huge, too, so it took forever (okay, probably thirty seconds, but still) to finally reach the living room. That was where I discovered Dani lounging with a cup of coffee. He greeted Harper cheerfully, then joined him as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. I continued on to my office, then spent the next couple of hours sending emails and seething with anger.