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Did she forget what she looked like? Oh, she was hot all right, as in a sweaty, hot mess kind of way. Her hair had come undone from the loose knot she tied her tresses into, and now hung like a disheveled curtain around her. Her mud mask, which actually smelled good, had started to melt and drip down her face after her unexpected physical activity.
She was a scary, hot mess, like she had crawled out of a well or something in a horror movie. Oh, but did she forget that she had flashed them with her entire body?
The towel, which had served her so faithfully through a madcap chase after her dog, literally threw in the towel at the slightest snag of a bit of metal, leaving her naked.
Oh heck, they had seen everything.
Everything.
Louder for the deluded part of her at the back of her brain, that maybe they didn't. No. They had seen everything.
Okay. But this was good. She didn’t have to worry about making a good first impression since she had made her customary impression. Oh, she had impressed upon them all right, her boobs, her kitty-kat, everything—before she had the fortitude to just take cover and hide.
But fine. This was who she was. Chaos. She didn’t need to pretend to be anyone else. But did they really have to be so utterly good-looking? Like cold marble, sculpted to perfection. Chiseled jaws, hunter eyes—icy cold yet dangerously mesmerizing. Well over six feet, they were clearly muscular under their dark tailored suits, in that lean aesthetic way.
Yep. Out of her league. They wouldn’t give her a single glance on her best day, never mind a second glance if she had a complete makeover. Her foundation was simply inadequate to begin with.
Great. Now she didn’t have to keep up false appearances, considering her landlady had threatened to evict her if she said no.
Okay then.
They continued to stare at her as if she were their personal punishment bestowed upon them by their grandmother for whatever reason she needed to punish them.
“A car will come around for you at seven. Don’t be late,” Zac said before they all turned around and left the gazebo.
“You don’t be late,” she called after them, then cringed so badly at herself that she wanted to cry. That was what she decided to go with as a cool, witty retort?
She spun around, muttering her epic failure to herself.
It took her only one step before she realized that Horse hadn’t followed her. He was still sitting like a good boy, staring almost longingly at the backs of the three retreating men.
“Come on, Horse. Mommy forgives you.” But Horse didn’t move. He shifted around, wagged his tail, and looked like he wanted to bolt but seemed to be hypnotized to the spot.
Shockingly, he had dropped her panties on the floor, and she quickly picked them up and stuffed them into her towel.
She pulled and tugged, and she tried to pick him up but failed. She resorted to dragging him, but he was too heavy, and nothing else worked.
“Excuse me,” she shouted. “Can you unstuck my dog, please?”
Reid turned around and issued a single dominant word.
“Go.” And Horse jumped up and started to head toward their cottage.
She'd never be able to control him like that. Maybe her furbaby needed a dad. Or three.
What? No. If they were the dads and she was the mom, that would make them...
“Oh, god, Allison. Stop,” she said, mimicking Gage’s stern command, and instantly she fell silent.
She had more important matters to think about than playing house with the Keller grandsons and her dog, which was an outlandish thought to have.
What was she going to do about going on a date with all three of them? Nothing, she decided. She had already established that they had seen her at her worst. If she showed up with garbage on her head and wore a potato sack as a dress, they wouldn’t be the least surprised.
One date. A couple of hours, and then she would have earned herself one more reprieve to stay in the cottage. That was all she needed to do.
One date.
And by the looks of things, they would probably abandon her as soon as they entered the event. If she were them, she would abandon herself in the blink of an eye.
