Page 47 of Miss Treated

Kelsey

“I’m glad I’m here too,” I murmured, standing in Dominic’s hall. Reluctantly, I turned and continued on to the guest bedroom. Once the door was shut, I leaned up against it and let out a long breath.

God, would I ever again be confident in the company of a man? Or more importantly, would I ever be able to stop comparing everything to my relationship with Joel? Could I avoid scrutinizing both the man and myself through the lens of a person who’d allowed herself to stay too long in a toxic relationship?

Once I was ready for bed, I slid between the butter-soft sheets and felt the tears. My therapist was right about assigning arbitrary time frames. A span of time was not indicative of when I’d be ready for another relationship. I feared I’d never be ready. Yes, Dominic was patient, but what happened when this slow-moving friendship was no longer enough?

I woke early the next morning and instantly wondered if my host was up yet. After a quick shower and changing into comfortable clothes, I stepped out to find the place quiet. His wide-open bedroom door revealed his bed was made, but he was nowhere in sight.

In the kitchen, a Starbucks cup with my name on it sat on the counter. Gah, could he be any sweeter? I took a sip of my drink of choice and smiled at the note he’d left.

“Hope you slept well, beautiful. Went for a run. I’ll make breakfast when I return.”

If I was twelve years old, I’d put this in my scrapbook and keep it forever.

The sound of the front door opening caused butterflies. They ratcheted up to pterodactyls when he walked in shirtless and sweating. Good Lord. He was sculpted perfection.

“Hi,” he greeted, his smile wide.

“Hi,” I returned, internally wincing at the breathlessness of my voice. It sounded like I’d been the one out running. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome.”

No agenda, no love bombing, simply a sweet gesture with no expectation of anything in return. “How was the run?” I diverted my attention to Lady. Panting, she appeared thoroughly satisfied by the exercise.

“Good. Lady sets a punishing pace.”

“How far do you go?”

“Five miles.”

We both turned at the sound of a knock at the door. Lady immediately retreated to her bed, not at all interested in a stranger—or defending the house.

Dominic opened the door, and I heard a woman’s voice. “Hi, Nic.”

“Hey, Tina. How are you?”

She giggled, the sound grating on my nerves. “I’m great. I saw you running, and it reminded me I had gotten some of your mail by accident. Did you maybe get any of mine?”

He took a couple envelopes from her and, much to my surprise, invited her in. “Come on in. I haven’t gone through my mail yet, so let me check. Tina, this is Kelsey. Kelsey, this is my neighbor, Tina.”

Her eyes bulged at the sight of me making myself at home in his kitchen with a cup of Starbucks.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, taking in her perfect figure encased in yoga pants and a sports bra. Her blond hair was up and her makeup completely done.

“Yeah, hi. Um, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend?”

He merely smiled, giving me a wink. “Yep, I’m definitely a one-woman guy these days.” He went to the stack of mail his mother must have gathered for him and thumbed through it quickly. “Nothing here for you, but appreciate you coming by to drop mine off.”

Her smile was strained. “Yeah, I mean anytime. Um, have a good day, you guys.”

“You too.”

I almost felt sorry for her, but the sentiment was overridden by possessiveness. It was stupid. Although he’d made it sound as if I was his girlfriend, I definitely wasn’t.

As soon as Tina left, Dominic locked the door and walked back into the kitchen in search of water. “My mail gets mixed up with hers a lot.”

“More like she slips the mail carrier a twenty to get the opportunity to hand deliver some items to you.”