Page 3 of The Mr. Right Checklist

“I’ll bring her right out.” I flash a victorious grin at Ruby, who rolls her eyes.

Grumpy Gus is standing in the middle of the reception area, his expression as stoic as ever. His arms are crossed over his broad chest, legs planted shoulder width apart, thigh muscles flexing against his dark slacks. His dirty-blond hair is short on the sides, slightly longer on top, and so thick it reminds me of plush carpeting. His scruff is perfectly manicured, as usual, and his light blue eyes are narrowed, like he doesn’t trust me. Laura is sneaking peeks at him, but he seems oblivious to her appreciative glances. His gaze falls to Molly, and a smile blooms across his face, softening his hard edges for a second, until those baby blues land on the pink bows in Molly’s hair, and his jaw tightens again.

He grumbles, “Bows.”

“Molly loves them. She chose pink today.” I hand him the leash.

“She’s a dog,” he says flatly. “She doesn’t know what a bow is.”

“Then she’s lucky I do, because she’s a pretty girl, and she deserves to look her best.”

He frowns. “The last time she ate one, and it cost me a few hundred dollars at the vet.”

My stomach sinks. “Oh no. I’m so sorry. I wish you had noted that when you made this appointment. I’ll just . . .” I quickly and carefully remove the bows, whispering to Molly, “Sorry, Mol.” I tuck the bows into my apron pocket. “I’ll avoid bows from now on, and I’ll pay for the vet bill if you’d like.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“If you had said something—”

He arches a brow. “I thought please don’t put bows in her hair was pretty clear.”

“I assumed you just hated bows, and you’d get over it,” I say a little too defensively.

His lips twitch into a semi-grin. “You know what they say about assuming. I hope you don’t make a habit of ignoring your clients’ requests.”

“I didn’t ignore it. I just didn’t think you meant it.”

He shakes his head. “Thanks for taking them out. We’ll see you in a few weeks.”

After the door closes behind him, Laura sighs dreamily. “God, he’s cute.”

I watch him through the window as he walks toward a Range Rover. Two women are openly checking him out in the parking lot, but he doesn’t even look their way.

Ruby walks in and puts a folder on Laura’s desk. “Gawking at Molly’s hot daddy?”

“Yes,” Laura says.

“No. I’m just trying to see what you guys see. I mean, he’s tall and fit, and he’s handsome for a blond, but he has no swagger.” I watch him guide Molly into the SUV. He grabs her big head and plants a kiss on her snout, earning Aws from Ruby and Laura. “Okay, that was cute. I’ll give you that, but his personality is so far from my checklist, it’s in another country.”

Chapter Two

FLETCH

My phone vibrates with a text, and I look up from the paper I’m grading.

Talia:

Where are you?

Shit. I was supposed to meet her for coffee five minutes ago. Talia Dalton is one of my closest friends, as well as my colleague at Beckwith University, where I teach sociology. She was one of the first people I met there nearly a decade ago, and we clicked right away. Like me, she takes her job seriously and avoids drama, and with the exception of me and her husband, Derek, she has a general lack of trust in the opposite sex.

Fletch:

On my way. Sorry.

Talia:

My phone rings as I head out of my office, and I put it to my ear. “Sorry, Tal. I was grading papers.”