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My jaw unhinges, and I scramble to free my phone from his grip. Turning, I whisper, “You bitch,” into the receiver, and then end the call. I check myself in the mirror. The more manicured version of me looks back, then I spin around slowly to find Micah petting Athena.
“I’m so sorry about earlier. I’ve never seen her hump anyone before. Really. No one. Not even another dog.”
“So I’m her first?” He kneels, massaging Athena behind the ears, then kisses her muzzle. “She’s adorable, and it was funny. Everyone got a kick out of it.” He pulls on Athena’s dress that I made just for the show. It’s green, showing off her red color, with a little frill of tulle along the bottom. I even sewed one of our logo patches onto the side. She’s basically a walking billboard for Pet Threads. “This is so pretty. You make the clothes, right?”
My dry mouth doesn’t recover miraculously, so my voice comes out thick. “Yes. I have a business with my best friend. The one on the phone there a minute ago. We sell fashion for large dogs. Well, we sell to smaller dogs too, but the big dogs weren’t getting any of the love that the teacups were getting, so we started there.”
“But you actually sew them, right?”
I can’t believe Micah is in my dressing room and asking me what I do for a living. I take a deep breath. “I sewed every original design, and in the beginning, when we were just on Etsy, I sewed every single one, but now that we’ve expanded into a brick and mortar, we have a manufacturer that we work with. But any new designs, I sew first and Athena is my model.”
“Lucky dog.”
Athena moves to stand next to me again, pressing her body into my leg. “I think she sort of loves it, honestly.”
The kindest smile graces his face. “Where’s the accent from?”
Before this, I never understood the full force of a handsome male gaze, because right now, Micah is giving it to me, and I have to scramble to pull two brain cells together to answer. “Tennessee.”
“Hometown girl.”
I nod. I’ve never been any good on the spot. I like plans and to be prepared, so this is a test to see how I act as a normal, functioning human being. So far, I wouldn’t say I’m acing it, but I’m not completely off the rails either.
Tab would be proud.
“Whereabouts?” he asks.
“Eastern, but I live in Nashville now. That’s where the store is.”
“Have you ever been to one of my games?”
“Yours? No. I watch them on TV. But my grandfather took me to Wildcats’ games when I was a kid.”
Micah presses his hands to his chest. “You just broke my heart.”
“S-sorry.”Is it me or is he moving closer?I’m pressed against the vanity, and he may only be a few steps away, but his presence looms like an immovable force.
“Don’t be sorry. Say you’ll come to one.”
“I would love to.”
“I’ll make it happen.”
“That’s too much,” I tell him. “I didn’t send Athena out there to hump you so we’d get free football tickets.”
I was going for levity, but Micah doesn’t waver, which forces me to keep rambling to fill the void.
“I mean, I didn’t actually send Athena out there to hump you. I would never do that. And she really never does that. I was shocked. Don’t worry, I’ve spoken to her about it, and?—”
“Go out for drinks with me.”
“What, here? No.”
His eyebrows raise like he’s not used to being told no, and honestly, I can’t believe that foul word left my body.
“No, like not here in the studio? Or not here in New York? Or not here in this lifetime?” The corner of his mouth quirks up, and that dimple winks at me again.
I can’t tell if he’s flirting with me or making fun of me. Flirting sounds ridiculous, so he must be making fun of me. “I… just…” I peer away, trying to will the beat of my heart to slow. Who cares if he is making fun of me? I won’t ever see MicahFreeman again. He probably always comes to the dressing room of whoever he meets on shows like this and offers them tickets to a game. It’s a show of goodwill. The team probably expects it. “It’s Athena.” I clear my throat and push my shoulders back. “She won’t be let into any bar or restaurant, and I can’t leave her in a hotel room by herself. Well, I could—she’d be fine—but it explicitly states in the rules that pets aren’t to be left alone in the rooms. Did you know that? Plus, I’m leaving to head home in the morning.”