Page 3 of The Naughty List

He waves his hand at the leash in mine. “You won’t need that. He’s not ready for it. Just carry him to the park and let him do his business. I have back to back meetings the rest of the afternoon, so try to wear him out, will ya?”

Before I can formulate a response, he nods at the chew toy I’m holding.

“Might want to grab a few more of those.” I open my mouth to tell him I’m not the dog walker or whoever he thinks I am, but suddenly he yells out “Zeus, come here, boy.”

Now I wasn’t the best student, but I know who Zeus was in mythology. Appropriately, I hear thunder rumbling in warning as a husky golden retriever sprints toward us.

And knocks me flat on my ass.

“Ahh,” I yelp as I go down.

“Zeus, heel,” Jonah’s commanding voice causes both me and Zeus to go still.

“I’m, um, wearing my sister-in-law’s clothes. She just got a new dog. Maybe he smells him on me.”

Those are the first words I say to Jonah X.

And they always will be, for as long as I live.

I wish the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

“Sorry about that. Zeus is getting up there in years but he still has a lot of energy.”

His hand reaches toward me and I see the intricate braided leather straps he wears on his wrist. I read about them. He met a tribe in the wilderness during his travels and they gave them to him as some kind of honorary gift.

I take his warm, strong hand as he pulls me to my feet. Once I’m standing, I don’t want to let go. But it gets weird when the puppy in his arms begins licking and nipping at my hair.

“I’m Jonah,” he says, as if every living, breathing female on the planet doesn’t already know this.

“Hollis,” I stammer out like I’m new to saying my own name.

“Okay, here you go, Hollis,” he says, handing the bundle of fur to me like I’m supposed to know what to do with it. “This guy doesn’t have a name yet. But Zeus responds to commands well and doesn’t need a leash.”

“Wait, I’m not—”

“I’m so glad you made it,” he interrupts. “And, uh, try to be on time tomorrow, yeah?”

I was almost an hour early for my interview.

But this is Jonah X and two roads are diverging before me.

On the first one, I explain that I’m just a girl who didn’t get the receptionist job and got distracted coming back from the ladies room. We laugh at the case of mistaken identity and I go on my way, back to my life, never to see his beautiful face again.

On the second, I play along. I become his dog walker. And I see him again for however long I’m able to keep up the charade until the actual dog walker shows up.

It’s not a difficult decision to make.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely be on time tomorrow.”

2

HOLLIS

TWO YEARS LATER

SLEIGH BELLS RING, ARE YOU LISTENIN’

“Yes, I can run by the dry-cleaners. It’s no problem, I promise,” I tell my boss as Achilles drags me through the park while Zeus assaults my shins with the frisbee he wants me to throw.